Anglo-American University in Prague Psychology of Environmental Crisis
| Course Name | Psychology of Environmental Crisis |
| Course Code | PSY367 / PSY567 |
| Description | The course studies the relationship between mind and nature including from a variety of psychological perspectives, in order to better understand the psychological aspects of climate change and the environmental crisis. In our era of anxiety, denial, paranoia, apathy, guilt, hope, and despair in the face of climate change and the coronavirus, this course introduces various psychological approaches to environmental crisis, our relationship to nature and the nonhuman world, and the difficulties of psychological and social change. We shall apply a range of psychological methods and theories to the problem, with a focus on psychoanalytic contributions. The nonlinear sciences of complexity and chaos, as well as the philosophies of Bateson, Deleuze and Guattari, are also studied, together with new clinical applications from ecopsychology and ecotherapy, helping to contribute towards a critical dialogue between psychology and ecology. |
| Learning Outcomes | Upon completion of this course, students should be able to: – Summarize and contrast a range of psychological approaches to climate change and environmental crisis. – Develop a solid grounding in the science of climate change and the Earth system. – Apply a cross-disciplinary approach to the phenomena. – Explain basic research designs, methods and theories. – Engage with different philosophical approaches to nature and their relevance to psychology. – Generate an appropriate research topic and apply appropriate methodology to the question. – Understand and apply complex systems approaches to psychological, ecological, and social systems. – Develop a broader model of psychology including engagement with the nonhuman world. |
| School | The School of Humanities & Social Sciences |
| Level | Bachelor / Master |
| Number of credits (US / ECTS) | 3 US / 6 ECTS |
| Prerequisites | PSY150 |