Module manager: Dr Mike Finn
Email: m.finn@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) View Timetable
Year running 2026/27
This module is approved as a discovery module
Can there be a science of the mind? If so, what should it look like? Since the nineteenth century, an extraordinary range of answers have been given to these questions. Phrenologists, for instance, examined skulls, believing that bumps on the outside revealed facts about the brain within and provided lessons about the characteristics and prospects of every individual. Psychoanalysts turned psychology into the study of the unconscious where, they said, your mind locks away memories and impulses that continually influence your personality and health. Behaviourists meanwhile rejected the mind, and instead argued that you are made, and could be remade, by the environmental stimuli around you. How did such different understandings of psychology come into being? Why did each have its moment of popularity, only to be overtaken by a new answer? What are the legacies of these approaches to the mind in modern psychology? In this module you will be looking not just at these (and other) remarkable ideas about what psychology is, but at the people behind those ideas, and the contexts in which they arose, thrived and often failed. Anyone curious to know more about the mind and its study will enjoy this module.
This module has two main objectives. Firstly, the module aims to provide you with a broad account of the development of psychology over the last 200 years. Beginning by asking “What does it mean to be scientific about the mind?”, you will examine a range of different historical approaches to psychology which specified different answers to this question in the past, along with the associated individuals and practices. Secondly, the module aims to enhance your understanding of the importance of historical context in the development of psychological science. By exploring the intellectual and social backgrounds of different approaches, as well as their legacies inside and out of psychology, you will analyse past theories and techniques “on their own terms”, whilst developing a critical awareness of the way psychology is a product of specific historical circumstances.
Lectures will outline the key ideas, practices, contexts and critiques of each new approach, whilst also identifying the continuities and recurrent themes between each topic. In preparing for, and then participating in tutorials, you will read and discuss historical sources that offer further detail and insight, whilst also developing your own critical reflections on the history of psychology.
Subject specific learning outcomes:
On successful completion of the module students will be able to:
LO1 Accurately describe a range of historically important conceptions of scientific psychology from the past 200 years
LO2 Analyse how intellectual and social context has influenced the growth and reception of different psychological approaches
LO3 Critically reflect on key issues and themes that are raised in the history of psychology
Skills Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the module students will be able to:
LO4 Communicate ideas and understanding clearly and concisely, using appropriate academic language (Academic and Work Ready skill)
LO5 Search for and utilise appropriate material to support knowledge and analysis of topics (Academic, Work Ready, and Digital skill)
LO6 Use appropriate primary and secondary source material to support knowledge and analysis of topics (Academic, Work Ready, Digital skill).
Possible topics to be covered in this module include:
Phrenological science and self-help; Mesmerism and hypnosis; Darwin and early evolutionary theories; Psychoanalysis and the unconscious; Experimental psychology; Comparative psychology and intelligence testing; Behaviourism; Cognitive science; Humanistic psychology; Abnormal Psychology
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lecture | 10 | 1 | 10 |
| Tutorial | 5 | 1 | 5 |
| Private study hours | 85 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 15 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 100 | ||
Each student is invited to complete ONE piece of formative work which will receive written feedback. Students are given a choice of submitting either an essay plan or literature review, based on one essay topic from the list provided. Students should read and reflect on (i) the PRHS marking criteria and (ii) the specific guidance provided on the summative assessment in this module, and identify for themselves the type of formative feedback that will be most beneficial for them.
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Essay | Essay | 100 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 100 | |
Resit will be by the same methodology as the original attempt. Students must select a different essay topic from the list provided for the original attempt.
Check the module area in Minerva for your reading list
Last updated: 30/04/2026
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