Psychology 2720A-001 (Online for 2020-21)
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.
Prerequisite: A mark of at least 60% in 1.0 credits of Psychology at the 1000 level
Unless you have either the prerequisites for this course or written special permission from your Dean to enrol 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.
Antirequisites: Psychology 2070A/B, Psychology 2712F/G, Psychology 2780E.
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.
2 lecture hours, 2 tutorial hours; 0.5 course
2.0 COURSE INFORMATION
Instructor: Dr. Graeme Haynes
Office Hours: Thursday 9:30 – 11:30 A.M., by appointment via Zoom
Email: ghaynes@uwo.ca
T.A.: Hiten Dave
Office Hours: TBA
Email: hdave7@uwo.ca
T.A.: Victoria Dale
Office Hours: TBA
Email: vdale2@uwo.ca
Course Website: http://owl.uwo.ca
This is a fully online course that will use Western University’s learning platform, OWL (Sakai) and other educational resources based on the needs of the course. This class is designed to be partly asynchronous (meaning we will not have a regular, mandatory time when the entire class must be online for lectures), and partly synchronous (on-line tutorials that will take place at designated times each week).
Given the current pandemic situation, I will not be holding office hours in person for the time being. E-mail is the best way to contact me, and if need be, I can be available to meet with you over Skype or Zoom.
When sending me or one of the T.A.s an email, please make sure to use proper email etiquette (e.g., start with a greeting), and include the following information: your name, the course you are in (I’m teaching several different courses this semester), and your question.
Sample email:
Hi Prof. Haynes,
This is [insert name here] from your Psychology 2720a class. After reading the lecture slides on [insert topic here], I was wondering if you could explain [insert concept here] in greater detail?
Sincerely,
[Name]
If you adhere to these guidelines, I promise to reply to all emails within 24 hours.
Students who are in emotional/mental distress should refer to Mental Health@Western
http://www.uwo.ca/uwocom/mentalhealth/ for a complete list of options about how to obtain help.
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 Student Accessibility Services (formerly known as Services for Students with Disabilities) at 519-661-2147.
3.0 TEXTBOOK
Gilovich, T., Keltner, D., Chen, S., & Nisbett, R. E. (2019). Social Psychology, Fifth Edition. New York: Norton.
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
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 behaviour.
4.1 STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
|
Learning Outcome |
Learning Activity |
Assessment |
|
Depth and Breadth of Knowledge. identify key concepts, principles, and overarching themes in social psychology |
Assigned readings, supplementary slideshows, and tutorials |
Exams |
|
Knowledge of Methodologies. Can summarize their knowledge of psychological theories, empirical findings, and research methods involved in Social Psychology. |
Assigned readings, supplementary slideshows, and tutorials |
Exams |
|
Application of Knowledge. apply psychological principles to |
Assigned readings, supplementary slideshows, and tutorials |
Exams |
|
Communication Skills. Can discuss knowledge, ideas, and their critical insights about Social Psychology.
|
Participating in online tutorials
|
Online tutorials |
5.0 EVALUATION
Note: In the event of a return to a pandemic lockdown situation, there will not be any changes made to the components listed below.
Midterm Exam (40%) and Final Exam (40%)
For the exams, you are responsible for material assigned in the textbook, as well as material covered in supplementary online lectures.
Given the current pandemic situation, all exams will be written online. The exams will not be proctored, but it is expected that all students will complete the exams independently with no communication between classmates. Although you will have open access to your notes and the textbook, I advise you to study ahead of time to ensure you will be able to adequately answer all questions within the time allotted.
For each of the three exams, you will be given a 24-hour period of time within which to write the exam. You will have 90 minutes to complete the exam from start to finish (plus additional time for students who have documented accommodations which allow for extra time). Once you start, you cannot stop or pause. Therefore, you should prepare to finish the exam within 90 minutes of starting. You will access this exam and submit your answers through the Tests and Quizzes tab on our OWL site.
Each exam is non-cumulative, and will consist of multiple choice or true/false questions.
The midterm exam will need to be completed between Monday, Oct. 19th at 12:00 A.M. and Tuesday, Oct. 20th at 12:00 A.M.
The final examination will take place during the December exam period (Dec. 11 –22, specific hours TBA).
Make-Up Exams: Tests must be written on the scheduled dates unless you have a legitimate excuse recognized by the university administration. Valid reasons include medical or compassionate reasons, internet access issues, and religious holidays, 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.
***Please refer to Section 9.0 for the university policy regarding make-up exams.***
Tutorials (20%)
Tutorials will begin the week of Monday, September 21st, taking place on Zoom at the times you chose for when registering for the course. The tutorials will always be related to the chapter that we are covering that week, and will often delve into a particular topic (covered in the textbook or lecture slideshow) in greater detail.
Each tutorial group has 25 students, and it is important that you attend (virtually) the specific tutorial that you have registered for. On the Sunday evening prior to each week’s tutorial, content will be posted on OWL for you to read and/or watch, and sometimes also short activities or questionnaires for you to complete. These must be done ahead of time in order for you to participate in your tutorial discussions. Please be prompt in joining the Zoom call at your assigned time so that attendance can be taken. Tutorial grades will be based on a) attendance (5%), b) participation in Zoom discussions (10%), and c) co-leading a discussion in one of the tutorials (5%). More information about discussion leading duties will be provided to you by your tutorial T.A.
To ensure fairness, please be aware that final grades in this course are based exclusively on students’ performance on the two exams and tutorial attendance/participation. Exams may not be rewritten, nor will any of these components 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.
Note: The psychology department has mandated that grades ending in 9 will not be rounded up this semester. This means that if you achieve a final grade of say, 79.3, your final grade will be 79, not 80, and the same goes for any other grade ending in 9.
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 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 ASSESSMENT/EVALUATION SCHEDULE
|
Date |
Material covered |
Value |
|
|
Midterm Exam |
Mon. Oct. 19 |
Chapters 1-5, 7-8 |
40% |
|
Final exams |
Dec. 11 – 22 (Time TBA) |
Chapters 9-14 |
40% |
7.0 CLASS SCHEDULE
|
Week of |
Topic |
Read |
|
Sept. 14 |
Introducing Social Psychology |
Chapter 1 & 2 |
|
No tutorial |
||
|
Sept. 21 |
The Social Self |
Chapter 3 |
|
Tutorial 1 |
||
|
Sept. 28 |
Social Cognition & Social Attribution |
Chapter 4 & 5 |
|
Tutorial 2 |
||
|
Oct. 5 |
Attitudes & Attitude Change |
Chapter 7 |
|
Tutorial 3 |
||
|
Oct. 13 |
Persuasion |
Chapter 8 |
|
Tutorial 4 |
||
|
Oct. 19 |
Midterm |
Chapters 1-5, 7-8 |
|
No tutorial |
||
|
Oct. 26 |
Social Influence |
Chapter 9 |
|
Tutorial 5 |
||
|
Nov. 2 |
Reading week – no class |
|
|
Nov. 9 |
Interpersonal Attraction & Relationships |
Chapter 10 |
|
Tutorial 6 |
||
|
Nov. 16 |
Prejudice |
Chapter 11 |
|
Tutorial 7 |
||
|
Nov. 23 |
Group Processes; Aggression |
Chapter 12 & 13 |
|
Tutorial 8 |
||
|
Nov. 30 |
Prosocial Behaviour |
Chapter 14 |
|
Tutorial 9 |
||
|
December 11-22 (TBA) |
FINAL EXAM |
Chapter 9-14 |
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
Computer-marked multiple-choice tests and/or exams may be subject to submission for similarity review by software that will check for unusual coincidences in answer patterns that may indicate cheating.
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://www.westerncalendar.uwo.ca/PolicyPages.cfm?PolicyCategoryID=1&Command=showCategory&SelectedCalendar=Live&ArchiveID=#Page_12
The full policy for consideration for absences can be accessed at: https://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/Academic_Consideration_for_absences.pdf
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
If you experience an extenuating circumstance (e.g., illness, injury) sufficiently significant to temporarily make you unable to meet academic requirements, you may request accommodation through the following routes:
- Submitting a Self-Reported Absence form (for circumstances that are expected to resolve within 48 hours);
- For medical absences, submitting a Student Medical Certificate (SMC) signed by a licensed medical or mental health practitioner in order to be eligible for Academic Consideration;
For non-medical absences, submitting appropriate documentation (e.g., obituary, police report, accident report, court order, etc.) to Academic Counselling in their Faculty of registration in order to be eligible for academic consideration. Students are encouraged to contact their Academic Counselling unit to clarify what documentation is appropriate.
Students must see the Academic Counsellor and submit all required documentation in order to be approved for certain accommodation. The self-reported absence form may NOT be used for absences longer than 48 hours; coursework/tests/exams/etc., worth more than 30% of the final grade; or exams scheduled in the December or April final-exam periods: http://counselling.ssc.uwo.ca/procedures/medical_accommodation.html
Students seeking academic consideration:
- are advised to consider carefully the implications of postponing tests or midterm exams or delaying handing in work;
- are encouraged to make appropriate decisions based on their specific circumstances, recognizing that minor ailments (upset stomach) or upsets (argument with a friend) are not normally an appropriate basis for a self-reported absence;
must communicate with their instructors no later than 24 hours after the end of the period covered by either the self-reported absence or SMC, or immediately upon their return following a documented absence
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
- 2020-2021 Calendar References
No electronic devices, including cell phones and smart watches, will be allowed during exams.
Copyright Statement: Lectures and course materials, including power point presentations, outlines, and similar materials, are protected by copyright. You may take notes and make copies of course materials for your own educational use. You may not record lectures, reproduce (or allow others to reproduce), post or distribute lecture notes, wiki material, and other course materials publicly and/or for commercial purposes without the instructor’s written consent.
