Semester 2, 2023-2024
Type of courseMethodological and Practical Courses
DateFebruary 16, 2024
LocationUtrecht University
1 day
Maximum number of participants20
ECTS0.5 EC will be appointed for participation in the complete course
StaffErdem O. Meral (UvA), Rabia I. Kodapanakkal (TU/e)
Content, preparation
During the workshop ‘’ Bridging Social Psychology: Interdisciplinary Research and Practical Applications’, we will address the perks and perils of utilizing social psychological knowledge in the context of interdisciplinary research and in practical applications outside of academic settings. We will do so by critically thinking about how social psychology can be used in conjunction with other disciplines and in practical applications to address a problem.
This is an active workshop. This implies that students’ contribution is crucial and teaching staff will act as discussants rather than lecturers. We will discuss each other’s strategies in various stages of interdisciplinary and/or applied research projects and possibly other collaborations inside and outside academia to see what works and what can be improved. Our aim is to create a platform for exchanging information and insights concerning bridging social psychology with other fields and with practice. To make this work, we need some input from you prior to the workshop.
Students will be asked to send a short description of a (potential) challenge that they are facing in relation to extending social psychology into other domains. The submitted challenges will then be used to create groups for discussion. Groups will be made around certain sub-themes within two broad themes 1) applying social psychology in interdisciplinary research and, 2) using social psychology in practical applications. Sub-themes, for example, may also involve similarities and differences in challenges/solutions across the two broad themes. The groups will then be tasked to elaborate on these challenges and come up with tips and tricks for other researchers to deal with similar challenges in the future. Each group will get to present their challenge(s) and solutions during the meeting. The first half of the meeting is devoted to small-group discussions (surrounding similar themes or challenges). The second half is devoted to presenting the solutions to the rest of the group and discussing findings.
Students will be asked to send us challenge descriptions that are as concrete and specific as possible at least 2 weeks before the course. This will give us sufficient time for creating groups and outline the best possible schedule.
More detailed information on the program will follow 2 weeks prior to the workshop date.
Learning Goals
Literature
The listed journal articles and opinion articles are not mandatory but can be used by students to help them think about potential challenges. Of course, students are free to send challenge descriptions not mentioned in the articles below.
Journal articles:
Lewis Jr, N. A. (2023). Cultivating Equal Minds: Laws and Policies as (De) biasing Social Interventions. Annual Review of Law and Social Science, 19.
Daniel, K. L., McConnell, M., Schuchardt, A., & Peffer, M. E. (2022). Challenges facing interdisciplinary researchers: Findings from a professional development workshop. PLoS ONE, 17(4), e0267234.
Applied research:
Alexander Haslam, S. (2014). Making good theory practical: Five lessons for an applied social identity approach to challenges of organizational, health, and clinical psychology. British Journal of Social Psychology, 53(1), 1-20