Master's programs

Track Social Psychology

The track Social Psychology studies how the social environment influences human thought, emotion, and behavior. Because social influence is pervasive in almost everything people think, feel, and do. Social psychology is a broad and increasingly multidisciplinary field.
The focus in this track is mainstream Social Psychology. The science of Social Psychology studies how individuals and groups behave in the social world. The underlying assumption of is that such behaviors are shaped by the product of individual differences and situational constrains. The aim of the Social Psychology track is to provide you with a thorough understanding of mainstream social psychological theories and research methods and to provide you with the tools to implement your knowledge of social behavior in applied settings (e.g. health settings, work settings, legal settings, government settings, criminal justice settings, academia, etc.).

Social Psychological Theories and Emotion and Motivation
The focus on mainstream social psychological theories is ensured by the first two courses of the curriculum. You will start the year with the courses Social Psychological Theories and Emotion and Motivation. In the course Social Psychological Theories you will learn about modern and classical theories in social psychology and to think critically about the value and application of scientific theory. At the end of the course you will write a theoretical paper critiquing a theory of your choice. In the course Emotion and Motivation you will get a thorough understanding a various theories of emotion. You will run an experiment and write an empirical paper on emotions.

Social Influence and Applied Social Psychology
The focus on applying knowledge is ensured by the courses in Social Influence and Applied Social Psychology. In the course Social Influence you master several influence tactics. Your objective will be to apply one or more of these tactics in a real-life setting and devise a small experiment to test one of the tactics. This experiment is then written up as a short note. Applied Social Psychology addresses social psychological insights on law and conflict resolution. The course aims to increase your understanding of how insights from social psychology may help governments and organization devise policies to regulate human behavior. An important part of this course is the writing of a policy paper.

From fundamental courses to applied courses
The order of the courses ensures that you will start with the more fundamental courses and then move to the more applied courses. Moreover, the curriculum ensures that you will use different tools to disseminate and integrate your knowledge. During the courses you have various writing assignments. You will write a theoretical paper (Social Psychological Theories), a research paper (Emotion and Motivation, Social Influence), a policy paper (Applied Social Psychology), and an Individual Research Proposal. Moreover, in all courses you are required to take an exam covering all the reading for the course. In summary, in all courses students need to be able to replicate what is learned (exam), but also integrate what is learned (writing assignment).

Staff
The program will be taught by members of the Department of Social Psychology. The departmental research program (Social Decision Making) is excellent. Staff members are distinguished scholars. Their individual research agendas cover the major areas of social psychology. The School hosts experts on emotions, interdependence, and social cognition. Moreover, most departmental staff members are affiliated with the Kurt Lewin Institute (the national graduate school of Social Psychology) and are members of the ASPO (the Dutch organization of social psychology research). This ensures that staff members are up-to-date with current developments in social psychology and provide students with an excellent network for further career opportunities.

Courses track Social Psychology

Course	ECTS
Semester I
Social Psychological Theories	6
Emotion and Motivation	6
Social Influence	6
Applied Social Psychology	6
Individual Research Proposal	6
Semester II
Master's Thesis Social Psychology	24
Internship or In Depth Module	6