Social Psychology. PY 303A (16195); SO 303A (16219) Fall 2012 M/W 9:30 10:50 Harbert 329

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1 Social Psychology PY 303A (16195); SO 303A (16219) Fall 2012 M/W 9:30 10:50 Harbert 329 Professor Jaime Cloud, Ph.D. Office: Harbert Office hours Tues. 10:00 11:30 Thurs. 11:30 1:00 (and by appt.) Course Description This course is designed to give students a comprehensive overview of the major principles and findings of social psychology an interdisciplinary field that explores how the real or imagined presence of others influences our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. An evolutionary, functional perspective will be applied throughout this course to emphasize (1) the goal-directed nature of social behavior and (2) the continual interaction between the person and the situation. This course addresses the following departmental learning outcomes: (1) Familiarity with major concepts, theoretical perspectives, and empirical findings; (2) Applying critical and creative thinking skills, skeptical inquiry, and a scientific approach to solve problems related to behavior and mental processes; and (3) Communicating effectively in a variety of formats. Required Textbook Kenrick, Neuberg, & Cialdini (2010). Social Psychology: Goals in Interaction (5/e). (ISBN: ) Required readings will be posted on Moodle as well. Classroom Policies All students are expected to check their university accounts on a daily basis for communication from the professor concerning the class. is the best way to contact me. I aim to return all inquires within 24 hours. Classroom Behavior: In order to effectively communicate class material, all students are expected to be non-disruptive and respectful of one another during lecture. Please refrain from arriving late, leaving early, or packing your belongings until after class is dismissed. ** Cell phones MUST be turned off and put away for the entire duration of class. ** ** The use of laptops is a privilege and may only be used for note taking purposes. If I suspect at any time that laptops are being used for anything OTHER than note taking, I will discontinue that privilege. **

2 Class Notes It is important to me that you are able to focus your attention on course material and actively participate. For that reason, hardcopies of the PowerPoint slides for a given lecture will be available at the beginning of class for students who arrive on time. Neither hard, nor electronic copies, of the slides will be provided to students who miss a class due to an unexcused absence. Reading Checks It is critical in this course that you properly prepare for in-class discussions. Part of that preparation includes the completion of reading assignments prior to the start of class. To ensure that you keep up with the reading assignments, there will be 5 to 10 Reading Checks. The Reading Checks can occur on any day and will consist of two questions, worth one extra credit point each. There will be no make-up Reading Checks for unexcused absences. For excused absences, the next Reading Check will count double. Course Engagement Doing well in this course requires a high level of engagement both inside and outside of class. You are expected to attend class and participate in class discussions and activities. In addition, you are expected to stay up-to-date with the latest findings by following popular social psychology blogs (provided). You are strongly encouraged to participate in Blog Talk by posting comments and discussing interesting findings with one another on Moodle. The first 10 minutes of class every Monday will also be devoted to Blog Talk, in which we relate interesting findings to class material and apply them to our everyday lives. Assignments There will be four assignments worth 10 points each. Detailed instructions regarding each assignment will be delivered the day it is assigned. All assignments must be returned at the beginning of class 1-week after they are assigned. There will be no make-ups or extensions. Exams There will be four non-cumulative Block Exams and one optional cumulative Final Exam given during the final exam period. Each Block Exam and the optional Final Exam will consist of 30 multiple-choice questions and two short-answer essay questions (worth 5 points each). A student may take the optional Final Exam to replace the lowest grade earned on a Block Exam. Review Sessions: I will host an online review chat on Moodle from 7:30 9:00pm the evening immediately proceeding each Block Exam. Make-up Policy: If a student must miss a Block Exam, the student is required to contact me prior to the exam date. The optional Final Exam must be taken to replace the grade of zero given for the missed Block Exam.

3 Academic Integrity Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated in this course. Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to: plagiarism, inappropriate source citations, turning in work done in whole or part by someone other than you, using or contributing to unapproved test files, and using any outside source during an exam. During exams, students will be required to place all belongings, including cell phones and other electronics, at the front of the room. Students will not be allowed to leave the room during an exam without permission except in the case of an emergency. You are subject to the provisions of the Birmingham-Southern College Honor Code. Any violations of the honor code will result in a report to the Honor Council and may result in a failing grade for the assignment, exam, or course at the professor s discretion. Remember that the Honor Code dictates that if you witness academic dishonesty, you are required to report it or you will be in violation of the Honor Code yourself. If you have any questions about this, please see the professor and refer to the student handbook. Grading There are 220 total possible points in this class. Your total is determined by the sum of scores you receive on each of the four Block Exams (40 points each), each of the four assignments (10 points each), and your Course Engagement grade (20 points). At least 10 extra credit points can be earned by performing well on the Reading Checks. Exam 1 (40 pts.) Exam 2 (40 pts.) Exam 3 (40 pts.) Exam 4 (40 pts.) = 160 pts. Assign. 1 (10 pts.) Assign. 2 (10 pts.) Assign. 3 (10 pts.) Assign. 4 (10 pts.) = 40 pts. Course Engagement: Blog talk (10 pts.) = 20 pts. (10 pts.) Class discussion Total = 220 pts. A A - B B B - C C C - D D F % 92 90% 89 87% 86 83% 82 80% 79 77% 76 73% 72 70% 69 67% 66 60% < 60% < 132

4 Block 1 Course Schedule Fall 2012 (subject to change) Date Topic Reading Assignment Wed, Aug. 29 Introduction Wed, Sept. 5 Social Psychology Ch. 1 #1 Assigned Mon, Sept. 10 The Self Ch. 2; p Wed, Sept. 12 The Self cont. Ch. 4 #1 Due Mon, Sept. 17 Social Cognition Wed, Sept. 19 BLOCK EXAM 1 Block 2 Mon, Sept. 24 Attitudes Ch. 5 Wed, Sept. 26 Social Influence Ch. 6; p #2 Assigned Mon, Oct. 1 Persuasion Tactics Ch. 6; p Wed, Oct. 3 Group Processes Ch. 12 #2 Due Mon, Oct. 8 Group Processes cont. Wed, Oct. 10 BLOCK EXAM 2 Block 3 Mon, Oct. 15 Prosocial Behavior Ch. 9 Wed, Oct. 17 Affiliation & Friendship Ch. 7 Mon, Oct. 22 Romantic Relationships Ch. 8 Wed, Oct. 24 Romantic Relationships cont. #3 Assigned Mon, Oct. 29 Familial Relationships Moodle reading #1 Wed, Oct. 31 BLOCK EXAM 3 #3 Due Block 4 Mon, Nov. 5 Conflict & Aggression Ch. 10 #4 Assigned Wed, Nov. 7 Conflict & Aggression cont. Mon, Nov. 12 Stereotypes, Prejudice & Discrimination Ch. 11 #4 Due Wed, Nov. 14 Stereotypes, Prejudice & Discrimination cont. Mon, Nov. 19 Social Exchange Moodle reading #2 Mon, Nov. 26 Applying Social Psychology Moodle reading #3 Wed, Nov. 28 BLOCK EXAM 4 Final Exam Applying Social Psychology Reading #4 Mon, Dec. 3 Thurs, Dec. 6 (9a 12n) Review OPTIONAL FINAL EXAM

5 Social Psychology Blogs You are expected to regularly follow the following Social Psychology blogs: - Sex, Murder, and the Meaning of Life (Kenrick) - Homo Consumericus (Saad) - The Social Self (McConnell) - The Evolutionary Psychology Blog (Kurzban) - Science of Relationships (multiple contributors) Google Reader (highly recommended) How to Set-up an Account with Google Reader 1. Create a free Google account (if you don t have one already): %2Freader%2Fview%2F&service=reader&hl=en 2. Go to Google Reader ( and make sure you re signed in. 3. Click on the red SUBSCRIBE button, enter the URL of one of the blogs above, click add. Now all unread (or read *and* unread) blog posts will be sent to your Google Reader account!