Studiegids

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Work and Stress

Vak
2009-2010

This course focuses on the role of workplace factors in employee health and well-being. Both the potential negative consequences, i.e. mental and physical health problems, and the positive consequences, i.e. engagement, personal growth/learning, will be addressed.

A series of introductory lectures introduces students to the most important psychosocial stress models (e.g., Job-Demand-Control-Support model, Effort-Reward Imbalance model, Person-Environment fit model). Empirical research regarding the impact of work factors on mental and physical health (e.g. burnout, cardiovascular disease) is discussed.
After these lectures, sessions will be dedicated to presentations on a contemporary issue in the work and stress field prepared by (groups of) students themselves. Regarding the topic of the presentation, students may put forward own suggestions, or choose a topic from an existing list (e.g. work-family conflict, impact of shift work on health, determinants of burnout, the experience of ‘flow’). In order to ensure active involvement and participation in the presentations and ensuing discussion, all students will read provided key publication on the topics at hand before each presentation session.
At the end of the course students will write a short paper related to the topic of their presentation.

Coordinator

Dr. M. van der Doef
Room 2B34
Tel.: +31 (0)71 527 3987
E-Mail: doef@fsw.leidenuniv.nl

Aims

Students will

  • acquire scientific up-to-date knowledge on the area of occupational stress

  • be familiar with the most prominent occupational stress models

  • be able to prepare and give a presentation in English on an occupational stress topic

  • be able to write a short paper on an occupational stress topic based on up-to-date scientific literature

Literature

Recent key publications on contemporary topics

Examination

Oral presentation, individual paper, attendance and active participation

From January 1, 2006 the Faculty of Social Sciences has instituted the Ephorus system to be used by instructors for the systematic detection of plagiarism in students’ written work. Please see the Additional Rules and Regulations, section 6.

Requirement(s) for application or advice

Master students MSc Psychology

Education method(s)

  • Lectures (4)

  • student presentations and discussion (6 sessions)

  • individual feedback on paper

Enrolment

Introduction and enrolment for courses of the first semester will take place August 27th 2009. More information will be available at the website of the Institute of Psychology.

NB: Exam and re-exam registration will take place via U-Twist, and will be open between a month and a week before the (re)exam. Students who haven’t registered, cannot participate in the (re)exam.

Blackboard

Information available on www.blackboard.leidenuniv.nl

Timetable

The course consists of 11 approximately three-hour lectures/seminars between Aug 31 and Oct ? The exact details of the lectures will be made available on Blackboard in week 42.