Download Week # Topic Assignment for this session

PY225 - Social Psychology
Course Syllabus
2011
Professor:
Office Hours:
Office:
Telephone:
FAX:
E-mail:
Textbook:
Kathleen Dotter
North Hall #106
271-6960 (leave voice mail if not answered)
271-8883
[email protected]
Aronson, E., Wilson, T., & Akert, R. (2009). Social Psychology, 7th
Ed.Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall.
ISBN-13: 9780138144784
Supplemental Materials: Additional Readings as assigned by instructor
Selected videos available from the internet
Blackboard – Please note that the syllabus and other materials will be available on Blackboard. I
will also use Blackboard as a means of communicating with students if classes are cancelled. I do
not use Blackboard to post grades.
Course Description:
This course offers an overview to the field of social psychology, a branch of psychology
that focuses on how an individual’s thoughts, feelings, and behavior are influenced by
and influence other people. These reciprocal influences include attention to the social and
cultural environment. Predominant themes for the course include individual interpretation
and social cognition, the influence and power of situations on individuals, and social
relationships. Gender and cultural influences are examined from a variety of perspectives
as well. Specific topics that will be studied include social cognition and perception, selfknowledge and self-esteem, attitudes, social influence, conformity, obedience,
aggression, prejudice, interpersonal attraction, and prosocial behavior.
Course Grading System:
This course involves a set of criteria and a grading scale based on these criteria. Each student’s
performance is individually evaluated and each student is responsible for her or her own
performance. The following grading scale is used:
93-100
90-92
88-89
83-87
A
AB+
B
80-82
78-79
73-77
70-72
BC+
C
C-
68-69
63-67
60-62
Below 60
D+
D
DF
Academic Honesty:
Honesty is expected of all students. Dishonest acts include cheating and plagiarism. Cheating is
defined as copying or otherwise using material from others. Plagiarism is defined as using the
work (ideas, words, artwork, etc.) of another person as one’s own. Cheating and plagiarism are
considered to be serious disciplinary matters and are subject to penalties. See the Student
Handbook for more.
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Criteria for Grades
Attendance Policy: Students are expected to attend all classes. Your attendance and
participation are important parts of the overall learning experience. When the number of absences
for the course exceeds the number of times the course meets in one week, the student may receive
a lower grade at the discretion of the instructor. If a student is suspended for attendance reasons a
grade of “AF” will be issued. This may be done when a student misses classes for two
consecutive weeks without contacting the instructor, or having a documented medical or other
reasonable excuse. Special exceptions may be made if extenuating circumstances exist and if the
student demonstrates a commitment and ability to complete all course assignments and evidences
comprehension of all course material. Excessive absence minimally may result in students
receiving a lower grade than their numerical average. No student with absences in excess of the
policy will receive an A for the course.
Students who arrive late and/or leave early should note that these are counted towards absences.
If you are late for class three times, that will count as one absence. The same is true for leaving
early. If you have a specific reason for arriving late or leaving early, you need to communicate
this to the instructor before class if possible, or as soon as possible after class is held.
Policy for Make-Up Work: All required assignments are due to be handed in within specified
time frames. Since students have advance notice of these time frames, assignments not handed in
on or before the due date, may receive a zero grade. If extenuating circumstances exist,
exceptions may be made at the discretion of the professor. Minimally, late assignments will
receive a grade point deduction of five points for each day an assignment is late. Late exams will
not be accepted once graded exams have been returned to students.
Assignments:
Exams: There will be a midterm and a final exam. Both exams will be take-home format, and
there will be an additional in-class component for the final exam. Their combined scores will be
worth 50% of your final course grade. Exams are not cumulative; that is, they will test only
material covered in the specific segment of the course indicated in the syllabus. The exam
questions will be drawn from lectures, class discussions, text material, articles handed out, and
videos shown in class. The questions are designed to have you apply course material, and consist
of short answer (multiple choice, true/false, fill-in blank) and essay questions. Exams are due
one-week after they are distributed. If you miss the class in which exams are distributed, it is your
responsibility to arrange picking up a copy from the instructor. Exams not turned in on the due
date will receive a five point grade deduction for each day they are late. Once graded exams have
been returned to students, no exams will be accepted (unless there is an exception made ahead of
time with the instructor for emergency situations Graded exams will be returned to students in
class; however, they will be collected and be considered the property of the professor.
Research/Reporting Out Project: In an area as complex and interesting as social psychology, it
is difficult to focus in depth on topics that may be of interest and value to individual students.
This project gives you an opportunity to explore an area that may be of interest to you or enhance
your career pursuits. Each student will select a topic that corresponds to material covered within
the scope of the course. Topics can be selected from the subject index at the back of your
textbook or from chapter contexts listed in your text. Once a topic or area is selected, a student is
Social Psychology Syllabus
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expected to do outside research, on the internet or at the library that corresponds to your topic. In
addition to doing a short research paper (5-6 pages) with major findings on the topic, and
providing references cited, students will also do a presentation in class on their topic. This
reporting out will take approximately ten-fifteen minutes and include a brief overview of the topic
and major research findings of interest on the topic. You may choose to produce a brief video, do
a role play or class activity to offer information on your topic. Students are encouraged to work
in a small group for this project, with each student reporting out on one aspect of the topic. More
information on this project will be provided to students.
Please note that research papers are due when you give your presentation.
This project/presentation will be worth 30% of your final grade.
Homework Assignments. Students will be given an outline of key topics for each week’s class.
You are expected to make notes on that paper, or develop your own handwritten outline of the
chapter material. Although these outlines will not be submitted for grading, you are expected to
have them and use them during class. There will also be five written homework assignments.
These will relate to material we will be covering in class on the day they are due. They will
sometimes be used for class discussion or small group work. If they are not used, they will be
collected at the beginning of the class. Late papers will not be accepted unless you have made an
arrangement with the instructor for this. These will comprise 20% of final grade. No homework
assignments will be accepted via email.
The homework assignments are described more fully on a separate handout.
Attendance, Preparation & Participation: Your attendance, participation and preparation will
also have an influence on your final grade. Students are expected to read chapters and other
assigned readings in advance of classes where that chapter will be discussed. Students will be
given an outline of key topics for each week’s class. You are expected to make notes on that
paper, or develop your own handwritten outline of the chapter material. Although these outlines
will not be submitted for grading, you are expected to have them and use them during class.
Students will also engage in group and individual work that relates to issues and topics relating
to each chapter during class time. Students who hand in all work on time, are prepared for class,
participate to some degree during class, and whose attendance meets the criteria provided, will
have their numerical average raised to the next letter grade (i.e., B to B+ or C+ to B-).
Final Grading System:
Midterm Exam
Final Exam
Research Project
Homework Assignments
25%
25%
30%
20%
Course Outcomes and Objectives: Students who satisfactorily complete this course
will have demonstrated acquisition of the following outcomes and objectives:
Outcome #1: Knowledge of the historical and conceptual perspectives
underlying social psychology.
Objectives:
 Define social psychology, including some of the central issues addressed
in the field
Social Psychology Syllabus
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


Compare and contrast how sociology, personality psychology, and social
psychology offer unique views in understanding and predicting human
behavior
Describe some of the key figures in social psychology, including Kurt
Lewin, Fritz Heider, and Leon Festinger
Describe the scientific basis for the study of social psychology, including
the role of hypotheses and theories, and observational, correlational, and
experimental methods used in conducting research
Outcome #2: Understanding central concepts related to social thinking including
social cognition, social perception, self-knowledge, the need to maintain a stable
self-view, and attitudes and attitude change
Objectives:
 Define social cognition and distinguish between the characteristics of
automatic and controlled thinking
 Define schemas and discuss its effects on attention, interpretation and
memory
 Provide examples of how the content of schemas is affected and
determined by culture
 Define social perception
 Identify different channels of nonverbal communication and the various
functions of nonverbal communication
 Demonstrate an understanding of attribution theory, including the
distinction between internal and external attributions
 Discuss how culture affects attributions
 Define self-concept and describe how self-concept changes with age
 Describe different conceptions of the self across cultures, including the
difference between the independent view of the self with the
interdependent view of the self
 Discuss gender differences in the self-concept in the United States
 Describe the postulates of social comparison theory
 Discuss the relationship between self-presentation and impression
management
 Describe the theory of cognitive dissonance, including the conditions that
elicit dissonance and strategies used to reduce it
 Define an attitude and its components, including cognitively-based
attitudes and affectively-based attitudes
 Describe the role of cognitive dissonance theory in attitude change
 Describe and give examples of various types of persuasion, and the most
effective methods for changing affectively and cognitively-based
persuasion
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Outcome #3: Understanding of issues related to social influence, including
concepts related to obedience, conformity, and processes and influences of social
groups.
Objectives:
 Define conformity and give examples from current affairs
 Describe and give examples of informational social influence, normative
social influence, the necessity of minority influence for introducing
change in groups
 Describe injunctive and descriptive norms
 Analyze lessons learned from Milgram’s studies
 Define groups and describe their typical composition
 Define roles and the purpose they serve in groups
 Define and give examples of the following concepts related to influence in
social groups: social facilitation, social loafing, deindividuation,
 Discuss different processes influencing group decision-making, including
groupthink and group polarization
 Discuss the types of leadership style that are most effective
 Discuss the relationship between gender and leadership
 Describe concepts related to group conflict and cooperation, including
social dilemmas, and strategies for negotiation
Outcome #4: Knowledge and understanding concepts related to social relations
including attraction, prosocial behavior, aggression, and prejudice
Objectives:
 Describe the role of propinquity, similarity, and reciprocal liking in the
process of attraction
 Discuss physical attraction as a variable in relationships
 Distinguish between passionate and companionate love
 Discuss cultural differences in how people label the experiences of
romantic love and in how they make decisions to marry
 Define and be able to give current examples of prosocial behavior and
altruism
 Describe the relationship between gender and forms of prosocial behavior
 Discuss ways to increase prosocial behavior by applying lessons learned
about what increases and decreases prosocial behavior
 Distinguish between hostile and instrumental aggression
 Discuss the role of culture and of social change in human aggression
 Describe biological factors related to aggression
 Discuss and give examples of social influences on aggression
 Define prejudice and identify cognitive, behavioral, and affective
components of it
 Discuss causes of prejudice and give examples of these
 Describe the Contact Hypothesis and other approaches for reducing
prejudice
Social Psychology – Course Outline
Note: This schedule may be subject to reasonable modification by instructor
Week #
One
Topic
Introduction to Course
Social Psychology
Assignment for this session
Syllabus
Two
Intro to Social Psychology
Methodology
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Three
Social Cognition
Chapter 3
Bring in Research Topic (written)
Four
Five
Homework #1 Due
Social Perception
The Self: Understanding
Ourselves in a Social Context
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Six
Justifying our Actions
Homework #2 Due
Chapter 6
Homework #2 Due
Seven
Attitudes and Attitude Change
Midterm distributed
Chapter 7
Eight
Conformity
Midterm Due
Group Processes
Presentations
Homework #3Due
Interpersonal Attraction
Presentations
Prosocial Behavior
Homework #4 Due
Presentations
Aggression
Presentations
Chapter 8
Prejudice
Chapter 13
Read handouts distributed on
Classroom Procedures
Homework #5 Due
Chapter 14, 15, 16 (each student will
focus on one chapter)
Nine
Ten
Eleven
Twelve
Thirteen
Homework #5 Due
Presentations
Fourteen
Social Psychology Applied
Fifteen
Take-home final distributed
Final Exam Week
Take-home final due
In-class portion of final
Chapter 9
Homework #3
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Homework #4 Due
Chapter 12
Social Psychology Syllabus
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Social Psychology
Research/Reporting Out Project
This project gives you a chance to explore an area that may be of interest to you or enhance your
career pursuits. Once you have selected and been approved to research a topic, you are to do outside research
(through the internet or library search) that provides information on your topic. Major topics within the field
are found in the textbook. Through the textbook, you will be able to find additional reference sites (through
the internet or other media). You will be required to provide a minimum of four additional references
(outside the textbook) for the topic you study. If you use websites or electronic databases, you are asked to
include a copy of two of those articles.
You will write a short research paper (5-6 pages) that summarizes findings on the topic you research.
The length of the paper does not include the cover and reference page. The paper is to be written utilizing
APA format and references also need to be cited on a reference page (again using APA format). The Learning
Center has information regarding APA format. You can also obtain this information from the internet or the
library. The cover page should indicate the Title, class and your name as well as date. All papers must be
typed and contain correct spelling, grammar and punctuation. The paper should be well organized, logical and
sequential. You may use the textbook to introduce your topic within an educational psychology frame of
reference. Your opening paragraph should introduce your topic and define your research. Subsequent
paragraphs should summarize research findings on your topic. Your final paragraph or so should provide an
overview and discussion of research findings and may include your own opinion or perspective. Before the
ending of the paper, all writing should be objective and based on research findings.
You will also be asked to do a brief (10-15 minute) reporting out in class on your topic. Plan on
sharing major findings on your topic, applications or implications for the field, and relevant information you
came across in your studies. You may choose to do an alternative format, such as a video you have prepared, a
role play or other type of activity that offers summaries of your key findings. If you are interested in
conducting a research study related to a topic we study, this is possible but will require following NHTI
procedures for conducting research. This part of the assignment gives all of us a chance to share information
on a wide variety of topics relating to the field of social psychology. You are encouraged to be brief. You are
also expected to use visual aids in your presentations and to not read the paper to the class.
Research papers are due when you do your oral report in class. Papers not submitted at that time
will be graded down 3 points for each day it is late.