Psychology of sustainable development

Teacher(s)

Galand Benoît; Van den Broucke Stephan;

Language

English

Main themes

This course aims to introduce the students to the strategies,methods and tools of psychology that are concerned with pro-environmental behavior. Special attentionis given to the psychological theories and models that help to identify the factors that predispose ,facilitate and/or maintain behaviors that are related to sustainable development, and to the effectiveness of interventions that aim to change these behaviors.The topicsthat are developed in the course include: behaviors related to sustainable development (e.g., recycling ,reduction of energy consumption, water saving, using environmentally friendly means of transportation); psychological determinants oft he pro-environmental behavior; interventions that improve the pro-environmental behavior; and diffusion of good pro-environmental practices

Learning outcomes

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :
1	The student will learn to analyze the psychological and behavioral factors that are related to sustainable development with reference to theories, research evidence, methods and relevant tools of psychology (B1). On the basis of thisanalysis,(s) he will be able to consider the role of human behavior in sustainable development, and identify the main psychological factors that predispose, facilitate, and maintain the behaviors of interest, based upon theories and evidence from psychological research (B2). Moreover,(s) he will be able to identify effective interventions to change these factors in order to contribute to sustainable development, by taking into account his analysis and contextual challenges(B2), and to distinguish approaches and interventions based on scientific evidence from those using common sense(E2). The student will also be able to communicate the result of his observations, his analysis and the conclusions regarding the effectiveness of suggested interventions in a clear, precise and structured way (C1-C2).

Content

The objective of the courseis to consider the contributionsofpsychology to understanding and altering human activities that affect the environment. More specifically, it considers the theories,models and methods deriving from fundamental psychology that contribute to (1) identifying and prioritizing thebehaviors that impact on the environment, (2) identifying the factors that cause or influence these behaviors,(3) developing and applying evidence-based and/or theory-informed interventions to modify the relevant behaviors by influencing the determinants, and (4) evaluating the effects of these interventions.

Teaching methods

The course takes place face-to-face and uses a combination of lectures, individual reflection based on selected readings,and small group discussion in class. 

Evaluation methods

The evaluation will be based on a written assignment submitted by the student. Details of the assessment procedures are described and available on the course website on the Moodle platform.

Online resources

The teachers' Powerpoints as well as selected reading lists are provided on the Moodle platform

Faculty or entity

> EPSY