Psychology 2720A-001
Introduction to Social Psychology
If there is a discrepancy between the outline posted below and the outline posted on the OWL course website, the latter shall prevail.
1.0 CALENDAR DESCRIPTION
An introduction to the theories, findings, methods, and problems encountered in the study of people as social beings. Emphasis will be placed on experimental research, conducted both in the laboratory and in the field. Content areas include: attitudes and social cognition, social interaction and influence, group processes and applications of social psychology.
Antirequisites: Psychology 2070A/B, 2712F/G, 2780E, the former 170
Antirequisites are courses that overlap sufficiently in content that only one can be taken for credit. So if you take a course that is an antirequisite to a course previously taken, you will lose credit for the earlier course, regardless of the grade achieved in the most recent course.
Prerequisite: At least 60% in a 1000 level Psychology course
2 lecture hours, 2 tutorial hours, 0.5 course
Unless you have either the requisites for this course or written special permission from your Dean to enroll in it, you may be removed from this course and it will be deleted from your record. This decision may not be appealed. You will receive no adjustment to your fees in the event that you are dropped from a course for failing to have the necessary prerequisites.
2.0 COURSE INFORMATION
Instructor:Dr. Graeme Haynes
Office and Phone Number: SSC 7440
Office Hours:Tues. 12:30 – 2:00 P.M. or by appointment
Email: ghaynes@uwo.ca
T.A.:Melanie MacEacheron
Office and Phone Number: SSC 6323
Office Hours:Wed. 1:15 – 2:15 P.M.
Email: mmaceac3@uwo.ca
Time and Location of Lectures:Tues. 9:30 A.M. - 11:30 A.M. in SSC 3022
Time and Location of Tutorials: Wed., 2:30-3:30 P.M., or 3:30-4:30 P.M., in SSC 3010
Course Website: http://owl.uwo.ca
If you or someone you know is experiencing distress, there are several resources here at Western to assist you. Please visit: http://www.uwo.ca/uwocom/mentalhealth/ for more information on these resources and on mental health.
Please contact the course instructor if you require material in an alternate format or if you require any other arrangements to make this course more accessible to you. You may also wish to contact Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) at 519-661-2111 ext 82147 for any specific question regarding an accommodation.
3.0 TEXTBOOK
Aronson, E., Wilson, T. D., Fehr, B., & Akert, R. M. (2013). Social Psychology, Fifth Canadian Edition. Toronto: Pearson.
Textbook website: http://www.pearsonmylabandmastering.com/northamerica/mypsychlab/
[It is not required as part of this course that you use the resources on the website, but they may be of interest if you’re looking for additional study materials and practice questions]
4.0 COURSE OBJECTIVES
This course provides a broad introduction to theories and findings related to the scientific study of human social behavior. By the end of this course, you should be able to:
-Understand several ways in which social psychological processes occur in daily life, such as how people perceive themselves and others and how they interact with the surrounding environment,
-Examine social psychology from an empirically-based, scholarly perspective, rather than from an intuitive or speculative perspective based solely on personal experience and observations,
-Explain the scientific study of social psychology to a non-academic/non-psychologist, and
-Evaluate social psychological situations and make predictions about behavior.
Classes will include lecture, discussion, demonstrations, and videos. As this is not an on-line course, class attendance is your responsibility, and you should attend class if you expect to succeed in this course. Some material covered in lecture will not be in the textbook and will be on the exams. I do not give out class notes, so if you miss a class, it is recommended that you obtain notes from a classmate. I will be happy to answer specific questions about class notes once you have obtained them.
During class, I encourage you to ask questions about concepts that are unclear, or to share examples that you think are relevant. Outside of class, I encourage you to meet with me during office hours (or set an appointment) to discuss any questions or concerns. E-mail is the best way to contact me outside of class.
I expect that each of you will respect your classmates and me by arriving to class on time, ready to listen and participate. Please make sure your cell phones are either turned off or on mute when you arrive to class. In addition, please do not disrupt the class by carrying on private conversations during class time. For students with laptops, please note that your laptop is to be used only for taking notes for this course, not recreational purposes (e.g., Facebook, YouTube) or for doing work for another class. Inappropriate classroom laptop usage will result in laptop privileges being revoked.
5.0 EVALUATION
Although the Psychology Department does not require instructors to adjust their course grades to conform to specific targets, the expectation is that course marks will be distributed around the following averages:
70% 1000-level and 2000-level courses
72% 2190-2990 level courses
75% 3000-level courses
80% 4000-level courses
The Psychology Department follows the University of Western Ontario grading guidelines, which are as follows (see http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/handbook/general/grades_undergrad.pdf):
A+ 90-100 One could scarcely expect better from a student at this level
A 80-89 Superior work that is clearly above average
B 70-79 Good work, meeting all requirements, and eminently satisfactory
C 60-69 Competent work, meeting requirements
D 50-59 Fair work, minimally acceptable
F below 50 Fail
Midterm Exam (40%) and Final Exam (40%)
The midterm exam is worth 40% of your final grade and will take place in class on Tuesday, October 27th from 9:30AM-11:30AM in SSC 3032. The midterm will cover Chapters 1-6 and all related lecture material. The final exam is also worth 40% of your final grade and will take place sometime during the December examination period (December 11-22). The final is noncumulative and will cover Chapters 7-12 and all related lecture material.
The midterm and final exams will have the same format. Each exam will last two hours and will be composed of approximately 50 multiple choice questions and 30-40 points worth of short answer questions. Material from both the textbook readings and the lectures are fair game. Lecture material includes videos, demonstrations, and anything else presented or discussed during class. Both exams will require not only that you learn and understand a good amount of information, but also that you be able to synthesize this information and apply it to novel contexts. Study hard!
Tutorials (20%)
Tutorials will begin on Wednesday, September 23rd. Tutorial grades will be based on attendance (10%), and participation (10%, based on T.A. ratings) at tutorials throughout the term. A syllabus containing the topics for the tutorials will be posted on OWL.
6.0 TEST AND EXAMINATION SCHEDULE
Date Value
Midterm Exam Oct. 27 (in class) 40%
Final Exam Dec. 11-22 40%
7.0 CLASS SCHEDULE
Date Topic Read
Sept. 15 Introducing Social Psychology Chapter 1
Sept. 16 No tutorial
Sept. 22 Social Cognition Chapter 3
Sept. 23 Tutorial 1
Sept. 29 Social Perception Chapter 4
Sept. 30 Tutorial 2
Oct. 6 The Self Chapter 5
Oct. 7 Tutorial 3
Oct. 13 Attitudes & Behaviour Chapter 6
Oct. 14 Tutorial 4
Oct. 20 Persuasion Chapter 6
Oct. 21 Tutorial 5
Oct. 27 MIDTERM Chapter 1, 3-6
Oct. 28 No tutorial
Nov. 3 Conformity & Obedience Chapter 7
Nov. 4 Tutorial 6
Nov. 10 Group Processes Chapter 8
Nov. 11 Tutorial 7
Nov. 17 Interpersonal Attraction & Relationships Chapter 9
Nov. 18 Tutorial 8
Nov. 24 Aggression Chapter 11
Nov. 25 Tutorial 9
Dec. 1 Prejudice Chapter 12
Dec. 2 Tutorial 10
Dec. 8 Prosocial Behaviour Chapter 10
Dec. 9 No Tutorial
December 11-22(TBA) FINAL EXAM Chapter 7-12
8.0 STATEMENT ON ACADEMIC OFFENCES
Students are responsible for understanding the nature and avoiding the occurrence of plagiarism and other scholastic offenses. Plagiarism and cheating are considered very serious offenses because they undermine the integrity of research and education. Actions constituting a scholastic offense are described at the following link: http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/scholastic_discipline_undergrad.pdf
As of Sept. 1, 2009, the Department of Psychology will take the following steps to detect scholastic offenses. All multiple-choice tests and exams will be checked for similarities in the pattern of responses using reliable software, and records will be made of student seating locations in all tests and exams. All written assignments will be submitted to TurnItIn, a service designed to detect and deter plagiarism by comparing written material to over 5 billion pages of content located on the Internet or in TurnItIn’s databases. All papers submitted for such checking will be included as source documents in the reference database for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of papers subsequently submitted to the system. Use of the service is subject to the licensing agreement, currently between Western and Turnitin.com http://www.turnitin.com
Possible penalties for a scholastic offense include failure of the assignment, failure of the course, suspension from the University, and expulsion from the University.
9.0 POLICY ON ACCOMMODATION FOR MEDICAL ILLNESS
The University of Western Ontario’s policy on Accommodation for Medical Illness can be found at:
http://www.westerncalendar.uwo.ca/2015/pg117.html
Students must see the Academic Counsellor and submit all required documentation in order to be approved for certain accommodation:
http://counselling.ssc.uwo.ca/procedures/medical_accommodation.html
10.0 OTHER INFORMATION
Office of the Registrar web site: http://registrar.uwo.ca
Student Development Services web site: http://www.sdc.uwo.ca
Please see the Psychology Undergraduate web site for information on the following:
http://psychology.uwo.ca/undergraduate/student_responsibilities/index.html
- Policy on Cheating and Academic Misconduct
- Procedures for Appealing Academic Evaluations
- Policy on Attendance
- Policy Regarding Makeup Exams and Extensions of Deadlines
- Policy for Assignments
- Short Absences
- Extended Absences
- Documentation
- Academic Concerns
- 2015 Calendar References
No electronic devices, including cell phones, will be allowed during exams.
