Psychology 2070A-650

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.

Anti-requisites: Psychology 2720A/B; 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.

0.5 course 

2.0    COURSE INFORMATION

Instructor: Sarah Babcock | Email: sbabcoc5@uwo.ca

 

My Communication Approach & Policies:            

My approach as an instructor is to have open, professional communication with students; I encourage you to ask questions and to reach out if you are unsure of expectations or how to complete a task.

 

Email Policy: I check my email regularly and will respond to emails within 24 hours on weekdays (48 hours on weekends). Please include the course code (PSYCH 2035A) in all email subject lines. This enables me to track emails and ensure they are answered in a timely manner. If for some reason I cannot respond to your email within this timeline (or will be unavailable for an extended period of time) I will notify the class via the Announcements feature on OWL.

 

Appointments: If you are interested in scheduling an individual meeting with me at any point, please contact me via email to arrange it. Please note: Only virtual appointments will be available.

 

 

 

Course Approach and Instructor Expectations

Classroom Community: The classroom (both physical and online) is intended to be a safe learning space, where respect for others is required. I am committed to including a range of perspectives in this course, so with your help I will strive to create a learning environment that encourages and respects different points of view.

Learning Activities: As a learner in this course, you will be required to complete regular activities online. The reason I include these activities is because research evidence shows that engaging with, discussing, and thinking about the material you are learning in new ways promotes better learning and more successful retention of the material.

Technical Difficulties: If you find yourself unable to submit an assignment on time due to technical difficulties, a screenshot of your screen is required. Ensure that the error message or problem, as well as the date and time, are visible on the screen when you take the screenshot. You must send this screenshot along with an email to me in order to receive an extension for submission. Note: The best browsers for MindTap include Google Chrome and Firefox (avoid Internet Explorer & Safari).

 

Expectations:

  • You will complete assignment weekly tasks (e.g., readings, quizzes, and online activities)
  • You will participate thoughtfully and respectfully in any online discussions
  • You will show accountability for your learning. I will provide the framework (e.g., schedule), as well as the material and tools, but you are responsible for completing tasks and keeping up with material.

You will reach out to me (and an Academic Counsellor) if you are unable to complete any of the course requirements, for any reason.                                                                                   

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

Social Psychology (10th Edition)
Authors: Saul Kassin; Steven Fein; Hazel Rose Markus

 

You can purchase this through the campus bookstore, or directly through the textbook website.

Campus Bookstore: https://bookstore.uwo.ca/product/cebcodeid26784 | ISBN: 9781305864375

 

The online (MindTap) version of the textbook is required and is an essential part of the course content, as weekly readings and activities will be completed through this site. Additional information regarding the online textbook format will be provided on OWL. However, just like in a paper version you can highlight text, make notes, and keep track of your progress. In addition, the online format offers adaptive practice material which modifies based on your learning, as well as provides study support like flashcards and extra quizzes. If you feel you also need a hardcopy/paper version, you can purchase this directly from NelsonBrain. You might also consider looking to see if you can get a used copy as this is the same version of the textbook used in previous classes.

 

Registering for MindTap: Detailed instructions for how to sign up/gain access to this course will be provided on the OWL page. However, when you gain access to the course MindTap textbook website, please ensure that you register with the same name (i.e., an exact match) to your WESTERN ID (OWL) name. If you do not, this may result in a delay of your grades in OWL.

 

4.0    COURSE OBJECTIVES

This course will provide an overview of the study of psychology and how it can be applied to our everyday lives, to better understand ourselves and others, with topics such as: personality, stress and coping, psychological disorders, interpersonal communication, friendship and love, sexuality, and career development.

   4.1    STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 

By completing this course, you will gain skills in both the development of general academic skills and in content-specific knowledge. This is reflected in your learning outcomes, which are as follows:

 

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

This will be directly* assessed via:

Identify instructor expectations, course structure, contact information, deadlines, and evaluation information.

§  Syllabus Scavenger Hunt

 

Demonstrate accountability in your learning, by keeping up with material, completing tasks, and reaching out for assistance if/when needed.

§  Mastery Training

§  Quizzes

Display engagement with course material, by actively participating in learning activities and offering your thoughts, perspectives, and opinions

§  Discussion Forum

Define and describe the key concepts, principles, and overarching themes relevant to the science of psychology.

§  Mastery Training

§  Quizzes

§  Video Assignment

Outline how research informs psychological theories, and vice versa.

§  Video Assignment

§  Quizzes

§  Exam

Appraise psychological constructs by engaging in critical thought and commentary, using research evidence to support claims.

§  Discussion forum

§  Video Assignment

§  Exam

Relate the principles and theories discussed to everyday situations.

§  Video Assignment

§  Discussion Forum

§  Exam

*Note: There may, of course, be other ways or assignments that showcase a specific outcome throughout the course, I’ve simply listed here the primary modes by which this outcome will be captured.  

5.0     EVALUATION

  • Syllabus Scavenger Hunt (2%)
  • Mastery Training (8%)
  • Discussion Forum (15%)
  • Quizzes (20%)
  • Video Assignment (25%)
  • Exam (30%)

Policy on Grade Adjustments.

Assignment Grades. If during the course of the term you receive a grade that you are unhappy with and/or do not understand, you are welcome to reach out to me via email to get individual feedback. However, if you feel the grade is unfair and wish to have it reviewed/re-graded, please be advised that you will be required to do an analysis of your own work based on the rubric first. Further, there is no guarantee that a grade-review will result in a grade increase or will not result in a grade decrease based on re-evaluation.

 

Final Grades. To maintain fairness to all students, end of term grades will not be adjusted based on “need”, nor will students be granted to chance to improve their grade by completing extra assignments at the end of term. As such, it is important that you monitor your performance and take steps to eliminate difficulties or barriers as soon as possible, so the problems do not interfere with your performance in the course. Please reach out to me directly to discuss if you are struggling with the material as early as possible so we can make appropriate plans to support your learning. Moreover, I encourage you to let me know if you are in a special circumstance (e.g., need a certain grade in this course to graduate) at the beginning of term so I can best support you in succeeding. 

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

1.Syllabus Scavenger Hunt (2%). You are required to complete this assignment so that you carefully read the syllabus and know the course expectations, how you will be evaluated, and where to go if you need support. This assignment will be posted on OWL. By completing this task and earning a grade, this is your agreement with me (the instructor) that you have read the syllabus & understood the expectations and deadlines. Due: Sunday May 17th by 11:00PM EDT.

 

2.Weekly Tasks:

  1. A) Mastery Training (8%). You are required to complete the Mastery Training for each topic. The purpose of Mastery Training is to familiarize yourself with the important terms and concepts. This tool is adaptive, so it will provide additional practice on concepts that you may not know as well and phase out concepts that you have demonstrated that you already know; this streamlines your review. There is 1 Mastery Training per chapter (12 total). These are summative assessments and therefore only graded for completion (not performance/correctness).

 

Please note: Mastery Training will take approximately 2 days to complete. This does not mean it will take two full days, but rather, it will not allow you to progress to completion within one session. This is because there needs to be sufficient time for you to work through the material and then take time away from it before completing it in full; the system is designed this way to maximize your learning. Therefore, I advise you start at least 2 days in advance of the due date, or you may not be able to complete it successfully.

 

  1. B) Quizzes (20%). You are required to complete weekly quizzes for each chapter. Quizzes will cover the weekly material; the purpose of them is to help keep you up to date on the course material and to provide you with the opportunity to get a sense of your learning progress. There is 1 quiz per Chapter (12 total), and they graded for correctness. However, only your highest 10 grades will count towards your final grade.

 

All of the above weekly tasks (Mastery Training & Quizzes) are completed via the MindTap website. They will become available Monday and are due Sunday by 11:00PM EDT for the week they are assigned. Because each individual component of all tasks is worth less than 1% of your final grade (and because you may forego 2 quizzes without penalty) I will not accept any accommodations or excuses for missed tasks and late submissions will not be accepted.

 

 

 

3.Term Assignments:

  1. A) Discussion Forum (15% Total). Each week a discussion question will be posted relating to that week’s topic.
  • Post (12%). You will be assigned to post only once during the term. Your assigned week will be posted in OWL. Your post is due by Wednesday (5:00PM EDT) for the week that you are assigned.
  • Comments (3%). You are required to comment on another classmates’ discussion post at least 3 times during the term. You can choose when and on which post you’d like to comment on. [Each post = 1%; 3 posts x 1% = 3% of final grade]. Comments due by Sunday at 11:00PM EDT for that week’s topic.

 

Please note. While your experience in past courses might have been that Discussion Forums were used for participatory grades, in this course, both your post and your comments will be graded based on quality. This assignment is being used to assess a deeper level of understanding and application of course material and will be evaluated accordingly. A rubric will be provided for both your post and comments to help guide you.

 

  1. B) Video Assignment (25% Total).
  • Concept Video (20%). You are required to create a video (3-5 mins) that teaches/explains a class concept. You will be able to choose the topic, as well as what you choose to present and how to present it. Additional instructions, resources, and rubric will be provided in OWL. Due: Monday July 27th by 5:00PM EDT.
  • Peer Evaluation (5%). You will be assigned two classmates’ videos to watch and conduct a peer evaluation. Additional instructions and a rubric will be provided to you in OWL. Due: Friday July 31st by 11:00PM EDT.

 

4.Final Exam (30%). There will be one exam for this course; this final assessment will be cumulative. The format will be multiple choice. The day/time will be scheduled by the Registrar. Additional details will be provided in OWL.

 

7.0   CLASS SCHEDULE

Week

Date

Topic

Readings

MindTap Weekly Tasks
(Due Sundays at 11:00PM EDT)

1

May 4

What is Social Psychology

Chapter 1

·         Mastery Training

·         Chapter Quiz          

2

May 11

Doing Social Psychology Research

*Syllabus Scavenger Hunt Due: May 17th

Chapter 2

·         Mastery Training

·         Chapter Quiz          

3

May 18

The Social Self

Chapter 3

·         Mastery Training

·         Chapter Quiz          

4

May 25

Perceiving Persons

Chapter 4

·         Mastery Training

·         Chapter Quiz          

5

June 1

Summer Reading Week: No New Assigned Material

6

June 8

Stereotypes, Prejudice, and Discrimination

Chapter 5

·         Mastery Training

·         Chapter Quiz          

7

June 15

Attitudes

Chapter 6

·         Mastery Training

·         Chapter Quiz          

8

June 22

Conformity

Chapter 7

·         Mastery Training

·         Chapter Quiz          

9

June 29

Group Processes

Chapter 8

·         Mastery Training

·         Chapter Quiz          

10

July 6

Attraction and Close Relationships

Chapter 9

·         Mastery Training

·         Chapter Quiz          

11

July 13

Helping Others & Aggression

Chapters 10 & 11

·         Mastery Training (x2)      

·         Chapter Quiz (x2)      

12

July 20

Applying Social Psychology to the Real World (Topic: Law)

Chapter 12

·         Mastery Training

·         Chapter Quiz          

13

July 27

There is no new content this week; you can use this time to prepare for the final exam and complete & submit your video assignment and peer reviews.        

N/A

Video Assignment Due
(Monday July 27th by 5PM)

Peer Evaluations Due
(Friday July 31st by 11PM)

FINAL EXAM (Scheduled by the Registrar: Between August 4th – 7th)

*Additional Deadlines | Reminder: You also need to complete 3 comments & 1 discussion post (assigned date) during the term.

 

Submission deadlines & time zones. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) is the time zone in London, ON. That means that if you are in a different time zone, you'll need to adjust your deadline time accordingly to ensure you don't miss the due date for submission of all assignments and online tasks! For example, the weekly tasks are due Sunday (11:00PM EDT), therefore:

  • If you are in Vancouver, where it is PDT, the submission deadline will be 8:00PM.
If you are in Calgary, where it is MDT, the submission deadline will be 9:00PM.

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:

  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 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
- 2019-2020 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.