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Applications of Forensics: Procedures in Civil, Family and Employment Law

Code: 44453 ECTS Credits: 9
2024/2025
Degree Type Year
4317571 Legal and Forensic Psychology OB 0

Contact

Name:
Elena Garrido Gaitán
Email:
elena.garrido@uab.cat

Teachers

Merce Jodar Vicente
Noelia Igareda Gonzalez
Andrea Riera Campillo
Manuel Casado Gómez
Rocío Pina Ríos
Remedios Rubio García
(External) Asunción Molina Bartomeus
(External) Javier Torres Ailhaud
(External) Àngel Cuquerella Fuentes

Teaching groups languages

You can view this information at the end of this document.


Prerequisites

No requirements.


Objectives and Contextualisation

This module aims at approaching the judicial field of civil, family and labor jurisdiction while providing resources for intervention from Legal Psychology or from a forensic psychology expert point of view. Thus, students will learn the basics of civil procedures such as workplace harassment and sequelae, school harassment, work disability, civil disability or testamentary capacity. At the same time, they will work in the Family Jurisdiction, which is one of the most requested areas both at the Forensic Expertise and Intervention in Legal Psychology levels, due to the conflicts in relation to the custody, divorce, relationship with children etc. They will also learn about he processes associated with minors and adoption, developmental Psychology in the field of forensics and canonical marriage annulment.

The specific goals will focus on:

-to know the procedural jurisdiction in which the civil, family or employment expert report is issued
-to able to carry out expert (forensic) psychological reports in judicial proceedings related to civil matters (disability, testamentary capacity)
-to be able to make expert (forensic) psychological reports in legal proceedings related to family matters (assessment of custody and custody or parental authority, assessment in cases of family conflicts)
-to be able to make expert psychological reports (forensic) in court proceedings related to labor matters (harassment, sequelae)
-to be able to carry out interventions after court proceedings related to family matters (family support, subsequent support, family intervention and follow-up of foster care and adoptions).


Competences

  • Apply the applicable regulations and show ethical and professional responsibility in the practice of forensic psychology.
  • Contextualise the competences and specific concepts of general psychology within the area of legal and forensic psychology.
  • Identify the areas in which forensic expert valuation and psychological advisory support are applied and analyse their functioning in criminal, civil, family and employment law.
  • Knowledge and understanding that provide a basis or opportunity for originality in developing and / or applying ideas, often in a research context.
  • Organise and plan activities in order to achieve professional goals.
  • That students are able to integrate knowledge and handle complexity and formulate judgments based on information that was incomplete or limited, include reflecting on social and ethical responsibilities linked to the application of their knowledge and judgments.
  • That students have the learning skills that enable them to continue studying in a way that will be largely self-directed or autonomous.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Contextualise the most relevant psychological issues in the civil, family and employment spheres of forensic psychology.
  2. Identify the differences in forensic expertise and psychological counselling depending on whether it is applied to the criminal, civil, family or employment spheres.
  3. Know and know how to interpret the different legal regulations that are used in the forensic practice of psychology depending on whether it is in the civil, family or employment spheres.
  4. Knowledge and understanding that provide a basis or opportunity for originality in developing and / or applying ideas, often in a research context.
  5. Organise and plan activities in order to achieve professional goals.
  6. That students are able to integrate knowledge and handle complexity and formulate judgments based on information that was incomplete or limited, include reflecting on social and ethical responsibilities linked to the application of their knowledge and judgments.
  7. That students have the learning skills that enable them to continue studying in a way that will be largely self-directed or autonomous.

Content

Specific contents on the Family field:

- The family in the context of forensic evaluation. Family and couple relationships in the context of a family dispute. The minor and their psycho-affective development. Psychological aspects associated with family breakdown
- Childhood, families and adoption. Family suitability. The adequacy to the needs of the minor.
- Experts, custody, and parental authority. Disputed custody. Custody of the child. Regime of visits. Deprivation of parental authority. Conflict and manipulation processes. Family involvement in the face of parental separation and parental manipulation.
- Marriage annulment. Procedural aspects.

Specific contents on the Labor and Civil field:

- Occupational psychological harassment. Harassment on the grounds of gender and sex. Workplace harassment behaviors.
- Incapacity for work and new legal framework. Mental disorders and inability to work.
- Civil incapacity. Impairment in daily life activitie. Ability to test.


Activities and Methodology

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Assessment 7 0.28 1, 3, 2, 5, 6, 7, 4
Lectures 63 2.52 1, 3, 2, 5, 6, 7, 4
Type: Supervised      
Readings and study 155 6.2 1, 3, 2, 5, 6, 7, 4

This module is of a professional nature, which involves masterful teaching by experts in their subjects. Thus, a methodology is proposed in which different contents will be developed in each session, taught by the different specialists. In the course of the sessions, there will be activities that might be assessed as stated in the assessment section. Methodologically, these activities will consist of case resolution, participation in debates and/or oral presentations, etc. Finally, students will have to do autonomous course work to pass the subject.

Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.


Assessment

Continous Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Delivery of reports or assignments 30% 0 0 1, 3, 2, 5, 6, 7, 4
Oral Exhibition 30% 0 0 1, 3, 2, 5, 6, 7, 4
Test 40% 0 0 1, 3, 2, 5, 6, 7, 4

A continuous assessment will be carried out (15th week), measured through three assessment evidences.

The final mark of the module will range between 0 and 10 points. A student passes the subject if in the weighted average of the different evidences has a score equal or higher than 5, being 4 the minimum mark for each evidence for weighting purposes.

a) EXAM (40% of the FINAL GRADE). There will be a test-type individual exam on the training content associated with the family jurisdiction.

b) REPORT OR ANALYSIS OF CASE STUDIES. The delivery of a paper will be requested, which may consist of an expert report, a follow-up report or a case study made by two students (virtual delivery). The specific information on the case and/or type of report will be provided at the beginning of the semester via Moodle.

c) ORAL DEFENSE OF WORK. In the course of the Module there will be a simulation or defense of an oral case (by the same two students that created the previous report). Specific information on the case and/or type of communication will be provided at the beginning of the semester via Moodle.

ESSENTIAL ASSESSMENT ISSUES:

  • If copy is detected during an exam, it will be automatically failed without the possibility of resit. In case of plagiarism in papers/reports, the option of direct fail will be considered.
  • Students who do NOT deliver all the evidence will NOT pass the subject. Students who deliver just one evidence will be considered "not assessed"
  • Once the subject has been passed (grade ≥ 5), NO additional procedures can be established to improve the final grade.
  • For more information, you have the Guide to the Assessment Guidelines of the Faculty of Psychology: https://www.uab.cat/doc/DOC_PautesAvaluacio_2023

UNIQUE ASSESSMENT

There's no possibility of unique assessment in this Module of the Course because of its special circumstances. 


Bibliography

As this is a subject with diverse content, lecturers will provide selected bibliography for each of the different areas and topics covered.


Software

Moodle System


Language list

Name Group Language Semester Turn
(TEm) Theory (master) 1 Catalan/Spanish second semester afternoon