Y&LOUPS

News from 2010

DD307 Social Psychology Overview Day

The Yorkshire & Lancashire OUPS committee ran their fourth annual overview day, in March 2010, for DD307 Social Psychology students, and we are currently gearing up for our fifth, in March 2011. As previous students will know, DD307 tackles current social psychological debates head-on, and students have to engage with some broad philosophical concepts as a way of getting to grips with the course material.

Before we ran this event, we asked previous students for their opinion about what a DD307 overview day should cover. Key issues seemed to be how the interrogative themes and psychological perspectives mesh together, and how to understand the debate between mainstream psychology and current critical approaches. Another key issue was how to get going with the Project Proposal – something which can feel daunting at the outset of the course.

Our tutor, Phil Hulme, concentrates on these key issues, giving a tour of the perspectives, interrogative themes and the course Project. Phil is also an exam marker, and includes a section on preparing for the exam.

To give students confidence in approaching the project, the day also includes a session on interviewing techniques, focused firmly on the course project options. This gives students an opportunity to air any individual concerns about the project, and provides a chance to look over the supplementary material provided by the OU to get a head start on their project choices. This session is attended by postgraduate students currently working in ‘real world’ research.

The day is intended to be relaxed and friendly, to encourage talking (both with Phil and between students), and to provide a comfortable atmosphere in which any concerns about the course can be aired.

If you are about to embark on DD307, we will be running this event at Leeds Metropolitan University in March 2011, and we very much hope you will join us. Please e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for details.