Psychology 3724F-001

The Science of Romantic Relationships

If there is a discrepancy between the outline posted below and the outline posted on the OWL course website, the latter shall prevail.

 

Psychology 3724F (001) — The Science of Romantic Relationships

Western University | Department of Psychology | London, Ontario, Canada

Fall 2021 | Tuesdays 12:30pm – 2:30pm

 

  • CALENDAR DESCRIPTION

This course provides an overview of the field of intimate relationships. Current empirical research is emphasized. Topics include theoretical perspectives on intimate relationships (e.g., social psychological theory, evolutionary and life histories theory), interpersonal attraction, love, sexuality, communication within relationships, and various relationship challenges (conflict, violence, power, loss, etc.).

Antirequisites are courses that overlap sufficiently in content that only one can be taken for credit. 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.

Antirequisites: Psychology 3726F/G, Psychology 3790G if taken in 2012/2013.

Prerequisites are courses that must be completed before enrolling in 3724F, unless written special permission was given by the instructor and your Dean. 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.

Prerequisites: Psychology 2820E or both Psychology 2800E and Psychology 2810.

Extra Information: 2 lecture hours, 1 tutorial hour.

Course Weight: 0.50

Accessibility: 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.

Mental Health: Students who are in emotional/mental distress should refer to Health and Wellness @Western https://www.uwo.ca/health/ for a complete list of options about how to obtain help. Additional mental health resources are provided towards the end of the syllabus.

 

  • COURSE INFORMATION

Lecture

Instructor: Rebecca (Becca) Koessler, MSc

Office: SSC 6323

Office Hours: TBD

Email: rkoessle@uwo.ca

Day/Time: Tuesdays, 12:30pm-2:30pm

Location: SSC 2032

Delivery Method: In-person

 

Tutorials

Teaching Assistant: TBD

Office: TBD

Office Hours: TBD    

Email: TBD

Sections: 002 & 003 

Teaching Assistant: Nicolyn Charlot, MSc

Office: SSC 6307

Office Hours: by appointment via Zoom                   

Email: ncharlot@uwo.ca

Sections: 004 & 005

Section 002

Day/Time: Thursdays, 12:30pm-1:30pm

Location: SSC 2020

Delivery Method: In-Person

 

Section 003

Day/Time: Thursdays, 1:30pm-2:30pm

Location: SSC 2020

Delivery Method: In-Person

Section 004

Day/Time: Wednesdays, 10:30am-11:30am

Location: FNB 1240

Delivery Method: In-Person

 

Section 005

Day/Time: Wednesdays, 11:30am-12:30pm

Location: FNB 1240

Delivery Method: In-Person

 

         2.1 OWL SITE

The course OWL site can be found at http://owl.uwo.ca. OWL will be used as the main source of communication between the Becca, the TAs and the students. Announcements, lecture slides, assignments, rubrics, due dates, tutorial materials and resources will be posted to OWL. Students will be expected to check OWL regularly.

Copyright Statement: Lectures and course materials, including power point presentations, assignments, 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 Becca’s written consent, except where recording is an approved accommodation.

2.2 WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU HAVE QUESTIONS

1) Read the Syllabus & Check OWL

Before contacting Becca or the TAs with questions about the course, read the syllabus and explore the course page on OWL. These should contain everything you need to know about the structure of the course, deadlines, assignment instructions, etc. Please do your due diligence to find the answer to your question before reaching out to Becca or the TAs. If you cannot find the answer to your question, proceed to the next step below. 

2) Course FAQ

A course FAQ google doc has been posted on the front page of the course OWL site. This document is meant for students to post any content or course related question they have. If one student has a question, it is likely that others do to. This FAQ lessens the number of duplicate questions via email Becca and the TAs receive throughout the course. NOTE: This document editable and viewable by every student in the course. As such, this is not the appropriate platform to ask personal questions (e.g., accommodations, mark-related issues, etc.). If your question does not contain any personal information, post it on the course FAQ and Becca or the TAs will respond to it promptly. If your question is personal, connect with Becca via email following the guidelines below. 

3) Contact the Instructor via Email

When emailing Becca, “3724F” must be in the subject line. Emails will be responded to within 48 hours. If 48 hours has passed and you have not received a response, it is appropriate to send a follow up email. Please review the information in the syllabus, the course FAQ and on OWL before asking questions about the course structure and policies.

Caveats

Emails sent within 24 hours of marks being released (e.g., assignments or midterms) will not be granted a response. I will be happy to chat with you after 24 hours has passed.

4) Attend Student Hours!

Student hours are weekly times that are set aside for students to meet with Becca to ask questions, receive feedback, or have casual chats. The date and time of Becca’s student hours will be posted on OWL and will be held via Zoom. TAs may have set student hours each week or they may be available by appointment.

2.3 CLASS CONDUCT

Cultivating a comfortable classroom environment conducive to facilitating intellectual growth is a priority. You will be expected to be an active member of the classroom community by attending lecture and tutorials, participating, and being encouraging and supportive of your peers to the best of your ability.

3.0   COURSE MATERIALS

3.1 Lecture Preparation

There is no required textbook for this course. There will be weekly required readings, videos, and/or activities that will be essential to complete to participate and engage fully in the tutorials and sometimes the lectures. Lecture material will mainly be sourced from the textbook below. While you will only be tested on lecture material to the extent that it is covered in class, if you prefer to have an additional resource, the optional textbook would be most appropriate to use.

 

Optional Textbook: Fletcher, G.J.O., Simpson, J.A., Campbell, L., & Overall, N. (2019). The science of intimate relationships (2nd ed.). Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell. **The 1st edition would likely suffice.

 

  • Lecture & Tutorial Materials

The “Lecture” tab on our OWL page will include lecture slides, the required readings for tutorial, the collaborative lecture notes (explained below), and any other pertinent information or materials for that week. Lecture slides will be posted before each class. Each TA will have their own OWL tab in which they will post tutorial slides and other resources. 

  • Collaborative Lecture & Tutorial Notes

In the “Lecture” tab, links to collaborative google docs for taking lecture notes will be provided for each lecture. Similarly, each tutorial will have collaborative tutorial notes on your respective TA’s OWL tab. To the extent that they are used, these may be helpful tools to make sure you didn’t miss any key points while in class, catch up on details if you miss class, and ask your peers questions about the course content. The use of this tool is entirely optional. Becca and the TAs will not be monitoring or moderating its use at all.

A word of caution…

Everyone can edit these documents, meaning someone could jot down something incorrectly, or could delete the notes (either accidentally or on purpose). Be cautious about depending on these notes when it comes time to study for the exam. In other words, “but the collaborative lecture notes said X was true so I should get points for that question I missed on the exam” or “someone deleted the lecture notes so I couldn’t study for the exam” are not valid excuses for poor exam performance.

4.0  COURSE OBJECTIVES & LEARNING OUTCOMES

The purpose of this course is to develop a thorough understanding of the psychology of romantic, intimate relationships. The topics include interpersonal attraction, relationship maintenance, and relationship dissolution. The objectives are to be aware of current theory and research regarding different facets of intimate relationships, and critically evaluate this literature.

 

Learning Outcome

Learning Activity

Assessment

Depth and Breadth of Knowledge.

Describe, identify, and explain the evolutionary, personal, interpersonal, and developmental factors that influence thoughts, feelings, and behaviors of partners in romantic relationships

Lectures, tutorial activities and discussions, assigned readings, writing assignments

Exams, writing assignments

Knowledge of Methodologies.

Identify methodological and analytical strengths and weaknesses of empirical research in the domain of close relationships

Lectures, tutorial activities and discussions, assigned readings, writing assignments

Participation, exams, writing assignments

Application of Knowledge.

Identify examples of how personal, situational, and relationship factors apply to the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors of partners in romantic relationships

Lectures, tutorial activities and discussions, assigned readings, writing assignments

Exams, writing assignments

Communication Skills.

Communicate ideas clearly and concisely, in language accessible to intelligent non-experts (oral and written formats)

Tutorial activities and discussions, writing assignments

Exams, writing assignments

Awareness of Limits of Knowledge.

Identify and articulate gaps in the literature and justify the need for the gap to be filled, within the domain of romantic relationship research

Tutorial activities and discussions, writing assignments

Writing assignments

Autonomy and Professional Capacity.

Practice resourcefulness in finding existing literature and relevant resources

Communicate and collaborate clearly and professionally with peers and the instructor in class settings

Lectures, tutorial activities and discussions, writing assignments

Participation, writing assignments

 

5.0   EVALUATION

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.

The expectation for course grades within the Psychology Department is that they will be distributed around the following averages:

70%       1000-level to 2099-level courses

72%        2100-2999-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

PLEASE NOTE: If course grades are significantly higher or lower than these averages, instructors may be required to adjust course grades. Such adjustment might include the normalization of one or more course components and/or the re-weighting of various course components.

Policy on Grade Rounding: Please note that although course grades within the Psychology Department are rounded to the nearest whole number, no further grade rounding will be done. No additional assignments will be offered to enhance a final grade; nor will requests to change a grade because it is needed for a future program be considered. To maximize your grade, do your best on each and every assessment within the course.

 

Component

Description

Weight

Due Date

Participation

Completion of “Exit Tickets” (short surveys) after each lecture & tutorial to gauge understanding

5%

Sundays 12pm

Everyday Encounters

Four brief (250-500 word) descriptions of “encounters” of course content in everyday life and an explanation of how it relates to course concepts or themes

20%

1 & 2 by Oct 24 12pm

3 & 4 by Dec 5 12pm

Midterm Exam

In-class examination

20%

Oct 26

Research Proposal

Paper (5-8 pages) proposing a new research study/experiment

30%

Dec 7 12pm (soft deadline)

Dec 8 12pm (hard deadline)

Final Exam

In-class during the Final Exam Period (Dec 10 - 21)

25%

TBA

 

More detailed instructions and rubrics (if relevant) for each course component will be provided on OWL.

PLEASE NOTE: 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%.

5.1 POLICY ON MISSING COURSEWORK

Participation: Exit Tickets should ideally be completed immediately at or after the end of lecture or tutorial for them to be most useful for Becca and the TAs. However, Exit Tickets from each week will be due on Sundays at 12pm. Late Exit Tickets will not be accepted. Exit Tickets are marked based on completion. NOTE: Attendance at lecture/tutorial is not required to submit an Exit Ticket. If you are feeling sick or experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, please stay home. You will not lose participation marks by not attending class. Marks will only be lost if you do not submit Exit Tickets by their respective due date.

Everyday Encounters: Of the four Everyday Encounters, 1 & 2 are due by October 24th. Everyday Encounter 3 & 4 are due by December 5th at 12pm. Only one Everyday Encounter assignment may be submitted per week, but students may decide which weeks they submit the assignments. Everyday Encounters will not be accepted after the respective due dates without proper official accommodation (i.e., approved by academic counselling or use of an SRA) and subsequently will be given a zero. **Assignment adapted from Dr. Chelsea Gibson

Research Proposal: The “soft deadline” for the Research Proposal will be December 7th at 12pm. Proposals submitted by December 7th at 12pm will earn two bonus points. Proposals submitted between December 7th at 12pm and December 8th at 12pm will not be penalized but will not earn any bonus marks. Proposals submitted after December 8th at 12pm will be subject to a 10% penalty for every 24 hours they are late. Proposals submitted after December 10th at 12pm will not be accepted without proper official accommodation (i.e., approved by academic counselling or use of an SRA) and subsequently will be given a zero.

6.0  ASSESSMENT/EVALUATION SCHEDULE

Midterm Exam: The midterm examination will take place in class on October 26th. Students will have two hours to complete the exam. The exam will likely involve multiple-choice and short-answer questions. More details about the format of the exam will be provided closer to the examination date.

Final Exam: The final exam will take place during the final exam period from December 10th – 21st. The date and time will be scheduled by the registrar. The exam will likely involve multiple-choice and short-answer questions. More details about the format of the exam will be provided closer to the examination date.

 

7.0   CLASS SCHEDULE

 

Week

Date

Topic

1

Sep 7

No class or tutorials this week

 

Tutorial

2

Sep 14

Introduction to the course & the study of romantic relationships

Tutorial

Video + Reading:

Video: Scientific Studies – Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (CW: strong language)

Fried & Flake (2018) - Measurement Matters

Sep 19

2 Exit Tickets DUE 12pm

3

Sep 21

Key theories of relationship science

Tutorial

Reading:

Blog post: Explaining the process of science with a few dots

Blog post: Theoretical amnesia

Gray (2017) – How to map theory: Reliable methods are fruitless without rigorous theory

Sep 26

2 Exit Tickets DUE 12pm

4

Sep 28

The relationship mind

Tutorial

Reading:

Maner et al. (2009) – The implicit cognition of relationship maintenance: Inattention to attractive alternatives

Oct 3

2 Exit Tickets DUE 12pm

5

Oct 5

The relationship body

Tutorial

Readings:

Pham & Shackelford (2013) – Oral sex as infidelity-detection

Burnham et al. (2003) – Men in committed, romantic relationships have lower testosterone

Oct 10

2 Exit Tickets DUE 12pm

6

Oct 12

Interpersonal attraction  

Tutorial

Readings:

Fletcher et al. (2014) – Predicting romantic interest and decisions in the very early stages of mate selection: Standards, accuracy, and sex differences

Oct 17

2 Exit Tickets DUE 12pm

7

Oct 19

LGBTQ+ relationships, multicultural relationships & consensual non-monogamy

Tutorial

Readings (pick one of the following):

Balzarini & Muise (2020) – Beyond the dyad: A review of the novel insights gained from studying consensual non-monogamy

Feinstein et al. (2014) – Willingness to engage in romantic and sexual activities with bisexual partners: Gender and sexual orientation differences

Troy et al. (2006) – Interracial and intraracial romantic relationships: The search for differences in satisfaction, conflict, and attachment style

Oct 24

2 Exit Tickets DUE 12pm

Everyday Encounter 1 & 2 DUE 12pm

8

Oct 26

Midterm Exam in class

Tutorial

No tutorials this week

Oct 31

 

9

Nov 1 – 7

Reading Week

10

Nov 9

Love & commitment

Tutorial

Reading:

O’Leary et al. (2012) – Is long-term love more than a rare phenomenon? If so, what are its correlates?

Nov 14

2 Exit Tickets DUE 12pm

11

Nov 16

Relationship communication

Tutorial

Reading:

Julien et al. (2003) – Conflict, social support, and relationship quality: An observational study of heterosexual, gay male, and lesbian couples’ communication

Nov 21

2 Exit Tickets DUE 12pm

12

Nov 23

Sex & passion

Tutorial

Reading:

Gabb (2019) – The relationship work of sexual intimacy in long-term heterosexual and LGBTQ partnerships

Nov 28

2 Exit Tickets DUE 12pm

13

Nov 30

Relationship violence

Tutorial

Reading:

Rusbult & Martz (1995) – Remaining in an abusive relationship: An investment model analysis of nonvoluntary dependence

Dec 5

2 Exit Tickets DUE 12pm

Everyday Encounter 3 & 4 DUE 12pm

14

Dec 7

Relationship dissolution

Research Proposal DUE 12pm (soft deadline)

Tutorial

No tutorials this week

Dec 8

Last day to submit Research Proposal (hard deadline) – by 12pm

 

 

Final Exam Period (Dec 10 – 21)

 

8.0  Land Acknowledgement

I acknowledge that Western University is located on the traditional lands of the Anishinaabek, Haudenosaunee, Lūnaapéewak and Attawandaron peoples, on lands connected with the London Township and Sombra Treaties of 1796 and the Dish with One Spoon Covenant Wampum.

With this, I respect the longstanding relationships that Indigenous Nations have to this land, as they are the original caretakers. I acknowledge historical and ongoing injustices that Indigenous Peoples (e.g., First Nations, Métis and Inuit) endure in Canada, and I accept responsibility as a public university instructor to contribute toward revealing and correcting miseducation as well as fostering respectful relationships with Indigenous communities through my teaching and mentorship of undergraduate students.

The Indigenous Student Centre (ISC) provides a variety of services, programs, and resources for Indigenous undergraduate and graduate students (First Nations, Métis, Inuit, Status, Non-Status, and Self-Identifying). For more information, please visit their website at http://indigenous.uwo.ca/.  

 

9.0  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.

 

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.

 

11.0 ACCOMMODATION POLICIES

         11.1 ACCOMODATION FOR DOCUMENTED DISABILITY

Academic accommodation consists of arrangements that allow a student with a disability a fair opportunity to engage in academic activities and fulfill essential course and program requirements.

To request accommodation, see the Student Accessibility Services website here: http://sdc.uwo.ca/ssd/academic_accommodation/index.html

 

         11.2 ACCOMODATION FOR RELIGIOUS HOLIDAYS

When scheduling unavoidable conflicts with religious holidays, no student will be penalized for absence because of religious reasons, and alternative means will be sought for satisfying the academic requirements involved. Students seeking accommodation for religious purposes are advised to contact Academic Counselling at least three weeks prior to the religious event and as soon as possible after the start of the term. For more information, please refer to: https://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/accommodation_religious.pdf

 

         11.3 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

 

12.0 RESOURCES

12.1 MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLNESS

If you or someone you know is experiencing distress, various resources and supports are available on campus, off campus, and online to assist you:

Western Health & Wellness provides professional and confidential services, free of charge, to students needing assistance to meet their personal, social and academic goals. Book an appointment in-person by visiting UCC Rm 11, or by phone at 519-661-3030. If you are in need of immediate support during weekday business hours, walk-in at the Student Services Building, 4th floor, Rm 4100. For more information visit: https://www.uwo.ca/health/psych/

Reach Out is a confidential 24/7 information, support and crisis service for people living with mental health or addictions concerns in Elgin, Oxford, Middlesex and London. Contact Reach Out by phone at 519-433-2023 or toll free at 1-866-933-2023, or visit their website for more information: https://reachout247.ca/ 

 

12.2 ACADEMIC SKILLS

If you are interested in accessing services to improve your writing, learning and/or study skills there are a variety of resources available on campus to assist you:

Learning Development & Success (formerly Learning Skills Services) offers confidential 1:1 counseling appointments to help students cope with their course loads, identify strengths and help develop new skills and strategies for success. Appointments can help address stress, anxiety, and demotivation. This service is appropriate for students who are struggling and for students who wish to maintain their current skills. For more information visit WSSB 4100 or https://www.uwo.ca/sdc/learning/

The Writing Support Centre offers a variety of services to help improve writing skills. One-on-one appointments, drop-in services, workshops, and online writing help and resources are available for all students. Explore http://www.sdc.uwo.ca/writing/ for more information.

 

13.0 Contingency Plan for Return to Lockdown: IN-Person & Blended classes

In the event of a COVID-19 resurgence or any other event 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.

 

14.0 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

- 2021-2022 Calendar References

If you wish to appeal a grade, please read the policy documentation at: https://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/appealsundergrad.pdf

Please first contact the course instructor. If your issue is not resolved, you may make your appeal to the Undergraduate Chair in Psychology (psyugrd@uwo.ca).