BA (Hons) Psychosocial Community Work (with Foundation Year)

Psychosocial Studies derived out of a desire to develop a programme in the Social Sciences that enables us to think about individuals' lived experiences not just from a psychological perspective or a sociological one but in a much more holistic way. Society shapes the way that individuals experience their worlds and, in turn, our inner worlds influence our thoughts, actions and relationships. The two facets are dynamically and intimately related to each other and to focus upon just one aspect severely limits our perspectives of human beings. To become a professional community practitioner, one needs not only a theoretical and ethical understanding of people's personal motivations, circumstances, beliefs, backgrounds, behaviours, cultures etc, but one also needs to critically consider the societal structures and systems that impact lives.

If you don’t meet the entry requirements for a BA, you can study this course as an ‘extended’ four-year programme. You'll begin with a Social Science Foundation year which will prepare you for a successful transition to the BA degree.

Throughout this unique degree programme you will deepen your understanding of human identity and the social world to formulate a basis for community work. The psychosocial approach to working with communities involves thinking about the way human beings influence their world, but also the way that the social and cultural realms make us who we are.

We have specifically designed the degree programme to enable you to develop skills applicable in a variety of career paths for example in the health, social care, education and community work. It incorporates relevant components of psychology sociology and community studies to equip you with a competitive edge over your peers through developing complex insights into community dynamics. For example, you will be able to examine a range of key concepts including, and combining where relevant, psychological, psychoanalytical and sociological understandings of the self, communities and society.