HEN597 Environmental Psychology

Faculty of Social Studies
Autumn 2002
Extent and Intensity
2/0. 9 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
Dr. Einar Strumse (lecturer), Ing. Zbyněk Ulčák, Ph.D. (deputy)
Guaranteed by
Ing. Zbyněk Ulčák, Ph.D.
Department of Environmental Studies – Faculty of Social Studies
Contact Person: Eva Danielová
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
The capacity limit for the course is 40 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/40, only registered: 0/40, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/40
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Syllabus
  • ENVIRONMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY CURRICULUM AUTUMN 2002 Department of Environmental Studies, School of Social Studies, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic Teacher(s) Dr. Einar Strumse, PhD Visiting professor/Associate professor of psychology, Lillehammer University College, Norway Supervisor Dr. Einar Strumse, PhD Throughout, the structure of the course will be a combination of lectures and seminars, typically 1 hour lecture followed by one hour seminar. An exception from this is of course the thesis workshop which will be based on teacher - student dialogue throughout. Students are advised to read in advance the literature assigned to each lecture/seminar. This is important for two reasons: - It will enhance the ability to follow the lecture - Successful seminars depend upon student activity and interaction between lecturer and students. Having an idea of the subject matter is therefore fundamental. In addition to reading, students will be given questions and assignments to discuss before and between seminars. This material will be mailed electronically to each student, or made available at the university's web site well ahead of the lectures. As this course is given in a condensed form over short periods of time, we are well aware that it may be difficult to get through all the literature in time for each particular lecture. Evaluation will be done in the form of an approved paper that will receive a letter grade according to the ETCS system. Period 1 :Week 42 - 43 (14 - 26 October) Theme 1 (week 42): Introduction to environmental psychology The introductory part of the course will start defining central concepts, and a view of the field of environment and behavior research in general and the field of environmental psychology in particular will be given. The human response to landscape will be discussed, and here the potential of evolutionary psychology as a possible metatheory for the field of landscape aesthetics will be treated in particular. The contribution of environmental psychology in research on environmental aesthetics will also be presented and discussed. Finally, current paradigms in environmental psychology will be discussed. Readings: Strumse, E. (in prep): Perceiving, Believing and Acting in the Physical Environment (Manuscript under development). Preface and chapter 1, pp 5- 44. Bonnes, M. & Secchiaroli, G. (1995): Environmental psychology: A psycho-social introduction. London: Publications. Chapter 5: Paradigms and psycho-social constructs in Present-day Environmental Psychology (pp. 149 - pp 197) Theme 2 (week 43): Environmental preference and design: Psychological perspectives This second part of the course will focus on environmental aesthetics, landscape planning and design from the vantage point of environmental psychology. Also, a historical perspective on the aesthetical experience will be given. The "Reasonable Person Model" will be presented both as useful in this context, as well as an alternative to the "Rational/Economic Man" model of human cognition and behaviour. Environmental psychology within this topical area is particularly concerned with empirical findings on lay people's aesthetical preferences and environmental perceptions as a supplement to expert prefereneces and perceptions. The implications of this type of evidence for landscape planning and design will be discussed. Another topic is differing explanations of the ontogenesis of environmental preferences, and here a meta-theoretical framework integrating seemingly disparate findings will be examined. Readings: Porteous, J.D. (1996): Environmental aesthetics. Ideas, politics and planning. London and New York: Routledge. (pp. 1-110: part 1 Introduction and part 2 Humanists) Strumse, E. (in manuscript): Perceiving, Believing and Acting in the Physical Environment (Manuscript under development). Lillehammer/Brno Lillehammer University College/Masaryk University. Chapters 2 and 3, pp 45 - 72. Strumse, E. & Hauge, L. (1998): Landscape protection evaluations and visual preferences for Western Norwegian agrarian landscapes. Norsk geogr. Tidskr., Vol. 52, 1-15. Strumse, E. (1996): Demographic differences in the visual preferences for agrarian landscapes in Western Norway. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 16, 17-31 Strumse, E. (1994): Perceptual Dimensions in the Visual Preferences for Agrarian Landscapes in Western Norway. The Journal of Environmental Psychology, 14, 281-292. Strumse, E. (1994): Environmental Attributes and the Prediction of Visual Preferences for Agrarian landscapes in Western Norway. The Journal of Environmental Psychology, 14, 293-303. Stamps III, A.E. (2000): Psychology and the aesthetics of the built environment. Norwell, MA: Kluwer Academic Publishers. Pp1.- 183 Period 2: Week 49-50 Theme 3 (week 49): Environmental psychology and environmental protection In this final section of the course, applications of environmental psychology to research on environmental concern and environmentally responsible behaviours will be discussed. Philosophical positions and basic value priorities will be discussed. A view of the self, labelled "the ecological self", will be discussed as a useful framework for the human relation to the environment. Theoretical conceptualisations of environmental concern and of general and specific environmental attitudes will be presented along with empirical examples. Readings: Gardner, G.T. & Stern, P.C. (1996): Environmental problems and human behavior. Needham Heights: Allyn & Bacon. (Pp. 21 - 94, 153 - 174)94 pages. Strumse, E. (in manuscript): Perceiving, Believing and Acting in the Physical Environment (Manuscript under development). Lillehammer/Brno Lillehammer University College/Masaryk University.: Part 2, chapters 4, 5, 6, and 7, pp 73 - 147. Kaltenborn, B.P. & Bjerke, T. & Strumse, E. (1998): Diverging attitudes towards predators - do environmental beliefs play a part? Human Ecology Review, VoI 5(2): 1-9. Theme 4 (week 50): Paper seminar In order to obtain credits for the course, students are required to prepare individual papers. The main purpose of the seminar is to give guidelines for work on the paper, and to help students start their preparation for paper writing. The theme of the paper is chosen and developed by the student her/himself preferrably during the paper seminar, and must be approved by the supervisor. A typical form of a paper would be the essay form, where the author discusses either theoretical or applied/practical questions in the light of theoretical and empirical knowledge drawn from the field of environmental psychology. However, students with the necessary foundations in quantitatve or qualitative research methods may choose to conduct a small empirical study. Students are advised to start thinking of possible subjects/themes/purposes for their paper writing in advance of the seminar, and are encouraged to e-mail these proposals to the teacher before or during week 49. During the seminar, the following subjects will be discussed in detail: Structure of the paper Content of the paper Examples of possible subjects and questions to be answered in a paper Feedback on and approval of students own proposals of themes and questions to be discussed in paper Paper requirements The paper preparation is intended to give students the opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills they have acquired during course as well as apply their own previous training and experience. Each student will be supervised by the course teacher, including supervision both during the preparatory stage and during writing of the paper. Supervision will partly be done via e-mail. Choice of theme/research question is made in consultation with the supervisor. The student must satisfactorily complete a paper proposal accepted by the supervisor, before formal approval to proceed with paper preparation is given. The proposal should shortly describe the purpose, theoretical background, methods and practical aspects of the paper. Preparation and submission of paper. The paper is to be written in English, and its length should be 20 - 25 pages. The thesis must have a title page with the title at the top, the student's name at the centre of the page, and the name of the institution at the bottom centre. The title page is followed by Table of Contents, Abstract (150 words or less), the body (text) of the paper (12 pitch, Times New Roman font, double spaced, and margins of about 4 cm on all sides). References, Tables, Figures, and Appendixes. Tables and figures may be composed in any font and font size, so long as the result is readable. Citation of references in the text should follow this format: Henry (1998), or (Henry and Wright, 1997) or (Henry et al., 1996) or (Henry, 1995, 1998; Wright, 1994). The list of references should be arranged alphabetically by author. All authors of a work must be listed (see list of readings). Tables and figures should be clear and concise and should be able to "stand alone", i.e. complete headings and footnotes should be used to clarify entries. All tables and figures should be referred to in the text. The main considerations that contribute to the appraisal of a paper are these: * Is the theme/research problem stated explicitly and is it well founded? * Are the methods chosen appropriate to the problem? * Are the descriptions of theory, (and if empirical work: data and results of analyses) sufficient? * Is there a sufficient basis for the conclusions? * Is the discussion satisfactory? * Are the formal aspects of the paper (writing style, etc.) satisfactory? * Is the work sufficiently comprehensive? * Is the paper relevant to environmental psychology? * Is the work mainly that of the student? The paper must be submitted within February 14, 2003. The approved paper will be given a letter grade according to the ETCS system. At the end the course there will be a final summary lecture with room for questions and answers. Full list of readings: Strumse, E. (in manuscript): Perceiving, Believing and Acting in the Physical Environment (Manuscript under development): Lillehammer/Brno: LillehammerCollege/Masaryk University about 140 pages Bonnes, M. & Secchiaroli, G. (1995): Environmental psychology: A psycho-social introduction. London: Publications. Chapter 5: Paradigms and psycho-social constructs in Present-day Environmental Psychology (pp. 149 - pp 197) 48 pages Porteous, J.D. (1996): Environmental aesthetics. Ideas, politics and planning. London and New York: Routledge. (pp. 1-110: part 1 Introduction and part 2 Humanists) 110 pages Gardner, G.T. & Stern, P.C. (1996): Environmental problems and human behavior. Needham Heights: Allyn & Bacon. (Pp. 21 - 94, 153 - 174) 94 pages Stamps III, A.E. (2000): Psychology and the aesthetics of the built environment. Norwell, MA: Kluwer Academic Publishers. Pp. 1-184 184 pages Journal articles: Kaltenborn, B.P. & Bjerke, T. & Strumse, E. (1998): Diverging attitudes towards predators - do environmental beliefs play a part? Human Ecology Review, VoI 5(2): 1-9. Strumse, E. & Hauge, L. (1998): Landscape protection evaluations and visual preferences for Western Norwegian agrarian landscapes. Norsk geogr. Tidskr., Vol. 52, 1-15. Strumse, E. (1996): Demographic differences in the visual preferences for agrarian landscapes in Western Norway. The Journal of Environmental Psychology, 16, 17-31 Strumse, E. (19941): Perceptual Dimensions in the Visual Preferences for Agrarian Landscapes in Western Norway. The Journal of Environmental Psychology, 14, 281-292. Strumse, E. (19942): Environmental Attributes and the Prediction of Visual Preferences for Agrarian landscapes in Western Norway. The Journal of Environmental Psychology, 14, 293-303. Articles comprise a total of 61 pages The proposed literature comprise about 640 pages.
Language of instruction
English
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
The course can also be completed outside the examination period.
The course is taught only once.
The course is taught: in blocks.
Information on course enrolment limitations: Předmět je určen pro studenty magisterského studia.
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2010, Autumn 2011, Spring 2013, Spring 2014.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Autumn 2002, recent)
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