Students of the Dutch bachelor’s programme, see Groepsdynamica
Entry requirements
Students are strongly advised to first follow the first-year (propaedeuse) course in Social and Organisational Psychology.
Description
The course focuses on analysing group phenomena – such as group cohesion, group and sub-group formation, conformity, influence, leadership, joint activities, decision-making and intra- and intergroup conflicts – from the perspective of different theories of group dynamics. The focus lies not only on acquiring knowledge and understanding of different theoretical approaches, but also on how to apply these and develop good writing skills.
Course objectives
Knowledge and understanding: students will acquire a general knowledge of theories in the field of group dynamics, as well as of the methodological foundations of the discipline.
Applying knowledge and understanding: students will learn to apply a selection of insights into group dynamics to practical problems and to conceptualise these problems and offer recommendations. For their future career, students are prepared to solve problems and offer solutions based on knowledge from the field of group dynamics.
Writing skills: students will learn to clearly formulate their analyses and recommendations (see above), for colleagues in the field and a wider public (including potential clients). This trains students to write in a clear manner and to structure texts with scientific insights, tailored to a suitable target group.
In addition, students will learn to design simple research studies in order to assess their analyses and recommendations (proposed interventions).
Timetable
For the timetable of this course please refer to MyTimetable
Registration
Education
Students must register themselves for all course components (lectures, tutorials and practicals) they wish to follow. You can register up to 5 days prior to the start of the course. The exception here is that first-year bachelor students are assigned and registered for all components in the first semester or academic year by the administration of their bachelor programme. The programme will communicate to these students for which course components and for which period the registration applies.
Exams
It is mandatory for all students, including first-year bachelor students, to register for each exam and to confirm registration for each exam in My Studymap. This is possible up to and including 10 calendar days prior to the examination. You cannot take an exam without a valid pre-registration and confirmation in My Studymap.
Carefully read all information about the procedures and deadlines for registering for courses and exams.
Students who take this course as part of a LDE minor or a premaster programme, exchange students and external guest students will be informed by the education administration about the current registration procedure.
Mode of instruction
Lectures: in 7 lectures, different theories of group dynamics are explained and applied to everyday group phenomena. The written assignments that students produce at different times during the course (in pairs) are also the subject of plenary discussions in the lectures. The lectures also pay attention to ethics in group dynamic research.
3 written assignments, which are available via Brightspace, must be completed during the course: in these students apply theoretical insights to group phenomena, as described in newspaper articles and William Golding’s (1954) novel Lord of the Flies. This should lead to a concrete recommendation on how to solve these real-life or fictional problems. The analyses and recommendation should be clearly formulated, for colleagues and a wider public. In order to help the students master the above skills, these assignments focus on the following: formulating causal models in which theoretical analyses of particular group problems culminate in specific recommendations for group dynamic interventions; clearly formulating analyses and recommendations for colleagues and a wider public.; and developing simple designs to assess the value of the students’ own analyses and/or recommendations.
Assessment method
Knowledge and understanding are being assessed by the multiple-choice exam.
Application of knowledge and understanding is assessed in the 3 written assignments, in which the ability to write in clear language for colleagues and a wider public is also assessed. Skills in developing simple research designs are also assessed as a part of the written assignments. When the aggregate grade for the 3 written assignments falls below 5.50, one of the 3 written assignments may be re-submitted as a resit. Since all pairs of student received elaborate collective as well as individual feedback on all of the 3 assignments, the maximum grade for the re-submitted assignment is Satisfactory (6.0).
The examination counts for 60% of the final mark. The mark for the 3 written assignments counts for 40% of the final mark.
The Institute of Psychology uses fixed rules for grade calculation and compulsory attendance. It also follows the policy of the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences to systematically check student papers for plagiarism with the help of software. Disciplinary measures will be taken when fraud is detected. Students are expected to be familiar with and understand the implications of these three policies.
Reading list
Forsyth, D.R. (2018) Group dynamics (7th edition). Boston, MA.: Cengage Learning, Chapter 1, 2, and 16 not included. An alternative for this physical study book is the e-book with extra digital materials offered by the authors of this book. Available via MindTap on www.cengage.com
Golding, W. (1954). Lord of the Flies. London: Faber & Faber Limited (or a later English edition or Dutch translation, for example by Uitgeverij Athenaeum – Polak & Van Gennep, Amsterdam).
Assignments, timetable and regulations, available via Brightspace.
Contact information
Dr. Anouk van der Weiden, a.van.der.weiden@fsw.leidenuniv.nl
Dr. Arjaan Wit Wit@fsw.leidenuniv.nl