PSYCHOLOGY 2322 W01 Social Psychology

Transcription

1 PSYCHOLOGY 2322 W01 Social Psychology COURSE SYLLABUS Spring 2011 Instructor: Ruth Kirson Contact: During the course please get in touch with me is via the internal course mail accessed on the course homepage or on the course menu. I will be checking this daily, however please expect a reasonable response time (approx 48 hrs although likely sooner). I will try to respond to urgent messages as quickly as possible. Your first task in this course is to read the "start here" documents that you will find on the homepage for this course (if you are reading this you may have already completed this first task). Next -->send me an internal course message to let me know you have successfully found your way into the course and discovered at least this syllabus and the course mail. I also have an external rkirson@langara.bc.ca but you should use the internal course mail for course related s. We usually can 'chat' via the internal to sufficiently discuss whatever matter is of importance to you. Note: I will not be on campus this term so there will be no opportunity to meet in person in my office and I will not respond to phone messages. Course Description This course examines the effects of social influences on individual and group behaviour. Topics such as social perception, social cognition, group processes, attitudes, mass media effects, aggression, helping and prejudice will be discussed. Prerequisites: PSYC 1115 and 1215

2 Required Text and other Material: 1. TEXT: Aronson, E., Wilson, T. D, Akert, R. M., Fehr, B. (2010). Social Psychology: Fourth Canadian Edition. Toronto, Ont: Pearson. Website for Text: Video explaining how to use mypsychlab: 2. CoursePack: Readings for Social Psychology also found at the bookstore. Learning Outcomes: To become a sceptical inquirer by using analytical skills and critical think Understand basic theory and social psychological research in social perception, influence and relations. Become familiar with the applicability of social psychological research. Develop research, discussion and presentation skills. Continue to develop skills in assessing quality of Web resources. Course Procedures and Evaluation: Important: Although there are no scheduled "class times" for this course it is not entirely self-paced. You may do your work at whatever time is convenient for you however it is recommended that you proceed through the course material according to the posted syllabus dates. There will be activities and discussions that centre on the current chapter readings so it is important to keep up with text readings. It is expected that you will log into the course regularly (at least a few times a week) to keep up with important messages from me (and your classmates), complete exercises and assignments and to contribute to the ongoing discussions. Success in the course depends on your regular "attendance". Note: It is important that you communicate with me about your progress in the class. If you are floundering for any reason --let me know about it! If you are unsure about procedure or how to access information in the course you can send me mail or use the

3 discussion board. Remember there may be others who are unsure too and you would be helping them out by asking. In this course you will be expected to: 1. Complete textbook and other reading assignments. This involves: reading all assigned chapters completing exercises or surveys associated with specific chapters reading articles in the coursepack as listed in course schedule 2. Participate in an on-going structured discussion topics. This involves: Contributing to discussions on Chapter and related topics Respond to musings posted by your classmates and instructor. 3. Read and summarize original source scientific research papers. 4. create journal-portfolio entries apply social psychological concepts to real life examples 5. Submit all written assignments by the due dates. 6. Complete mid-terms and a final exam at appointed times-- online. Assignments: There is one required assignment to be completed individually throughout the term. See the assignment section on the course homepage for details. This is a comprehensive assignment that should be started near the beginning of the term. The assignment is due on the posted due date-time and must be submitted via the course assignment dropbox. Late assignments will be penalized 10% per day; assignments more than 5 days late will not be accepted. Assignments are to be typed, double spaced preferably in "Word" and follow college level writing and plagiarism rules. No external e- mail submissions are accepted. Discussions: You are required to contribute to various discussion topics throughout the term. Your contributions will be monitored and assessed resulting in a participation mark worth 10%. Please treat

4 your attendance and participation as you would in a professional setting where regular attendance and enthusiastic, quality participation in discussions are expected and deemed essential. Only postings made within 7 days of the original posting will be counted toward your participation mark. Try to respond to your classmate s postings just as you would want your comments acknowledged. Read the discussion guidelines (access link from course information page) for more details on expectations, protocol and acceptable conduct in the discussion section of the course. Exams: There will be two midterms and one final exam written online. The midterms are to be taken on-line at specific times --you will have a choice of two times in the day, one in the morning and one in the early evening; exams will be time limited. The final exam will be at 6:30 in the evening on a day assigned by the College during the final exam period (please check the Langara Official Final Exam Schedule for the date as soon as it is posted) and will be time limited. Students must make themselves available to write this final. The only acceptable reason for change is an exam conflict if this occurs please contact me right away. If you feel you have another legitimate and serious conflict then please contact me as soon as possible. The exam format will be mixture of multiple choice/short answers. You will be tested on material from the textbook, readings and coursework. Evaluation Date % Final Grade Assignment April 1 20 Participation/Discussions Throughout Term 10 Midterm Exam 1: Chapters 1, 3, 4 & Readings Midterm Exam 2: Chapters 5, 6, 7 & Readings Final Exam: Chapters 8, 10, 11, 12 & Readings Feb 9 (Wednesday) 22.5 March 9 (Wednesday) 22.5 During Regular Exam Period 25

5 Please Note: There are NO MAKE UP EXAMS. If you are going to miss an exam, it is your responsibility to contact the instructor PRIOR to the exam and provide suitable documentation (i.e. medical note). Permission will be granted only for excuses deemed legitimate by the instructor. IF YOU DO NOT CONTACT THE INSTRUCTOR PRIOR TO THE EXAM, YOU WILL FORFEIT THE VALUE OF THAT EXAM. Note: Academic misconduct. Cheating and plagiarism are both unacceptable and either activity may lead to serious disciplinary measures. Grading: Your total percentage will be turned into a letter grade Course Schedule* Date Topic/Chapter/Readings Jan Introduction; Blackboard orientation, Course Syllabus Chapter 1: Introduction to Social Psychology Jan Continue Chapter 1: Introduction to Social Psychology Jan Chapter 3: Social Cognition; Reading: Rosenthal & Jacobson (1968) Jan 31 Feb 6 Chapter 4: Social Perception Feb 7 13 Midterm Exam 1 Wed Feb 9, 9:30 am OR 6:30 pm Chapters 1, 2, 4 and Readings to date Chapter 5: Self Knowledge and the Need to Maintain Self Feb Esteem Reading: Lepper, Greene & Nisbett (1973) Langara Closed Feb 17, 18 for Spring Break Feb Feb 28 March 6 Mar 7 13 Mar Chapter 6: Attitudes and Attitude Change Reading: Festinger & Carlsmith (1959) Chapter 7: Conformity: Influencing Others Reading: Milgram (1963) Midterm Exam 2 Wed, March 9 at 9:30 am or 6:30 pm Chapters 5, 6, 7 and Readings since MT 1 Chapter 8: Group Processes

6 The linked image cannot be displayed. The file may have been moved, renamed, or deleted. Verify that the link points to the correct file and location. Mar Mar 28 Apr 3 Apr 4 10 Apr 11 Apr Reading: Osherow (1988); Reading: Diener, Fraser, Beaman & Kelem (1976) Chapter 10: Prosocial Behaviour: Why Do People Help? Reading: Darley & Batson (1973) Assignment Due: March 25 th Chapter 11: Aggression: Why Do We Hurt Other People? Reading: Berkowitz & Lepage (1967) Chapter 12: Prejudice: Causes and Cures Reading: Snyder, Tanke & Bersheid (1977) Last Day Classes April 8 th Study Day Exam Period; Final: Date TBA at 6:30 p.m. Chapters 8, 10, 11, 12 and readings. (posted by College). Please check Official College Exam Schedule for date You MUST be available for posted time unless there is another exam conflict. *Please Note: This is tentative time schedule and will be followed as closely as possible however it is subject to change as the course progresses. You will be notified of any changes.