Bachelor of Social Science Honours in Psychology

Purpose

The purpose of the Bachelor of Social Science Honours in Psychology (BSocSciHons) (Psychology) Degree is to provide a better understanding of the social world, learners will be able to interpret and analyse relevant social research data, and will be able to comprehend and develop a better understanding of self and others in social context. The depth of understanding and insight provided through this degree is pertinent to South African realities where diverse race and cultures co-exist within a context of different cultural, socio-economic and educational levels.

Furthermore, learners will develop explicit core competencies in

• The Nature of Psychology.
• The Nature of Psychological Challenge.
• Psychological Intervention/Application.
• Research Methods in Psychology.
• Diversity.
• Values in Psychology.
• Policy and standards implementation and project implementation and management.
• Psychological assessment and interpretation.

Rationale

The Bachelor of Social Science Honours in Psychology Degree (BSocSciHons (Psychology)), is aligned with the institution's strong Social Science orientation with regards to the vision, mission, education and training and overall academic and pedagogic approach.

As a college of Applied Psychology, SACAP's education and training is firmly rooted in Psychology as both an academic and applied discipline within the broader category of the Social Sciences.

The BSocSciHons (Psychology) degree is particularly well suited for learners with a Psychology undergraduate degree who wish to engage with Psychology at an Honours level, with a longer term view to a career in Psychology or related fields. The BSocSciHons (Psychology) degree offers an articulation pathway for learners. It will also hold attraction for learners with an undergraduate degree with Psychology as a major from other higher education institutions. The BSocSciHons (Psychology) degree offers an alternative NQF Level 8 qualification for those learners who do not wish to follow the Counsellor route of training, but who nevertheless wish to engage in post-graduate studies in Psychology with a longer term view to a career in Psychology or a related field.

The BSocSciHons (Psychology) degree seeks to

• Advance scholarship in the discipline of Psychology at an Honours level (NQF8).
• Enhance a high level of theoretical engagement and intellectual independence that includes conducting and reporting research under supervision in a manner that is appropriate to the discipline of Psychology.
• Provide training along a continuum of core competencies that are common to all of qualification offerings.
• Provide for internal institutional articulation avenues of advanced study for those learners who successfully graduate from SACAP's Bachelor of Social Science Honours in Psychology BAppSocSci degree (NQF level 7).
• Provide additional articulation avenues of advanced study for learners who successfully graduate from a Psychology undergraduate qualification.
• Create a robust vertical articulation pathway into a cognate Masters Degree in Psychology with a view to a professional career as a Psychologist.
• Open up avenues of employment in the spheres of community mental health, human resources, organisational development, industrial relations, education, research, and social development.

The rationale behind the qualification offering is also to provide learners with a well-rounded education, with the aim of empowering learners with the skills of thinking critically and analytically, working effectively with people, and developing an understanding and to be able to practically apply a range of psychological principles and theories to community mental health contexts within South Africa. All learners of the qualification will be well suited for employment in an extensive range of public and private sector enterprises in the field of community mental health, and learners will be highly regarded for their ability to integrate theory with praxis and to be ethical practitioners within their chosen career or academic settings.

The BSocSciHons (Psychology) degree is portable in that it articulates well into further studies vertically and horizontally and offers learners a range of further study options nationally and internationally and meets the minimum entry requirements for admission to a Masters in Psychology qualification or other cognate post graduate qualifications.

Extensive consultation with various internal and external stakeholders and institutional comparison was conducted for the purpose of deriving an objective set of core competencies that reflect national and international best practice standards for education and training in counselling and psychology (American Psychological Association, 2007; Department of Education, 1995; Department of Health, 1974; Department of Health, 2008; Department of Health, 2011; Dovey, 1983; Faller, 2005; HPCSA, 2008; Health Professions Council of South Africa, 2010; Herholdt, 2012; Johnson, 2012; Lazarus, 2006; Louw and Fourie, 2011; Maree, 2011; Petersen, 2004; Pillay, 2011; Pretorius, 2012; Seligman, 2000; Tutu, 1999).

Lastly learners will develop implicit core competencies such as

• The development of lifelong learning skills, including competencies that will prepare learners for entrance into the workforce and/or articulation into further study options.
• Personal/Career development.
• Information, technological and academic literacy (understood as critical thinking skills).

RECOGNITION of PRIOR LEARNING (RPL)

Mature learners (23 years and older) who have successfully completed a Bachelor's Degree or qualification equivalent to a Bachelor's Degree but who do not meet all the minimum entry requirements, can apply for RPL status leading to admission.

The process of RPL involves a fair and equitable assessment of the applicant's prior knowledge and skill. The applicant will need to provide certified evidence his/her degree or equivalent as well as demonstrate his/ her level of current competency. Evidence usually takes the form of a portfolio of documents which detail the equivalent study, work or life experience.

It is always the learner's decision whether to access the institution's recognition of prior learning services.

Entry Requirements

To be able to gain access to the Bachelor of Social Science Honours in Psychology (BSocSciHons Psychology) learners should be in possession of either:

• Bachelor of Arts (BA) Degree with Psychology as a major.
• Bachelor of Social Science (SocSci) Degree with Psychology as a major.
• An undergraduate Degree in a cognate discipline with Psychology as a major.

This qualification consists of compulsory modules at NQF Level 8, totalling 128 Credits

• Theory and Practice of Psychopathology, 18 Credits.
• Psychotherapeutic Models of Intervention, 18 Credits.
• Ethics and Professional Development in Psychology, 12 Credits.
• Research Methodology, 20 Credits.
• Psychological Assessment and Interpretation in Practice, 18 Credits.
• Approaches to Diversity in Psychology, 12 Credits.
• Research Thesis, 30 Credits.

1. Acquire knowledge, skill and insight of psychopathology and use the DSM-V classification system in the analysis of psychopathological patterns of behaviour from a number of theoretical perspectives including a South African perspective of abnormal behaviour and mental health.
2. Demonstrate knowledge, critical understanding, insight and competence analysing and evaluating best fit research design, methodology, analysis and implementation for various research projects.
3. A critical understanding, insight and competence in analysing and evaluating as well as being able to apply the importance of diversity and cross-cultural issues in the discipline as well as having socio-cultural and international awareness.
4. Critical understanding, insight and competence, analysing and evaluating as well as being able to apply the values that govern psychology and demonstrate the ability to act ethically.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 1

• The utility of South African and international tests that are commonly used are critically evaluated.
• Key concepts and theories of psychology as an applied social science are critically interpreted and reflected upon in different social contexts as well as new information, concepts and evidence from a range of sources in the disciplines of social science and psychology are comprehended and evaluated.
• A range of specialised skills is used to identify, analyse and address complex or abstract problems drawing systematically on the body of knowledge and methods appropriate to a field, discipline or practice.
• Class presentation on one of the major challenges facing South African's such as: poverty, racism, xenophobia, gender power relations and intimate partner violence, teenage pregnancy, young fathers, paternal absence, unemployment, HIV/AIDS, interethnic or interracial marriages/families, gay/lesbian families, child headed families or grandparent headed families are conducted.
• An understanding of human behaviour within a multi-cultural environment is developed.
• Different psychotherapeutic approaches are explored, and psychotherapy in the South African context is used.
• Psychotherapeutic models of intervention are applied.
• In a professional context within the discipline of Psychology skills are consolidated, extended and applied.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 2

• An understanding of the theories, research methodologies, methods and techniques relevant to the field, discipline or practice; and an understanding of how to apply such knowledge in a particular context and research projects is acquired.
• Knowledge, critical understanding, insight and competence analysing, evaluating and being able to apply best fit research design, methodology, analysis and implementation for various are demonstrated.
• Comprehensive review of academic literature related to the field of interest is conducted.
• An independent research is executed and data is collected and analysed.
• A research thesis is written that demonstrates an ability to gather, analyse, organise, synthesise and evaluate data.
• Research colloquiums are attended.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 3

• Relevant social research data is interpreted and analysed in order to gain a better understanding of self and others in a variety of social contexts and circumstances.
• Contextually relevant modalities within the discipline of Psychology are meaningfully applied.
• An understanding of contexts and systems is developed.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 4

• Social, cultural and personal values and biases are understood which may influence interpersonal relationships in the work place or counselling relationships with clients.
• Ethical issues based on critical reflection on the suitability of different ethical value systems to specific contexts are identified and addressed.

Integrated Assessment

Assessment for the Bachelor of Social Science Honours in Psychology Degree is the process of evaluating the quality and extent of learner achievement or performance in learning and as such determines the focus and approach of learners to learning.

Assessments designed for each module reflects both a formative and summative (integrative focus). The overall balance of assessment tasks is to facilitate the learning process.

Formative assessments encourage an in-depth approach to learning through learners' own activity and engagement with the subject.

Summative assessments will lead to a final mark for each module undertaken by the learner.

Formative assessments will entail

• Cases studies, role-plays, reflection exercises, literature reviews, and essays, oral presentations (individual and group).
• Assessment measures incorporate constructive feedback in terms of marks and more nuanced comment-based evaluations.

Summative assessments will be examinations (open and closed book), theoretical papers, practical reports, and major research projects leading to a final course grade.

Learners are informed of the relationship of assessment tasks to a module's aims and objectives. This involves detailing for learners the expectations of each assessment task within each module, including any formal criteria and standards against which their performance is to be evaluated; length (words/duration); weighting; and submission dates for all assessment tasks.

Assessment practices support the principles of equity, recognising individual and group diversity, and eliminating any capacity to disadvantage learners by permitting the appropriate use of a variety of assessment models and by using language that avoids gender, racial, cultural or second language bias.

Assessment practices are diverse and support learner-centred approaches to teaching and collaborative and independent learning.