Psychology 4790G-001 (Online for 2020-21)

Special Topics in Social Psychology

"Understanding the Social in 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

 

Prerequisites: Psychology 2820E, or both of Psychology 2800E and Psychology 2810, plus registration in third or fourth year Honours Specialization in Psychology or Honours Specialization in Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience.
Other Psychology students and Psychology Special Students who receive 75% in the prerequisite courses may enrol in this course.

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.

3 seminar hours.; 0.5 course

2.0    COURSE INFORMATION

Instructor: Dr. Angela Meadows 

Please call me: Either Angela or Dr. Meadows is fine.  

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers 

Email: ameadow2@uwo.ca 

Office: Online only 

Student hours: Fridays 1–3pm or by appointment* 

Classroom Location: Online and synchronous 

Class Time: Wednesday 12.30–3.30pm 

How to contact me: The best way to contact me is by email. I will aim to respond to all emails within 24 hours. If you haven’t heard from me within 48 hours, please do send me a reminder – you will not be bothering me. Please don’t send me messages about the course on social media. 

*Student hours are the times I will be available for meeting with students. This time is set aside to help you with any aspect of the course or coursework that you would like to discuss. Please feel free to use them if you need them. If these times don’t work for you because of work, class, or other commitments, please email me at ameadow2@uwo.ca and we can arrange an alternative time to suit you. Meetings will usually be held using Zoom, but we can arrange a telephone conversation if necessary. 

 

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

This course is based on:  

Augoustinos, M., Walker, I., & Donaghue, N. (2014). Social cognition: An integrated introduction (3rd ed.). Sage. 

This book is available to buy both in paperback and as an e-book. If you are trying to decide between these two formats, my recommendation would be to get the e-book!  

Additional readings will be assigned where relevant and will be available on OWL.  

 

4.0    COURSE OBJECTIVES

Drawing from North American and European social psychology, the focus of this course is to develop a deeper understanding of what social means in social psychology. Four major theoretical orientations will be reviewed that seek to understand how people know themselves, the worlds (physical, social, environmental) around them, and their relationship with those worlds.  

These alternative theoretical orientations are:  

1—Social Cognition Models;  

2—Social Identity Theory;  

3—Social Representations Theory; and  

4—Discursive Psychology.  

Six central topic areas in social psychology are considered from these alternative theoretical orientations: social perception, attitudes, attributions, self and identity, prejudice, and ideology.  

Throughout the course, we will highlight points of commonality and difference between the theoretical foundations. No one perspective is prioritized or deemed superior to another. Instead, we will consider the need for a theoretically integrated account of what it means to be a social being. We will assess the relative strengths and weaknesses of each approach and identify how synergies between the different approaches can contribute to knowledge. 

The course will also focus on developing and refining transferable skills that will help you in any future workplace – things like information literacy, critical thinking, working as part of a team, evaluation of your own and others’ work against pre-set standards, providing constructive feedback, and presenting your ideas persuasively both in writing and in discussion. 

By the end of the course, you will also have a better idea of how you learn best – what kinds of strategies work well for you and what doesn’t. Do you learn by reading? Writing? Listening? What skills do you bring with you at the start of the course, and what skills would you like to develop to help you in your academic studies and beyond? You will have a chance to reflect on your learning at various points throughout the semester. Research shows that students who do this consistently perform better, and understanding how you learn best is also an asset that will serve you well in the future.  

 


   4.1    STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 

By the end of this course, as a successful student, you will be able to: 

Learning Outcome  

Learning Activity  

Assessment 

Depth and Breadth of Knowledge.  

  1. Intelligently discuss some of the major controversies in social psychology, drawing from academic literature and other resources to support your arguments. 
  1. Define and distinguish between four major theoretical orientations in social psychology. 

 

Pre-class preparation; In-class activities and discussions; Teaching Week; Debate 

 

Class participation; Short-answer questions (SAQ); Teaching Week plan and delivery 

Knowledge of Methodologies.  

  1. Identify the key empirical approaches used across the four theoretical orientations, and the strengths and limitations of each. 

 

Pre-class preparation; In-class activities and discussions; Teaching Week 

 

Class participation; SAQ; Teaching plan; Final paper 

Application of Knowledge.  

  1. Apply an integrated approach (drawing from the four orientations) to the study of a contemporary social issue. 

 

In-class activities and discussions; Literature searches  

 

Class participation; SAQ; Final paper 

Communication Skills.  

  1. Communicate your ideas clearly both in writing and orally, in line with professional standards appropriate to your discipline. 

 

In-class activities and discussions; Teaching Week 

 

Participate in class discussions; lead class discussions; SAQ; Final paper 

Awareness of Limits of Knowledge. 

  1. Identify limitations on interpretation of findings imposed by the theoretical approach taken, underlying assumptions, and research designs and methods. 

 

In-class activities and discussions; Teaching Week 

 

Class participation; SAQ; Teaching plan 

Autonomy and Professional Capacity. 

  1. Demonstrate ability to monitor own learning, identify gaps, and strategically design your own academic development plan to address these in future work. 
  1. Ability to function effectively as part of a team, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet project objectives. 
  1. Evaluate your own and others’ work against a benchmark; Provide appropriate feedback in a supportive and constructive manner. 

 

Self-reflections, In-class group activities; Teaching Week 

 

 

 

Self-reflections; Participation in group activities; SAQ; Teaching Week plan, delivery, and grading. 

 

4.2 Course Format 

This course is delivered entirely online. This course is grounded in principles of active and collaborative learning. Each class will begin with an overview of central themes and questions from the readings, but I will not lecture. Rather, I will encourage you to participate actively in your own learning. Each week’s class will have some assigned preparatory work, which will include reading the relevant chapter of the textbook, but may also include other assigned readings, videos, or other material. Much of what we will learn in this course will come from sharing our thoughts and analyses of this pre-class preparation. I expect you to commit to your learning and that of your classmates by coming to class having done the assigned readings and prepared to fully engage with in-class discussions and activities. Your active participation in the learning process is integral to enhancing your understanding and retention of the various topics that we will discuss this semester.  

Note, in the event that you do not feel safe or comfortable participating in class discussion, please contact me so we can make alternative arrangements.  

Additionally, you will be divided randomly into five groups of five people in Week 1. You will stay in the same group throughout the course and work together on group activities. This is also intended to provide a mini-community of support during this time when we are working remotely and may be feeling isolated. While not compulsory, it may be a good idea to virtually meet up with your group outside of class hours to help each other with learning activities, draw on each other for support, or even just to chat. You can arrange to do this in any way that you choose, whether by Zoom, on social media, or any other way that suits all of your group members. Note, while you are welcome to help each other out with learning tasks, submitted work must be your own (see Section 8 for statement on academic offenses). 

 

4.3 Transparency and Inclusivity 

Some topics covered in this course are sensitive in nature and a variety of opinions and views are to be expected. To ensure a positive learning experience and full participation by all, please listen with an open mind and express your thoughts and responses in a respectful manner. When questions and/or discussion do occur during lecture, please be constructive and respectful of the topic, the instructor, and other people in the class. Please keep in mind that your fellow students may not share your religious affiliations, political beliefs, cultural backgrounds, economic, ethnic, or sexual orientations.  

Your comfort and safety are important to me. In the event that you experience discrimination, bullying, intimidation, or stigmatization in class, please let me know, and we can work to create an environment that is more inclusive for all students in the course. A classroom that is unsafe for one student is a classroom that is unsafe for all students. Any such behaviours are deemed academic misconduct and may be subject to disciplinary measures under the Code of Student Conduct. 

Also, while this course is crafted upon research on successful teaching strategies, every learner is different. In the event that you find certain aspects of the class challenging or inaccessible, please let me know as soon as possible. You will have opportunities to provide feedback throughout the course, which I will address swiftly and openly with the class to create a classroom that works best for all students in the class. 

 

 

5.0     EVALUATION

 

5.1 Western’s Grading System 

NOTE 2: Because this is an essay course, as per Senate Regulations, you must pass the essay component to pass the course. That is, the average mark for your written assignments must be at least 50%. In this course, this is equivalent to completing the six short-answer question assignments at least at the Basic-level option to a Satisfactory level. 

This course is exempt from the Senate requirement that students receive assessment of their work accounting for at least 15% of their final grade at least three full days before the date of the deadline for withdrawal from a course without academic penalty. 

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

** Please note that I do not make grade adjustments (e.g., applying a bell curve to the distribution of marks on a test or paper). Also, I cannot adjust marks on the basis of need (e.g., because a certain mark is needed to get into a particular academic program). 
   
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

5.2 Specifications Grading 

This course will use a grading approach called ‘specifications grading,’ which will probably be quite different to what you’re used to. Instead of scoring every assignment (short-answer questions, final paper, etc.) on a sliding scale of marks, all work will be evaluated on whether or not you have demonstrated the stated learning goals – ‘yes’ or ‘no’ – and will be graded as either ‘Satisfactory’ or ‘Not yet satisfactory’. For each assignment, you will be given the criteria necessary to achieve a ‘Satisfactory’ rating.  

In general, Satisfactory should not be viewed as just “competent” (as is typical for a C grade at Western), but rather as a mark of having achieved the assignment’s learning goals and specifications (probably more like a B grade – “good work, meeting all requirements” – in a typical Western course). Either an assignment meets the goals, or it does not—there is no gradation of assessment. 

You will receive feedback on each assignment, and you will have the opportunity to have another go at an assignment that is graded as ‘Not yet satisfactory’ – I’ll explain this option more below. This gives you more opportunities to develop and improve your knowledge and skills (and final mark) over the course of the semester. 

Another feature of specifications grading is that you get to decide what grade you’d like to achieve in this class, based on your own interests, learning priorities, and intellectual goals, as well as your available time and cognitive and emotional resources during these unusual times. Instead of summing up scores from individual assignments, your final course grade will depend on the number and type of assignments that you achieve a Satisfactory rating on. Remember, though, that final letter grade is not an assessment of your intelligence, your abilities, or your value as a person – I will never grade “you” directly, and grading is never a reflection of who you are as a person. Rather, the grade reflects what you demonstrated that you learned in the course: no more, no less. 

Built into this system is a good deal of choice as to how much you wish to learn and how hard you want to work to demonstrate and apply that learning. You might decide that passing the course with a C is sufficient for your goals – it is perfectly appropriate and worthy of respect for you to make that choice, especially if it allows you to proactively allocate your time to other endeavors at Western or beyond. If you strive to get an A or A+ in the course and maximize your learning, you should know that you are taking on that work and challenge yourself and should make sure you are in a personal and academic situation to achieve that level of engagement. This is a choice you can make based on your current and evolving circumstances, but every student who has come this far in their degree and who has met the pre-requisites to take this class is intellectually capable of getting a higher grade. Don’t let lack of confidence hold you back. Feel free to schedule a private meeting with me if you have any concerns. 

This form of grading brings numerous benefits to students. Adult-based learning theory (sometimes called “andragogy”) maintains that adults learn best when they have a flexible, safe, but challenging learning environment. The grading is “safe” in that each component of the course is graded pass or fail (or Satisfactory/Not yet satisfactory for written work), and the criteria needed for a pass are clearly stated. If you meet these criteria, you will receive a pass. But you do not get any marks for producing low-quality work.  There are also several opportunities to revise and resubmit work that does not meet the requirements for a pass at the first attempt, which builds in extra opportunities for improvement and makes the pass/fail system a little less scary.  

It is also challenging in that the standards required for a pass are a little higher than in standard grading. But again, research shows that when students (and instructors) have high expectations of themselves, most students will rise to the challenge.  

Flexibility is included in several ways. There are no exams on this course. Instead, there will be a variety of assignments that you can choose from, and you can choose how much you do in order to get the grade that you would like. Some of the assignments will also have a choice of two levels – a Basic level and an Advanced level. I’ll explain this more in the next section. There are also options to select assignments based on your own interests, background, and career goals.  

Altogether, using this grading system means you have control of your learning in this course, and can select the path that best meets your learning objectives. I will include some references about specifications grading in the Resources folder in OWL in case you want to learn a little more about this system of grading. 

 

5.3 Grading Requirements for this Course 

Based on Western’s grading system, a C grade indicates that your work is competent and meets requirements. This will be the base level grade for this class. This level focuses on learning and comprehending the information covered in the course and being able to communicate this knowledge effectively. To achieve a B grade, in addition to the criteria for receiving a C grade, you will also need to show that you can apply this knowledge to new examples and scenarios. For an A grade, you will demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes necessary for a B grade, and also that you are able to generate your own arguments and synthesise knowledge and approaches across realms of knowledge. And an A+ grade will have additional requirements also, explained below. So, with specifications grading, a student getting an A grade isn’t an indication of doing the same assignments better than students getting a lower grade, but it demonstrates more challenging engagement with the course material. The requirements for each grade are shown below. 

 

BASELINE REQUIREMENTS, ALL STUDENTS:  

  • Actively attend and participate in all 13 synchronous course meetings, with no more than ONE unexcused absence (see Section 9 for absence policies for excused absences) 
  • Complete 3 self-reflection papers to a Satisfactory level 
  • Contribute to group project – development, delivery, and assessment, completed to a Satisfactory level 

C Bundle – students who complete the following will pass the course with a grade of C: 

  • In addition to the baseline requirements, you must complete SIX of the eight short-answer questions (at either Basic or Advanced level) to a Satisfactory level      

B Bundle – students who complete the following will pass the course with a grade of B:  

  • In addition to the baseline requirements, you must complete SIX of the eight short-answer questions, including at least THREE at the Advanced level, to a Satisfactory level. 

A Bundle – students who complete the following will pass the course with a grade of A: 

  • In addition to the baseline requirements, you must complete SIX of the eight short-answer questions, including at least FOUR at the Advanced level, to a Satisfactory level;  
  • Complete the final paper to a Satisfactory level. 

A+ Bundle – students who complete the following will pass the course with a grade of A+: 

  • In addition to the baseline requirements, you must complete SIX of the eight short-answer questions, including at least FIVE at the Advanced level, to a Satisfactory level 
  • Complete the final paper to an exceptional level, and submit the paper to the Western Undergraduate Psychology Journal as per the journal’s submission guidelines. 

Summary of grade requirements: 

 

Earn C 

Earn B 

Earn A 

Earn A+ 

Attend class prepared to discuss the pre-class readings; Participate in class discussions and other learning activities.  

ü 

ü 

ü 

ü 

Three self-reflection papers  

ü 

ü 

ü 

ü 

Prepare and teach a chapter (group assignment) 

ü 

ü 

ü 

ü 

Complete six short-answer questions at either Basic or Advanced level.  

ü 

ü 

ü 

ü 

Minimum number that must be at Advanced level 

0 

3 

4 

5 

Final paper  

 

 

ü 

ü 

Final paper meets exceptional criteria and submitted to WUPJ. 

 

 

 

ü 

 

Other grades:  

D/F – A grade of D will only be given in rare cases where a student meets most of the C Bundle requirements but falls short in ONE area. In general, failure to meet the requirements for the C Bundle will fail the course. 

 

Flexibility Tokens 

Since every element of the course is assessed on an all-or-nothing basis, it might be stressful to strive for Satisfactory given that the stakes for not meeting that threshold may be significant. To ease stress, to allow for flexibility—and most of all, to maximize opportunities for learning—every student starts the course with 3 virtual tokens that can be “exchanged” for some leniency or opportunities for revision. Each token will allow a student to do one of the following: 

  • Eliminate an unexcused absence from your attendance record. 
  • Revise and resubmit one of the short-answer question assignments (note that the first assignment has a built-in revision option). Only ONE resubmission allowed per assignment. Additional revision options will be provided in Week 13. 
  • Submit an assignment up to 48 hours late. 

Because it is so important that you understand the grading system for this course, please indicate that you have at least read to this point in the syllabus by sending me a photo of something cute (pets are always good) at ameadow2@uwo.ca. Include in the email any questions you have at this point. I will also spend some time in our first synchronous meet up to answer questions about the grading system. 


6.0  ASSESSMENT/EVALUATION SCHEDULE

There are no exams on this course. Instead, there are a series of individual and group assignments spread over the semester. This helps with time management, reduces exam stress, and allows for deeper learning to occur than is achieved by cramming for a week (or less!) before an exam. Please see the Class Schedule above for specific dates.  

All the activities are designed to meet learning outcomes and are not “busy work.” If you ever find yourself doing an activity in this class and you’re not sure what it is supposed to accomplish, don’t hesitate to let me know. 

NOTE 3: Assignments must be submitted on OWL no later than noon on the Monday of the week they are due (i.e., before Wednesday’s synchronous class).  

 

Attendance, Preparation, and Participation (9%) 

Class participation is an integral component of this course and attendance at the synchronous sessions is mandatory (See Section 9 for the policy on illnesses and other absences). Each week’s class will have some assigned preparatory work, which will include the relevant chapter of the textbook, but may also include other assigned readings, videos, or other material. Much of what we will learn in this course will come from sharing our thoughts and analyses of this pre-class preparation. I expect you to commit to your learning and that of your classmates by coming to class having done the assigned readings and prepared to fully engage with in-class discussions and activities. 

 

Short-answer questions (36%) 

There will be eight short-answer question assignment available, each with a Basic and an Advanced option.  You must complete SIX of the eight at a Satisfactory level to pass the course. You can choose to answer EITHER the Basic-level OR the Advanced-level option for each assignment. You do NOT have to do both. Basic-level questions are worth 3% each. Advanced-level questions are worth 6% each. To achieve higher grades, more of your six will need to be at the Advanced level (see the summary of requirements in Section 5.3). You may choose to complete more than six short-answer questions, and your best six will be counted towards your grade. A rubric will be provided with the criteria necessary for work to be marked Satisfactory. 

Each assignment will be 300–600 words (not including references) and must be written and referenced using correct APA style (7th edition). In addition to the revision opportunities outlined above, there will be an additional opportunity in Week 13 to revise up to TWO of your short-answer questions. If you have Satisfactory grades on six already, you could use this opportunity to submit an Advanced-level option in place of a Basic-level option to aim for a higher grade. Alternatively, if you have failed to achieve a Satisfactory grade on an Advanced-level option, you could use this time to complete a Basic-level option to ensure you have enough Satisfactory assignments to pass the course. You could also use this time to have another try at the same level as your initial submission if you failed to complete to a Satisfactory level. So that all students can benefit from this opportunity, you will not need to use a flexibility token for a Week-13 revision attempt. If you have enough Satisfactory assignments at the appropriate level to achieve the grade you want, you won’t have to do any additional work in Week 13. 

 

Self-reflections (9%) 

There will be three self-reflections over the course of the semester. One will be conducted at the start of the course, one after you receive feedback on your first short-answer question assignment, and one at the end of the semester. These should be approximately 300 words (one side of A4 paper, double-spaced), and should take no more than 30 minutes to complete. These activities are designed to help you engage with your learning goals and skills development. Self-reflections will be graded as Satisfactory if they are the appropriate length, submitted on time, and demonstrate a good-faith effort to engage with the question. 

 

Teaching Week (25%) 

This is an assignment that will be completed in your working groups. Each group will be responsible for teaching one of the topic chapters to the rest of the class, starting in Week 7. Peer-teaching and peer-assessment is linked to deeper learning for both the teachers and learners, and better learning outcomes. Also, being able to work as part of a team is a skill that is likely to be expected and valued in your future working life. You may wish to include this activity in future job applications that require evidence of your ability to work collaboratively. 

Components of this task will include: 

  • Carefully reading your assigned chapter and additional references as necessary; 
  • Planning in-class activities to help other students develop their learning on your topic; 
  • Identifying and curating readings and other resources to support students’ learning on your topic;  
  • Designing the basic and advanced level short-answer questions for your topic; and 
  • Grading the short-answer questions from your topic. 

All groups will read their chapter and prepare their plan in Weeks 4 and 5. There will be a preparatory workshop in Week 4 in place of our standard class session.  

The plan should include all of the above components with the exception of grading. This means that no group gets an unfair advantage by being assigned a topic that will be covered later in the semester. As with the other assignments, I will provide guidelines on what is needed to achieve a Satisfactory grade on your teaching plan. There will be no Basic/Advanced option for the teaching plan. But note, you will still need to design a Basic/Advance option for the short-answer assignment that other students will complete after your teaching week.  

All groups should submit a draft version of their plan no later than noon on Monday 8th February. I will provide feedback on the draft by noon on Wednesday 10th February. You will be required to submit a final version, including activities, readings and other resources, and short-answer questions, by noon on Monday 22nd February. 

All members of the group are expected to contribute to the development of your proposal, although each individual may have different strengths and interests. How you divide up these tasks within your groups is up to you. For example, you may want to assign different roles to different people, or you may all want to contribute to the different tasks involved. If a member of the group is not contributing or feels unable to work within the group, please let me know. I will either try and assist with the group dynamic, or in some cases, it may be possible for a team member to opt out and instead produce an additional piece of work to meet this requirement. Note that this additional piece of work would be expected to involve the same time commitment that would be needed to prepare for your teaching week. 

I will provide a list of resources that might be useful to you in developing your teaching plan, but you are welcome to draw from as many other sources as you wish. Be creative!  

You are also responsible for grading the answers that other students give to your questions. Again, you will have to decide whether the work meets the specifications to be classed as ‘Satisfactory,’ and provide constructive feedback in any areas where the work fell short of this standard. Remember, other students will be grading your work also, so try and be fair and also helpful. Assessing others’ work is a very useful way to develop an understanding of what good work looks like, and it will help you in producing your own high-quality work.  

Students’ works will be anonymised before you receive them, so you will not know who produced which piece of work. Every piece of work should be checked by at least two members of the group. If there are disagreements, you should discuss these between yourselves, and possibly get feedback from other group members. When everyone agrees on the grades (Satisfactory / Not yet satisfactory), you will return them to me, and I will double check just to make sure that achievement levels are applied consistently. You will have one week to complete grading after delivery of your teaching week class. I will not be assessing you on your grading skills – this task is more about skills development, and for many of you, it is likely the first time you have had to evaluate your peers’ work in this way. 

And a final piece of good news: you do not have to submit answers to your own short-answer questions (although you may, if you wish, complete the assignment from your Teaching Week for a Week-13 revision). This means that when it is your week to teach, you get a break from that particular assignment. 

 

Final paper (18%) 

Only students aiming for an A or an A+ in this class are required to complete a final paper. The paper will be between 6 and 8 pages, excluding the title page and references. There are two possible passing grades on the paper: Satisfactory (A grade) worth 10%, and Exceptional (A+ grade), worth an additional 8%. It will NOT be possible to revise and resubmit the final paper. Further details of the paper assignment and scoring scheme will be provided later in the semester. Additionally, students achieving an A+ grade are expected to submit their final paper to the Western Undergraduate Psychology Journal for consideration for publication. Final papers must be submitted no later than noon on Monday 12th April.  

 

Discretionary mark (3%) 

An additional 3% will be awarded to students who complete all six Advanced-level short-answer questions AND the final paper to an exceptional standard.  

 

7.0   CLASS SCHEDULE

Week 

Synchronous session 

Work Due* 

Topic 

Textbook 

1 

January 13th  

Pre-course prep 

Course Introduction & Organisation 

Is social psychology ‘social’? 

Chapter 1 

2 

January 20th  

SR1 

Social Cognition Model & Social Identity Theory 

Chapter 2 

3 

January 27th  

SAQ 1 

Social Representations Theory & Discursive Psychology 

Chapter 2 

4 

February 3rd  

SR2; SAQ 2 

Teaching workshop  

  

5 

February 10th  

Teaching Week plan – draft 

Social Perception 

 Chapter 3 

6 

February 17th  

 

Reading Week 

  

7 

February 24th  

Teaching week plan – final; SAQ3 

Attitudes 

Chapter 4 

8 

March 3rd  

SAQ4 

Attributions 

Chapter 5 

9 

March 10th  

SAQ5 

Self and Identity 

Chapter 6 

10 

March 17th  

SAQ6 

Prejudice 

Chapter 7 

11 

March 24th  

SAQ7 

Ideology 

Chapter 8 

12 

March 31st  

SAQ8 

Debate: Is social psychology social?  

 

13 

April 7th 

Self-reflection 3 

Make-up week 

 

  

 April 12th  

Final paper 

 

 

* SR = Self-reflection; SAQ = Short-answer questions. NOTE: You are only required to complete SIX of the eight SAQ assignments to a Satisfactory level to pass the course.  


 

8.0  STATEMENT ON ACADEMIC OFFENCES

 

Students are responsible for understanding the nature and avoiding the occurrence of plagiarism and other scholastic offences. Plagiarism and cheating are considered very serious offences because they undermine the integrity of research and education. Actions constituting a scholastic offence 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 offences. 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 will be subject to submission for similarity review by software that will check for unusual coincidences in answer patterns that may indicate cheating.

 

In classes that involve the use of a personal response system (PRS), data collected using the PRS will only be used in a manner consistent to that described in this outline. It is the instructor’s responsibility to make every effort to ensure that data remain confidential. However, students should be aware that as with all forms of electronic communication, privacy is not guaranteed. Your PRS login credentials are for your sole use only. Students attempting to use another student’s credentials to submit data through the PRS may be subject to academic misconduct proceedings.

 

Possible penalties for a scholastic offence include failure of the assignment/exam, failure of the course, suspension from the University, and expulsion from the University.

 

9.0  POLICY ON ACCOMMODATION FOR ILLNESS OR OTHER ABSENCES

 

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

 

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:

  1. Submitting a Self-Reported Absence form (for circumstances that are expected to resolve within 48 hours);
  2. 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 must be submitted before the exam/coursework deadline in order to be valid. It 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 hoursafter 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      Contingency Plan for Return to Lockdown

 

In the event of a COVID-19 resurgence during the course that necessitates the course delivery moving away from face-to-face interaction, all remaining course content will be delivered entirely online, either synchronously (i.e., at the times indicated in the timetable) or asynchronously (e.g., posted on OWL for students to view at their convenience). The grading scheme will not change. Any remaining assessments will also be conducted online as determined by the course instructor.

 

11.0      STATEMENTS CONCERNING ONLINE ETIQUETTE

 

In courses involving online interactions, the Psychology Department expects students to honour the following rules of etiquette:

  • please “arrive” to class on time
  • please use your computer and/or laptop if possible (as opposed to a cell phone or tablet)
  • please ensure that you are in a private location to protect the confidentiality of discussions in the event that a class discussion deals with sensitive or personal material
  • to minimize background noise, kindly mute your microphone for the entire class until you are invited to speak, unless directed otherwise
  • In classes larger than 30 participants please turn off your video camera for the entire class unless you are invited to speak
  • In classes of 30 students or fewer, where video chat procedures are being used, please be prepared to turn your video camera off at the instructor’s request if the internet connection becomes unstable
  • Unless invited by your instructor, do not share your screen in the meeting

 

The course instructor will act as moderator for the class and will deal with any questions from participants. To participate please consider the following:

  • If you wish to speak, use the “raise hand” function and wait for the instructor to acknowledge you before beginning your comment or question.
  • Please remember to unmute your microphone and turn on your video camera before speaking.
  • Self-identify when speaking.
  • Please remember to mute your mic and turn off your video camera after speaking (unless directed otherwise).

 

General considerations of “netiquette”:

  • Keep in mind the different cultural and linguistic backgrounds of the students in the course.
  • Be courteous toward the instructor, your colleagues, and authors whose work you are discussing.
  • Be respectful of the diversity of viewpoints that you will encounter in the class and in your readings. The exchange of diverse ideas and opinions is part of the scholarly environment. “Flaming” is never appropriate.
  • Be professional and scholarly in all online postings. Use proper grammar and spelling. Cite the ideas of others appropriately.

 

Note that disruptive behaviour of any type during online classes, including inappropriate use of the chat function, is unacceptable. Students found guilty of Zoom-bombing a class or of other serious online offenses may be subject to disciplinary measures under the Code of Student Conduct.

11.1 Additional notes on Zoom use for this course 

The Zoom link and meeting times are available in the left-hand navigation panel on the course OWL site. Synchronous sessions will not be recorded. 

 

You can add a photo, change your preferred name, and include your pronouns by editing your Zoom profile. Go to https://westernuniversity.zoom.us, log in with your Western ID, and use the navigation menu on the left-hand side of the page to go to the Profile page. If your preferred name is different from the name you are registered with, please let me know at the start of the course when filling in the Start of Semester Survey. 

 

Ideally, please have your camera on during zoom calls. You may use a custom virtual background if you would prefer not to have your location visible in the background. You can find instructions for creating a virtual background here: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/210707503-Virtual-Background and some Western-themed backgrounds here: https://communications.uwo.ca/comms/western_brand/vis_toolkit/wallpapers.html, although you are free to use a different background if you like.  If for any reason this is likely to be a problem throughout the course, please email me in advance. If having video on during a particular session is a problem, please just message me privately in the Zoom chat room to let me know. 

 

If you’ve read this far, good for you! Let me know by sending me a recipe (one of yours or something that you’d like to make) to ameadow2@uwo.ca. I’ll put these together as a resource on OWL and we can try some of them out. 

 

12.0      OTHER INFORMATION

 

Office of the Registrar: http://registrar.uwo.ca 

 

Student Development Services: 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

 

Copyright Statement: Lectures and course materials, including power point presentations, outlines, videos 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 any course materials publicly and/or for commercial purposes without the instructor’s written consent.