Social Psychology (PSY 24)

Prerequisites and Course Description
        Overarching Goals
        Specific Course Objectives
        Class Format
        Texts
Description of Assignments
        Non-Cumulative Exams
        Final Exam
        Research Proposal
        Miscellaneous Info. About Papers
        Help with Papers
        Academic Dishonesty and Papers
        Participation
        Extra Credit
Assignment Points
Grading System

Prerequisites: Psychology 21

Course Description
Social psychology is the scientific study of how people think about, influence, and relate to one another. It focuses on how aspects of a situation (including other people, and one’s perceptions) influence behavior. In other words, it is the study of how human behavior is affected by human behavior. Some of the topics we will cover include the self, close relationships, aggression, altruism, prejudice, and group dynamics. In general, this course will provide a survey of the basic ideas and research methods put forth by social psychologists to understand, predict, and sometimes control social behavior.

2 Overarching Goals of the Course
• To think about behavior and problem-solve like a social psychologist.
• To be able to identify when and explain how social psychology is demonstrated in everyday life and current events.

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Specific Course Objectives
• To learn the major theories, concepts, and critical research findings for each topic.
• To understand why social psychology is a science, including becoming familiar with the research methods utilized by social psychologists, and discussing in detail experiments and research findings.
• To compare and contrast theories and research findings.
• To think independently about social psychology, including developing support for your opinions about the field.
• To encourage open and thoughtful discussion about controversial topics in Social Psychology.
• To be able, both orally and in writing, to comment on and integrate social psychological theory and research.
• Become more aware of how situations influence your own and others’ behavior (i.e., apply what you’ve learned to possibly become more empathic and understanding).

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Class Format
Class meeting will consist of lectures, discussions, and demonstrations. I typically use power point to provide visual aides with lectures. I will also provide you with an outline for each chapter to help you organize your notes. Some parts of the lecture will cover topics that are not mentioned in the text, and vice versa. The lectures will also not necessarily follow the organization of the text. If you have to miss class, I strongly suggest that you get the notes from another student. If you have questions after you get someone’s notes, please come to my office hours, or schedule an appointment with me.

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Required Text
Myers, David, G. Social Psychology (7th Edition). New York: McGraw-Hill, 2001.

Additional Readings
As indicated on the class schedule, you will have several additional readings to complete throughout the semester. These readings are meant to supplement your text, provide you with examples of the primary literature in the field, and help you with your thought papers and research proposal. Articles will be available on reserve in the psychology lounge.

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Description of Assignments

2 Non-Cumulative Exams:
Exam dates are April 2, and April 28 during class time. There are 3 major sections of material to cover in this course. After we complete the first and second sections, we will have an exam covering material from those sections only. The majority of each exam will include short answer and essay questions. Multiple choice and identification questions may also be included. Questions will cover any material discussed in class lectures, demonstrations, movies, etc., as well as anything that is covered in the text. There will be material on the exam from the text that we may not go over in class. Therefore, it is imperative that you do all of the assigned reading. I will be happy to answer any questions about material mentioned in the text that we do not cover in class.
** Make-up and early exams will be given ONLY for EXCUSED ABSCENCES. Excused absences include illness (verified in writing by a doctor), family emergency (verified by the Associate Academic Dean’s Office), or activity for which you are representing Furman University (verified by the appropriate coach or advisor). In any of these cases you must contact me BEFORE the exam. If an exam is missed without the above-verified explanations, a grade of zero will be given for that exam.

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Cumulative Final Exam:
The third and final exam will be May 26, 2:30-5:00 (during finals - the 2:00 class time). The first part of the exam will test your knowledge of the third portion of the course only. The second part of the exam will be cumulative. The cumulative part of the exam will focus on identifying themes in the course, integrating concepts from different topic areas, comparing and contrasting theories, and thinking critically about research.

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Research Proposal:
As the semester progresses, I will provide you with more information about the research proposal. This will address the second goal of the course - to “think” and problem solve like a social psychologist. The purpose of the paper is for you to investigate (more in-depth) a topic in social psychology that you find particularly interesting. You will review the important research and literature in that area, and come up with an idea of your own to test (but you will NOT have to actually test your idea or collect data). The paper will be at least 12 pages, and should include an introduction that reviews pertinent research in the area you are investigating (i.e., you should cite AT LEAST 8 articles from journals) and a short methods section that depicts how you would test your idea. We will have several due dates for different parts of the paper. Please see me throughout the semester if you need help with ideas. Note that the first assignment for the paper is due March 31 (therefore, you need to get thinking about your paper ASAP!).

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Miscellaneous Info about Papers:

Help with Writing Papers: Please feel free to ask me for extra help with writing papers. One of the skills I would like to instill in you during this class is writing clearly and concisely while making a strong argument. In addition to my help, the CCLC, which is located in the lower level of Duke Library (x2323 or x2248), is a resource you can use to help you write papers. They have people trained specifically to help you with writing papers for a psychology class. You may want to make an appointment with them or drop by if you’d like some feedback or help on your papers (for best results, don’t wait until the last minute before a paper or project is due -- see me or the CCLC early).

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Academic Dishonesty and Papers: All papers and writing assignments for this class are expected to be work unique to this class. Thus, it is inappropriate to submit papers or writing assignments you have already submitted or are in the process of preparing for assignments in other classes. However, if you wish to address or extend a topic you have worked on or written about in the past or are now working on for another class, see me to discuss what conceptual overlap with or extension of other work is acceptable.

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Participation:
This course will be much more interesting if you actively participate in discussion. Your participation grade will be based on your attendance in class and your verbal participation while in class. I encourage you to respectfully express your opinions, ideas, and questions in class, and listen and respond to your fellow classmates. It will make it much more interesting! (Note: for class attendance, we will follow Furman’s policy of required attendance at 15% (students with less than 28 hours) or 25% (students with 28 or more hours) of class meetings in order to receive a passing grade.

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Extra Credit Opportunities:
If you are concerned about your participation grade, or did not do as well as you would have preferred on an exam or thought paper, there will be an opportunity to gain 5 extra credit points throughout the semester. You can earn these points by recording any real life experiences you have in which you see social psychology in action. Thursday at the end of class, I will collect your descriptions (I will do this 5 times during the semester according to the dates on your class calendar). To receive an extra credit point, you will provide a short typed paragraph that will describe the event (in a sentence or two), describe what concept it is demonstrating (a sentence or two definition of the concept), and provide a sentence explaining how the event is in fact a representation or application of the concept (non-typed descriptions will not be accepted). In addition to events occurring in your everyday life, you can also use articles that you read in magazines and newspapers (please include the clipping to your journal), or you can describe something you’ve learned in another class you are taking. You could also use a news program, TV show, movie, or website to describe a concept. There is an opportunity to earn 5 extra credit points towards your final point total. For each time you turn in a description, you can receive only one extra credit point. You cannot make up any of these points at the end of the semester. If you do not follow the guidelines above and include all of the information indicated, or you misapply a concept, you may not receive a point for that description.

Important Note:
Students with disabilities who require academic accommodations should contact Susan Clark, Coordinator of Disability Services (x2322). After contacting her, then touch base with me. Please do this EARLY in the term.

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Course Assignments and Points

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Grades will be based on the following point system:

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