PSYCHOLOGY 305: SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY Syllabus, Fall 2015 Instructor: Kelli A. Gardner, PhD Office: TJ Majors 236 (in the Business suite) Office Hours: Tuesdays 9:00-11:00 AM, Wednesdays 2:00-4:00 PM, Thursdays 11:00 AM-1:00 PM, and by appointment Office Telephone: (402) 872 2387 office, (641) 494 6059--cell Email Address: kgardner@peru.edu Course Meets: Mondays and Wednesdays from 12:30-1:45 PM in TJ Majors 301 Required Textbook: Exploring Social Psychology by David Myers (Seventh Edition), ISBN: 978-0-07-782545-4 Course Description: This course focuses on the effects of culture, society, social institutions, and social learning on the social attitudes and behavior of individuals within groups. After we consider basic topics like attitudes, social judgments, social influence, and group processes, we will examine more applied topics including interpersonal relationships, aggression, altruism, and stereotyping and prejudice. Course Objectives: After completing Psychology 305, you will have: -explored major theories, findings, and contributors in the field of social psychology -exercised your critical thinking skills -identified examples of social psychological principles in the media and your own experience -considered how social psychology can address important social problems -weighed the complex ethical implications of some classic social psychology research At the beginning of the course, we will discuss how these objectives fit into the College s and School s mission and goals. The instructor reserves the right to modify any aspect of the course syllabus or content. Any modifications will be communicated to students in advance. Expectations: I have the following expectations for you: -Attend class regularly. -Read your textbook. -Be prepared and attentive each class day. -Ask questions when you don t understand.
-Respect me and your fellow classmates by: -arriving in class on-time. -refraining from sidebar conversations (including text messaging) during class. -silencing cell phones while in class. -using your laptop only to take notes while in class. -Accept responsibility for your own learning. Students can have the following expectations for me: -Be prepared, attentive, and enthusiastic each class day. -Vary presentation style to match the preferences of a variety of learners. -Grade and return assignments and tests in a timely manner. -Respect students and promote their learning and success. -Guide the learning process while continuing to learn myself. Course overview: The following section provides a brief overview of the major requirements in this course. For each requirement, more detailed guidelines will be distributed in class. Quizzes: Over the course of the semester, there will be a series of 12 unannounced ( pop ) quizzes. The quizzes will be comprised of questions that should be easy to answer if you have been keeping up with the textbook readings. Quiz points may also be awarded for participation in class activities. Each quiz will be worth 5 points. There will be NO make-ups for quizzes unless you are missing class due to a schoolsponsored event. However, a student s lowest 2 quiz scores will be dropped when their final grades are computed. If you attend class regularly and read your textbook, you will be very successful on the quizzes. Exams: Three course exams will be administered when indicated on the course calendar. All exams will be multiple choice, short-answer, and short essay format. The first two exams are worth 100 points, whereas the final exam is comprehensive, will include a take-home component, and is worth 150 points. My office hours are an ideal time to ask questions about course material. Please don t be shy about stopping by for some discussion and clarification in preparation for the exams! Portfolio: You will complete a portfolio in which you connect social psychological phenomena to the real world and/or the media. For this project, you will find at least twelve examples of social psychological ideas or principles in news stories, songs, television shows or movies, comic strips, advertisements, or, best of all, your own life and experiences. Your portfolio is worth 60 points and is due in class on Wednesday, December 9. More detailed information about this portfolio will be distributed in class.
Grading: The total point distribution is as follows: Quizzes 50 points Exam 1 100 points Exam 2 100 points Exam 3 (cumulative final) 150 points Portfolio 60 points Total 460 points Final course grades will be assigned by the percentage of total points earned: Course grade Percentage of points earned Number of points earned A 100-90% 460-405 B+ 89-86% 404-387 B 85-80% 386-360 C+ 79-76% 359-342 C 75-70% 341-315 D+ 69-66% 314-297 D 65-60% 296-270 F Below 60% 269 and below Final grades are assigned based on the point cut-offs above. I do not round up in cases where a student is within one or two points of the next highest grade. Unless some severe extenuating circumstances caused a student to be unable to finish a course and to temporarily take an incomplete, all course grades are final. Course policies: Attendance: Class attendance is critical to academic success. Please plan on attending class unless serious life circumstances prevent it. If you are going to miss on a given day, please let me know via email or telephone before the start of class. Late work: It is very important that students turn in their work in a timely fashion. Assignments that are submitted after the deadline will not be scored unless a student has made arrangements with me. I also reserve the right to impose a late penalty of as much as 25% of the total possible points. Deducting points from well-done work is painful for both of us. Please make it a priority to submit your work in on time. Make-up exams: If you know you are going to miss an exam (FOR WHATEVER REASON), it is imperative that you notify me in advance. At my discretion, I will allow a make-up exam, which consists of separate and more difficult essay questions than the exams administered in class. When I have not been notified in advance, I only allow make-up exams under EXTREME circumstances. Withdrawing: Until Sunday, August 30, students may add or drop classes on for this term on CATSONLINE. Before Friday, October 23 (for full-term classes), students who no longer want to take an online class can choose to withdraw. When a student withdraws from a class, it still appears on a student s grade report with a grade of W. Withdrawals can be processed through mypsc or through the Student Records Office.
College s Incomplete Coursework Policy To designate a student s work in a course as incomplete at the end of a term, the instructor records the incomplete grade (I). Students may receive this grade only when serious illness, hardship, death in the immediate family, or military service during the semester in which they are registered prevents them from completing course requirements. In addition, to receive an incomplete, a student must have completed substantially all of the course s major requirements. Unless extenuating circumstances dictate otherwise, students must initiate requests for an incomplete by filling out an Incomplete Grade Completion Contract, which requires the signature of the student, instructor, and Dean. The Incomplete Grade Completion contract cites the reason(s) for the incomplete and details the specific obligations the student must meet to change the incomplete to a letter grade. The date by which the student agrees to complete required work must appear in the contract. The Dean, the instructor, and the student receive signed copies of the Incomplete Grade Completion Contract. Even if the student does not attend Peru State College, all incomplete course work must be finished by the end of the subsequent semester. Unless the appropriate Dean approves an extension and if the student does not fulfill contract obligations in the allotted time, the incomplete grade automatically becomes an F. College s Academic Integrity Policy The College expects all students to conduct themselves in a manner that supports an honest assessment of student learning outcomes and the assignment of grades that appropriately reflect student performance. It is ultimately the student s responsibility to understand and comply with instructions regarding the completion of assignments, exams, and other academic activities. At a minimum, students should assume that at each assessment opportunity they are expected to do their own original academic work and/or clearly acknowledge in an appropriate fashion the intellectual work of others, when such contributions are allowed. Students helping others to circumvent honest assessments of learning outcomes, or who fail to report instances of academic dishonesty, are also subject to the sanctions defined in this policy. Instances of academic dishonesty may be discovered in a variety of ways. Faculty members who assign written work ordinarily check citations for accuracy, run data base and online checks, and/or may simply recognize familiar passages that are not cited. They may observe students in the act of cheating or may become aware of instances of cheating from the statements of others. All persons who observe or otherwise know about instances of cheating are expected to report such instances to the proper instructor or Dean.
In order to promote academic integrity, the College subscribes to an electronic service to review papers for the appropriate citations and originality. Key elements of submitted papers are stored electronically in a limited access database and thus become a permanent part of the material to which future submissions are compared. Submission of an application and continued enrollment signifies your permission for this use of your written work. Should an occurrence of academic misconduct occur, the faculty member may assign a failing grade for the assignment or a failing grade for the course. Each incident of academic misconduct should be reported to the Dean and the Vice President for Academic Affairs (VPAA). The VPAA may suspend for two semesters students found to be responsible for multiple instances of academic dishonesty. The reason for the suspension will be noted on the student s transcript. A faculty member need present only basic evidence of academic dishonesty. There is no requirement for proof of intent. Students are responsible for understanding these tenets of academic honesty and integrity. Students may appeal penalties for academic dishonesty using the process established for grades appeals. Title IX Compliance Notice Peru State is an equal opportunity institution. Peru State College does not discriminate against any student, employee or applicant on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, religion, or age in employment and education opportunities, including but not limited to admission decisions. The College has designated an individual to coordinate the College s nondiscrimination efforts to comply with regulations implementing Title VI, VII, IX, and Section 504. Inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies and practices may be directed to Eulanda Cade, Director of Human Resources, Title VI, VII, IX Compliance Coordinator, Peru State, PO Box 10, Peru, NE 68421-0010, (402) 872-2230. Students requesting reasonable accommodation and tutoring services should contact the Center for Achievement and Transition Services (CATS).
Tentative Course Schedule The following course schedule includes topics, reading assignments, and the dates of exams. However, I do reserve the right to change this course calendar as needed. You will always be notified if our plan deviates from this schedule. Week 1 (August 24 & 26) Topic: What is social psychology? Research methods in social psychology Text: Module 1 Week 2 (August 31 & September 2) Topic: Thinking about the self Text: Modules 3 & 4 Week 3 (September 7 & 9) No class Monday, September 7 (Labor Day) Topic: Thinking about the self, continued Text: Module 11 Week 4 (September 14 & 16) Topic: Social cognition (aka thinking about others) Text: Modules 6 & 7 Week 5 (September 21 & 23) Topic: Finishing social cognition Text: Module 8 Exam one: Wednesday, September 23 Week 6 (September 28 & 30) Topic: Group processes Text: Modules 17 & 18 Week 7 (October 5 & 7) Topic: More group processes Text: Modules 19 & 20 Week 8 (October 12 & 14) Topic: Attitudes and self-justification Text: Module 9
Week 9 (October 19 & 21) No class Monday, October 19 (Midterm Break) Topic: Social influence Text: Module 14 Week 10 (October 26 & 28) Topic: Social influence Text: Modules 15 & 16 Week 11 (November 2 & 4) Exam two: Monday, November 2 Topic: Stereotyping and prejudice Text: Module 22 Week 12 (November 9 & 11) Topic: Stereotyping and prejudice, continued Text: Module 23 Week 13 (November 16 & 18) Topic: Liking and attraction Text: Modules 26 & 27 Week 14 (November 23 & 25) Topic: Aggression Text: Module 24 No class Wednesday, November 25 (Thanksgiving Break) Week 15 (November 30 & December 1) Topic: Finishing aggression, Helping behavior Text: Modules 25 & 30 Week 16 (December 7 & 9) Topic: Using social psychology to create a better future; view film for take-home portion of final exam Text: Module 31 Portfolio assignment due Wednesday, December 9 Final Exam: Wednesday, December 16 at 3:30 PM