Psychology 2070A-001 Intersession 2019
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: Mon. 1:00 P.M. – 3:00 P.M., or by appointment
Email: ghaynes@uwo.ca
Time and Location of Classes: Mon., Wed. 9:30 A.M. – 12:30 P.M., SSC 2036
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
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.
Textbook website:
To gain access to the web content for the textbook, go to the following site: https://digital.wwnorton.com/socialpsych5, follow the prompts to create an account and then enter the access code that comes with your book.
As noted in Section 5.0 below, you will have the option of completing weekly quizzes based on textbook content on the website for the textbook. If chosen, this would count for 15% of your final grade. This option is only available if you have purchased a new textbook OR purchased access to the on-line version of the textbook. More information about these quizzes will be posted on OWL.
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 will NOT be posting the lecture slides, so if you miss a class please make arrangements to obtain notes from a classmate. There will be a forum on OWL for students to communicate with each other about obtaining notes from missed classes. 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!
During class, you are encouraged to ask questions about concepts that are unclear; I’m also happy to answer questions during the 10 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 weekly quizzes on INQUIZITIVE). Tests may not be rewritten, nor will the tests and/or quizzes 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 seven chapters (1-5, 7, 8) and be worth 50% of your final grade. The final exam, which will be scheduled by the registrar during the exam period, will cover six new chapters (9-14) and will be worth 50% of your final grade. The final exam is NOT cumulative.
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 QUIZZES: Students can choose to complete weekly quizzes on the website for the textbook, based on textbook content (for the chapters marked with an * in the class schedule below). For students who choose this option, the average obtained on all quizzes will be worth 15% of their final grade, and the midterm exam and final exam will both be worth 42.5% of their final grade.
The quizzes for the selected chapters will be made available on Sunday evenings, and will remain open until 5:00 P.M. on Friday of the same week. Please note that this option must be chosen at the beginning of the course (i.e., you can’t decide in Week 4 to go back and do the quizzes for Weeks 1, 2, and 3).
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 TEST AND EXAMINATION SCHEDULE
|
Date |
Value |
|
|
Optional weekly on-line quizzes** |
To be completed by Friday at 5:00 P.M. each week |
15% |
|
Midterm Exam |
June 3 (during classtime) |
50% |
|
Final Exam |
June 24-25 |
50% |
**If chosen, worth 15% of final mark in course (Midterm exam and Final exam reduced to 42.5%)
7.0 CLASS SCHEDULE
|
Date |
Topic |
Read |
|
May 13 |
Introducing Social Psychology |
Chapter 1 & 2 |
|
May 15 |
The Social Self* |
Chapter 3 |
|
May 20 |
No class – Victoria Day |
|
|
May 22 |
Social Cognition & Social Attribution* |
Chapter 4 & 5 |
|
May 27 |
Attitudes & Attitude Change* |
Chapter 7 |
|
May 29 |
Persuasion |
Chapter 8 |
|
June 3 |
MIDTERM |
Chapter 1-5, 7-8 |
|
June 5 |
Social Influence* |
Chapter 9 |
|
June 10 |
Interpersonal Attraction & Relationships |
Chapter 10 |
|
June 12 |
Prejudice* |
Chapter 11 |
|
June 17 |
Group Processes; Aggression |
Chapter 12 & 13 |
|
June 19 |
Prosocial Behaviour* |
Chapter 14 |
|
June 24-25 |
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
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
- 2019 Calendar References
No electronic devices, including cell phones and smart watches, will be allowed during exams.
