Psychology 2070A-001
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, methods, findings, and problems encountered in the study of people as social beings.
Antirequisites: Psychology 2720A/B, 2780E and the former Psychology 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.
3 lecture hours, 0.5 course
2.0 COURSE INFORMATION
Instructor: Dr. Graeme Haynes
Office and Phone Number: SSC 7440
Office Hours: Tues. 10:30 A.M. – 11:30 A.M., or by appointment
Email: ghaynes@uwo.ca
Teaching Assistant: TBA
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Office Hours:
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Teaching Assistant: TBA
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Office Hours:
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Time and Location of Classes: Thurs. 7:00 P.M. – 9:30 P.M., HSB 40
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. (2017). Social Psychology, Sixth Canadian Edition. Toronto: Pearson.
Note: If you use an older version of the textbook, although the general topic areas are the same, be aware that there may be some content from the newer version tested on the exams that does not appear in the older version.
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
At the end of the course, students should have an understanding of the basic theories, methods, and findings in various areas of social psychology. The topics include attitudes, conformity, aggression, helping behaviour, social relations, social cognition, and prejudice.
4.1 LECTURES & CLASSROOM ETIQUETTE
Lectures are intended to complement the textbook. Thus, I will present some material that is not in the book, and will be tested on the exams. Class attendance will significantly increase how much you get out of this course. I post the lecture slides AFTER we have finished a chapter, so if you miss a class and want the notes right away, 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.
I expect that each of you will respect your classmates and me by arriving to class on time, ready to listen and participate. Please turn off your cell phone ringers when you arrive to class, and be sure to put away all other personal devices (e.g., iPods). Devoting class time to non-academic activities such as watching videos or listening to music is disruptive and creates a negative impression of the students engaging in such activities.
In addition, a growing research literature strongly demonstrates that inappropriate use of technologies during classes negatively impacts students’ ability to learn material. As such, students are kindly requested to turn off their device WiFi during lecture. Give yourself the best chance to do well and to be engaged!
In a class this large, some students will be unaware that their private conversations are distracting to other students. If you feel that students are distracting your attention from the material, then you should ask them to be quiet. If you feel uncomfortable doing this (or if the problem persists), then please see me and I will make an announcement to the class and/or arrange to meet privately with the students.
During class, you are encouraged to ask questions about concepts that are unclear; I’m also happy to answer questions during the 5 minute break or at the end of the lecture. 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.
4.2 STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
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, the successful student will be able to:
- Identify 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,
- Differentiate between an empirically-based, scholarly perspective of social psychology and an intuitive or speculative perspective based solely on personal experience and observations,
- Apply concepts and theories in social psychology to novel examples of behaviours and situations,
- Interpret social psychological situations in order to make predictions about behavior.
5.0 EVALUATION
To ensure fairness, please be aware that final grades in this course are based exclusively on students’ performance on the two tests (and, if chosen, the one assignment). Tests may not be rewritten, nor will the tests and/or assignment be reweighted in calculating final grades. Grades will not be adjusted on the basis of need or a subjective evaluation of effort, and students will not be able to improve their marks by completing additional assignments.
TESTS: There will be two exams, consisting of an in-class midterm test and a final exam. The in-class test will cover five chapters (1, 3, 4, 5, 6) and be worth 45% of your final grade. The final exam, which will be scheduled by the registrar during the exam period, will cover six new chapters (7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12) and will be worth 55% of your final grade. The final exam is NOT cumulative (i.e., material from Chapters 1-6 is NOT tested).
The format of both tests will be multiple choice. You will have a maximum of 120 minutes to complete each test. Both tests will assess your knowledge of the textbook and lecture material. Note: “lecture material” includes films, demos, and anything else presented during class time.
Make-Up Exams: Tests must be written on the scheduled dates unless you have a legitimate excuse recognized by the university administration (see Section 9). Valid reasons include medical or compassionate reasons, and must be substantiated by proper documentation (e.g., a medical certificate, which will be verified by the Office of the Dean). A student who misses a regularly scheduled exam for other reasons, or who cannot justify a claim, will be assigned a 0 for the exam.
OPTIONAL ESSAY: Students can choose to write a 4-page assignment, which will be worth 15% of their final grade. For students who choose to write an essay, the midterm exam will be worth 40% of their final grade, and the final exam will be worth 45% of their final grade. These papers will be graded by the T.A.s. You can make an appointment with the relevant T.A. ( [TBA] for last names A to L, [TBA] for last names M to Z) to discuss the paper if you wish.
The essay should be a maximum of 1200 words (4 double-spaced pages) of text, plus an APA-style title page (name, student number, topic/title) and a references page.
Your essay must describe in your own words one of the key terms from the textbook listed below. Explain the concept and why it is important. Describe one experiment that illustrated the concept/principle. This experiment should NOT be one that is described in the textbook or presented in class. Also, you must provide one example of the concept in real life, taken from your own experiences. This does not necessarily mean that you were personally involved, but it must be from your life. For example, the event might have involved someone in your family or a friend. You must explain how your example illustrates the concept. Why is your example a good one? Try to choose an experience that was interesting or significant, as opposed to a mundane, every-day event.
At the end of the paper, you should list all articles or chapters that you have cited in the paper. Use the same style as the references at the back of the textbook (i.e., APA format).
Marks will be based on the clarity and accuracy of the explanation of the concept and supporting experiment, the appropriateness and creativity of the chosen real life example, and the quality of writing. The T.A.s will mark these essays and can be consulted for guidance.
You must submit both a hard copy of your essay (to the professor or a TA) and an electronic copy (in Word, PDF, or RTF) to TurnItIn.com at the course website on OWL. Essays can be submitted anytime, but the last date for submission is November 15, 2018. If possible, the essays will be returned at the final exam.
Possible topics/concepts (choose 1):
Availability heuristic Benevolent sexism Correspondence bias Counterfactual thoughts Deindividuation Effort justification Evaluative conditioning False consensus effect Gender-based stereotyping Hindsight bias Illusory correlation Impression management Mere exposure effect Overjustification effect Planning fallacy
Self-handicapping Self-serving judgments Social loafingAlthough 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 Western's grading guidelines, which are as follows (see http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/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
6.0 TEST AND EXAMINATION SCHEDULE
|
Date |
Value |
|
|
Midterm Exam |
Oct. 18 (during classtime) |
45% |
|
Optional Essay** |
Nov. 15 |
10%** |
|
Final Exam |
Dec. 10-21 |
55% |
**If chosen, worth 15% of final mark in course (Midterm exam reduced to 40% and Final Exam reduced to 45%)
7.0 CLASS SCHEDULE
|
Date |
Topic |
Read |
|
Sept. 6 |
Introducing Social Psychology |
Chapter 1 |
|
Sept. 13 |
Social Cognition |
Chapter 3 |
|
Sept. 20 |
Social Perception |
Chapter 4 |
|
Sept. 27 |
The Self |
Chapter 5 |
|
Oct. 4 |
Attitudes & Attitude Change |
Chapter 6 |
|
Oct. 11 |
No class: FALL READING WEEK |
|
|
Oct. 18 |
MIDTERM |
Chapter 1, 3-6 |
|
Oct. 25 |
Conformity & Obedience |
Chapter 7 |
|
Nov. 1 |
Group Processes |
Chapter 8 |
|
Nov. 8 |
Interpersonal Attraction & Relationships |
Chapter 9 |
|
Nov. 15 |
Aggression |
Chapter 11 |
|
Nov. 22 |
Prejudice |
Chapter 12 |
|
Nov. 29 |
Prosocial Behaviour |
Chapter 10 |
|
December 10-21 (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
Western’s policy on Accommodation for Medical Illness can be found at:
http://westerncalendar.uwo.ca/PolicyPages.cfm?Command=showCategory&PolicyCategoryID=1&SelectedCalendar=Live&ArchiveID=#Page_12
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
- 2018 Calendar References
No electronic devices, including cell phones and smart watches, will be allowed during exams.
