Course Overview
This course surveys all the traditional and contemporary topics
that comprise the field of social psychology, including both
individual and interpersonal processes. Further, we will cover
the methods that social psychologists use to generate knowledge
about social phenomena. One objective of this course is to encourage
students to think critically about various explanations for
human social behavior. A second objective is to urge students
to draw on social psychology to gain insight into their everyday
experiences. Social psychologists study processes that touch
virtually all aspects of our social lives, and this course seeks
to help students recognize and appreciate this relevance.
The goals of this course are to:
• teach students how people think about others, are influenced
by them, and relate to them
• introduce students to the perspectives, research methods,
and empirical findings of social psychology
• cultivate students' skills for analyzing social situations
and events encountered in everyday life
• develop students' critical and integrative ways of thinking
about theory and research in social psychology
• provide opportunities for students to practice and develop
written communication skills and internet skills
Prerequisite
Students must have successfully completed Introductory Psychology
(Psy100) or must obtain permission from the instructor in order
to take this course.
Textbook
Myers, D. G. (2008). Social psychology (9th ed.). Boston: McGraw-Hill.
[ISBN 978-0-07-353189-2]
Course Components
Concept Quizzes (180 points)
There will be 13 concept quizzes that will be administered
online (one for each chapter covered in the course). These quizzes
will consist of 15 multiple-choice questions, and students will
have 15 minutes to complete each quiz. Only your 12 highest
quiz scores will count toward your final grade; your lowest
quiz score will be dropped. These quizzes are designed to provide
students the opportunity to demonstrate their mastery of concepts,
research, and application of the material discussed/read in
each section of the course.
Students are expected to do their own work on quizzes without
assistance from any other person. Late quizzes will not be accepted
without making prior arrangements with me.
Papers (120 points)
Each student is responsible for completing four social psychological
essays. The handouts for these essays can be found on the course
web site. Generally, the essay should be a typewritten paper
approximately three pages in length (double-spaced with one-inch
margins, page numbers, and a title page that includes your name).
Each essay is worth 30 points, for a total of 120 points toward
your final grade. Late papers will not be accepted without making
prior arrangements with me.
Class Participation (50 points)
In order to facilitate interactions among the class members,
we will be using the electronic discussion board on the course
web site. During the semester I will post five discussion questions.
For each question, each student will post at least one substantive
response to the discussion question AND at least one substantive
response to the postings of other students. Each student is
expected to participate fully, keeping up with all the readings
and posting to the discussion board. The discussion group will
act as a medium of class participation and written reflection
on the course material. The purpose is to get you thinking and
talking in an environment where you have the time and space
for your voice. I encourage students to use the discussion board
more than the minimum required postings.
The discussion board postings will be evaluated on a scale
from 0 to 2, as follows:
• 0 = not adding to the discussion in any substantial
manner; typically comments that simply agree with what someone
else said or just restate what someone else or the reading said
• 1 = comments or questions that do contribute some original
thinking to the discussion but are still somewhat superficial
or do not use the theoretical terminology of the course
• 2 = comments or questions that contribute substantially
to the discussion and use the theoretical terminology of the
course
Participation points will be calculated as a percentage of
total participation points available. Thus, if a student’s
participation evaluations equal 80% of the available points,
he/she will receive 40 points. Credit will not be given for
late postings.
Extra Credit
Students may earn up to 15 points of extra credit by participating
in social psychology studies online. Under “Assignments”
on the course web page you will find a list of research studies
being conducted on the Internet that relate to social psychology.
These are real research studies, so please participate only
if you are willing to answer the questions seriously. Each study
is worth up to 3 points of extra credit. In order to get the
extra credit, participate in the study and then write a 1-2
page (double-spaced with 1-inch margins) summary of your experience.
Include the following information:
• Title of the study and researcher’s name
• What was the purpose of the study? What were you asked
to do? How did the study conclude (e.g., did it just end or
was there further information at the end)?
• Describe the procedures concerning informed consent,
confidentiality of responses, availability of results, and ways
to contact the researcher (or lack of these things). Did you
inquire about the results of the study, and if so did you receive
any results?
• Explain what the importance of the information collected
might be. Relate the study to information discussed in your
textbook or the online discussion.
• What did you learn from your participation? What suggestions
do you have for improving the study? Make any additional comments
on your experience
Policy on Late Assignments and Makeup Quizzes
Late assignments will not be accepted unless you make prior
arrangements with me and only in cases of genuine and documented
health or family emergencies. Make-up quizzes will be given
only for documented and approved absences by making prior arrangements
with me.
Honor Code
I expect that you, as honorable scholars, will do your own
work and not take credit for the effort and ideas of others.
This includes plagiarism and cheating on exams. Thus, all of
your efforts in this course should represent completely independent
work. Any student caught cheating on a test or plagiarizing
any written work will, at the very least, receive a zero on
that assignment. Dishonest students may receive a failing grade
for the course and may be expelled from the university. Please
refer to the student handbook for detailed information on academic
dishonesty.
Students should also be aware that it is academically dishonest
and a violation of the honor code to ask for, receive, or give
information about the content of exams (e.g., studying exams
from previous semesters) or to use in any way student papers
(or ideas) from previous semesters. Violators will be referred
to the university’s discipline committee.
