PSYC 229: Social Psychology Fall 2019 Class time: 8:30 9:45; Tuesdays and Thursdays Name of Faculty: Contact details: Office hours: Dr. Margaret Stevenson email: ms446@evansville.edu Mon: 8:30am 1pm; Wed: 8:30am - 1pm, Thurs: 11:40am 12:40pm Course Description Welcome! This course considers broad range effects of a social context on individual and group behavior. Examines interpersonal relations and actions, attitude developments and change, group interactions, advertising and news, prejudice and stereotyping, love and sex, leadership, and work environments as they relate to and affect behavior. Credit Hour Policy Statement This class meets the federal credit hour policy of: Standard lecture e.g. 1 hour of class with an expected 2 hours of additional student work outside of class each week for approximately 15 weeks for each hour of credit, or a total of 45-75 hours for each credit. General Education Objective This course does not fulfil a general education objective. However, it is a required UE psychology major course and psychology majors must achieve a C- grade or higher in all psychology courses that apply to the major (2011-2013Catalog, p.90). Learning Objectives Social psychology is the scientific study of the way people think, feel, and behave in social situations. It seeks to understand how individuals influence and are influenced by others in the world around them. In pursuit of this understanding, social psychology relies heavily on the scientific method. The primary goal of this course is to introduce you to both the theories and methods of social psychology. In addition, an interesting feature of social psychology is that many of the concepts you will learn apply to your everyday life. A secondary goal of this course is to help you understand how the social environment influences your behavior and the behavior of others around you. Consequently, it will be important to your success in this course that you not only have a basic understanding of the concepts discussed in the text and during lecture, but also how those concepts relate to the real world. I stress active learning in this course. You should think of yourselves as LEARNERS who are engaged in an exploration of the field of social psychology. Your goal is to explore this fascinating discipline by interacting with the course material, the instructor, and the other learners in the class. By the end of this course, the student should: Have an appreciation and understanding for the science of social psychology and the scientific method
Have a general understanding of various sub disciplines in the field of social psychology and their applications to social environments Acquire improved critical thinking and writing skills Be able recognize applications and subsequently apply your acquired knowledge of social psychology to various other academic disciplines and life experiences Further Information about the Course 1. Read this syllabus and all assignments carefully. Students sometimes lose points because they do not follow simple instructions. To be fair to all students, there are no exceptions to these policies except as noted in this syllabus. 2. No makeup tests will be given, under any circumstances, for anyone (see above). 3. If you unfortunately experience a documented personal emergency (e.g., serious illness, family death), e-mail and come see Dr. Stevenson immediately. She will work with you to help you complete the class. Otherwise, no "incompletes" will be given, and late work (e.g., papers) will not be accepted. 4. Students who miss classes are still responsible for all notes, announcements, and handouts for that class. If you miss a class, you should get the notes from another student. You may audiotape the lecture. 5. This is not an easy class. Successful performance requires substantial self-motivation. Except for readings, "homework" is not formally assigned. 6. Asking questions during lecture is always welcomed! But, although it may seem absurd to have to say this for a university course, talking to other students and other behaviors (including having ringing cell phones) disrupts the classroom, bothers other students, and distracts the professor. So, please understand that anyone who disrupts the classroom in these or other ways will be asked to leave the classroom and dropped from the course. Although it is to your great advantage to attend class, you are not required to do so, so do not attend if you need to talk. Using cell phones in any way during class is not permitted. 7. On days of lecture, extra credit opportunities might announced in-lecture. There are no makeups for missing these opportunities. 8. If you have any problems or concerns throughout the class, your professor is here to help you. Please come see me, before it's too late at the end of the semester. I really would like to get to know you, and I want to be available if you need me. I can give you tips for studying. That's why I have office hours, and why I will schedule special appointments if you have another class during office hours. I care about teaching, and I care about you. But, it will be much easier if you see me during my office hours. If you need to make a special appointment, make it a week in advance. As much as I'd genuinely like to help, it's just impossible for me to accommodate all of you on very short notice (like the day before a paper is due). 9. INCOMPLETE GRADE POLICY: All coursework is to be completed within the semester it is attempted. If an emergency prevents a student from completing some portion of the required assignments, as instructor may give an I or incomplete grade only if the following circumstances are met: 1. The student s other work in the course could earn a passing grade. 2. The outstanding task can be completed without further class attendance. Outstanding course work normally should be completed within six weeks of the class ending, but the instructor may allow up to one year from the end of the term for which the I grade is granted. It is the student s responsibility to have this deficiency removed within the agreed upon time period or whining one year, whichever is less. If no grade change has been submitted by the instructor after the maximum one year grace period, the registrar is authorized to change all grades of I to F.
Schedule of topics Read entirely each chapter in the textbook as listed below before the lecture date listed. WEEK DATE TOPIC & READINGS 1 Aug 27, Tues Introduction, Course overview (Ch. 1) Aug 29, Thur Methodology (Ch. 2) 2 Sept 3, Tues Methodology (Ch. 2) Sept 5, Thur Methodology (Ch. 2) Sept 6, Fri Social Cognition (Ch. 3) 3 Sept 10, Tues Social Cognition (Ch. 3) Sept 12, Thur Social Perception (Ch. 4) 4 Sept 17, Tues Social Perception (Ch. 4) Sept 19, Thur Self Knowledge (Ch. 5) 5 Sept 24, Tues Self Knowledge (Ch. 5) & Paper Overview Sept 26, Thurs NO CLASS LONG WEEKEND TRIP 6 Oct 1, Tues ***Test 1*** Oct 3, Thur Self Justification (Ch. 6) Clips of Film: My Lai Massacre 7 Oct 8, Tues Self Justification (Ch. 6) Oct 10, Thur Attitudes and Persuasion (Ch. 7) 8 Oct 15, Tues NO CLASS REQUIRED BRITISH STUDIES FIELD TRIP Oct 16, Wed Attitudes and Persuasion (Ch. 7) Oct 17, Thur Conformity (Ch. 8) 9 Oct 22, Tues Conformity (Ch. 8) Oct 24, Thur Group Processes (Ch. 9) 10 Oct 29, Tues Group Processes (Ch. 9) Oct 31, Thur ***Test 2*** Nov 1, Fri Attraction (Ch. 10) 11 Nov 5, Tues Attraction (Ch. 10) Nov 7, Thur NO CLASS LONG WEEKEND TRIP 12 Nov 12, Tues Attraction (Ch. 10) Nov 14, Thur Prosocial Behavior (Ch. 11) 13 Nov 19 Tues Prosocial Behavior (Ch. 11) Nov 21, Thurs Aggression (Ch. 12) 14 Nov 26, Tues Social Psychology in Action 3: Social Psychology and the Law Nov 28, Thur **** TEST 3**** (LAST DAY OF CLASS) Nov 30 Dec 3: Final exams
Required Text/Materials You need three things for this course: an email address, access to the course Blackboard site, and the textbook. I will disseminate information via email and blackboard. All students will be responsible for messages sent through email. Check your email at least daily. Blackboard contains all the material for the course. Documents can be downloaded from the site, and grades will be posted there. Textbook Aronson, E., Wilson, T. D., & Akert, R. M., Sommers, S. R. (2016). Social Psychology (9th Ed.) ISBN-13: 978-0133936544. You can purchase the textbook in several places, including the University Bookstore or online bookstores. Assessment and Grading Criteria There are three grade components: exams, a paper, and minute papers, with each counting for a different percentage of your final grade, as shown below: Exams 72% (best 3 of 4 exams 24% per exam) Paper 22% Minute Papers 6% (best 7 of 8 in-class minute papers) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total 100% GRADING: Grading will be according to a 100-percentage scale: 93-100 = A, 90-92 = A-, 87-89 = B+, 83-86 = B, 80-82 = B-, 77-79 = C+, 73-76 = C, 70-72 = C-, 67-69 = D+, 60 66 = D, > 60 = F. You will always know exactly where you stand because there is no curve and you can calculate your own grade whenever you want by using the formula below. Normal rounding rules apply. Exams Each exam will consist of multiple choice and/or true-false questions. Questions will require that you understand the concepts and theories discussed in class and apply them to real-world situations. I will drop your lowest exam grade for several reasons. One is that everyone has a bad day every now and then. If you happened to take an exam on a day when you were not prepared and are not satisfied with your score, the exam will be dropped from the calculation of your final grade. A second reason one exam is dropped is because it eliminates the need for make-up exams. Make-up exams will not be given under any circumstances, so please do not ask if you can make up an exam. If you are sick or out of town on an exam day, you do not need to worry because that exam will be dropped. Ideally you would take all four exams and drop the lowest of the four. Term Paper In addition to exams and minute papers, you will write an APA-style paper that describes a social psychological theory discussed in class, discusses a current real-world event related to that theory, and explains how the theory applies to the real-world event. More information about the paper will be given throughout the course and will be posted on blackboard. The paper is due in class on the date listed below. Late papers will NOT be accepted. Unannounced minute papers To help give you an idea of how you are doing throughout this course and to encourage participation, there will be a total of 8 minute papers. These minute papers can only be completed during class, will not be announced in advance, and there will be no make-up opportunity for them. Thus it is important that you attend class regularly so that you do not miss any opportunities to complete the
assignments. However, recognizing that people sometimes have to miss class, I will drop one of your minute papers. MINUTE PAPERS: During lecture there will be times where you will take 5 minutes to write a brief paragraph about a topic-relevant issue. That is, you will respond to a thought question, requiring no special preparation beyond reading that week s chapter. The purpose of these papers is two-fold. First, these papers will give you an opportunity to think and write about the course material. Minute papers will be graded on a pass/fail basis. Basically, if you are present when a paper is offered and write a thoughtful paragraph you will receive a pass. Like any other course requirement, these minute papers will be factored into your final course grade. Specifically, if you complete 7 of the 8 minute papers, you will receive a full 6% toward your grade. This is like receiving an A for 6% of your total grade, which can really help your average. BUT: If you complete fewer than 7, you will get only.5% per minute paper. So, for example, if you do only 6 minute papers, you will get only 3%, not 6%. USE THIS EXAMPLE TO CALCULATE YOUR FINAL GRADE: Assignment/Total Possible % Pat s Example Grades % Pat got 1. Exams = 72% Pat got 80 on Test 1, 70 on Test 2, 83 on Test 3, and 60 on Test 4 (Pat dropped Test 4): [(80 + 70 + 83)/3] X.72 =... 55.92 2. Paper 1 = 22% Pat got 81 on the paper: 81 X.22 =... 17.82 3. Minute Papers = 6% Pat did only 6: 6 X.5 =... 3.00 Total 76.74% = C+ Pat s final grade is a C+. Think about this she had nearly all Bs. If she had done all the minute papers, Pat would have gotten a 79.86, which rounds up to a B-. Papers and minute papers (i.e., class attendance) can really bring up test grades. Attendance Policy Harlaxton College operates a mandatory attendance policy that is binding on all faculty and students. The number of unexcused absences that are allowed before incurring a penalty is related to the number of times a class meets during a week. This means that for courses which meet three times a week students are allowed a maximum of three unexcused absences during the semester without attracting penalty points, for courses meeting twice a week two such absences are permitted and for courses meeting just once a week a single absence is allowed. Additional unexcused absences will attract a grade penalty of a third-letter grade (e.g. A- to B+) Students are responsible for the academic consequences of their failure to attend class. If any assessment (e.g. in-class test, exam, paper, presentation, etc.) is missed, there is no expectation or requirement that a faculty member will accept the work after it is due, provide an extension to a deadline, or offer an alternative assessment opportunity for a student with an unexcused absence.
Drop/Add and Withdrawal Policy There is normally about a 10 day period at the beginning of semester when a student may drop and class and/or add a class. The deadline date is published in the Semester Guidance handbook. Drop/Add forms are available from the library and completed forms should be returned to the same place. Faculty signatures are required for all classes being added Students may withdraw from a class, with the exception of British Studies, for a longer period of time. Again the deadline date is published in the Semester Guidance handbook. Forms are available from the College Secretary, to whom completed forms should be returned. Forms must be signed by the faculty member of the class being withdrawn from and the Principal. All students must register for, and be continuously enrolled in, 12 credit hours of study to be eligible to study at Harlaxton and remain in the United Kingdom. Disability Policy It is the policy of the University of Evansville (Harlaxton College) to make reasonable accommodations for students with properly documented disabilities. University of Evansville students should contact the Office of Counselling and Health Education to seek help with this. Students from Partner Universities/Colleges should contact their own relevant student support office. For assistance whilst at Harlaxton students should contact the College Secretary whose office is located adjacent to the Principal s office. Written notification to faculty from the College Secretary is required for academic accommodations to be implemented. Honor Code All students at the University of Evansville (Harlaxton College) agree to and are bound by the principles and practice of the honor code: I understand that any work I submit for course credit will imply that I have adhered to this Academic Honor Code: I will neither give nor receive unauthorized aid, nor will I tolerate an environment that condones the use of unauthorized aid. The full Honor Code is available online: https://www.evansville.edu/offices/deanstudents/downloads/honorcode.pdf