Course content

The course introduces environmental psychology as a research-based, applied sub-discipline in psychology. It will be focused on the relation between humans and the physical environment through methods and theories which are used in environmental psychology. This includes the effects of the physical environment on people and their health and well-being (e.g., nature like forests or the oceans, but also cities and buildings). It will also be analyzed how people have an effect on the physical environment (e.g., how people make environmentally relevant decisions in relation to transport, energy use, or purchase of products). The application of environmental psychological findings, theories and research methods will be addressed with respect to environmental and climate protection in the context of companies, authorities, environmental campaigns and local societies, and to how to plan and prepare cities that foster the quality of living of their citizens.

Learning outcome

Knowledge

• The student has a broad knowledge about the ways humans and the physical environment affect each other.

• The student has knowledge about the basic terms, theories and the most important findings from environmental psychological research with respect to how humans are affected by different types of physical environments and their stress-inducing or -reducing effects.

• The student has in addition basic knowledge about how people take decisions that affect the environment, and how this knowledge can be used on companies and by authorities.

Skills

• The student is able to describe the most important environmental psychological theories with precise scientific language and can apply these to analyze relevant problems within environmental psychology.

• The student is able to evaluate scientific papers in environmental psychology and judge their central conclusions.

General competence

• The student has insight into some of the most pressing societal challenges within quality of life, climate and environment, and is able to exchange their perspectives with others based on a background within environmental psychology.

• The student is able to reflect critically in written form about issues within this discipline and use scientific literature from environmental psychology to underpin their arguments.

Learning methods and activities

Lectures 2 hours per week.

Recommended previous knowledge

None

Required previous knowledge

None