Social Psychology (PSYC 203, SOCI 203)

This course is an introduction to social psychology, the scientific study of how the behavior of individuals is influenced by the actual, imagined or implied presence of other people. Your interpersonal interactions have taught you about many of the things that you will have the opportunity to learn about in this course. Unfortunately our socialization too often provides us with pseudo-explanations for why people do what they do. We then pass them from one generation to the next under the guise of “truth.” Some are relatively accurate, that is, they pass the test of science. Other “explanations” fail the scientific challenge completely. One test of an educated person is the ability and the motivation to differentiate pseudo-science from scientific explanations. Recognizing the difference requires a structured vocabulary around which to organize one’s thinking and a healthy skepticism that is trained through the practice of scientific thinking.

During this semester we will examine many different scientific theories that offer explanations for human social behavior along with the scientific methods social psychologists have used to validate them. Ahead of you is the challenge to broaden your knowledge and to begin training your mind to think systematically about why people do what they do. You will find that social psychology has broad applications in nearly every context in which humans interact and your experiences in this course will help you lay a foundation from which to negotiate those contexts in the future. This course could well be one of the most important courses you take during your college experience.

Becoming an educated person is an on-going, active, social process that occurs as we learn to communicate our thoughts and feelings for others to ponder. Education is not something that can be done to you. It is something done by you within a social context. It may, in fact, be at the very moment that you successfully communicate your understanding to others that your understanding really begins. Now, more than at any time in history, our success in life depends on flexibility, cooperation, communication and continuous learning. If you accept the challenge of education, at the end of the semester you will be better able to think about, talk about, and communicate your social experiences in the manner of an educated person.

Required Materials

Brehm, S. S., Kassin, S., & Fein, S. (2005). Social Psychology (6th ed.). Boston: Houghton-Mifflin. ISBN# 0-618-40337-X

Recommended Materials for Psychology, Education, and Science Majors

Perrin, R. (2004). Pocket Guide to APA Style. Boston: Houghton Miflin. ISBN: 0618308202

Recommended for Graduate School Bound Psychology Majors

American Psychological Association (1994). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association
      (4th ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. ISBN: 1-55798-791-2

Course-Level Objectives

1. Students will develop an understanding of the major historical eras from which contemporary social psychology emerged
2. Students will develop an understanding of major classical and contemporary theories within various areas of social psychology
3. Students will develop an understanding of the scientific method and research methods that are employed by social psychologists
4. Students will search library databases, locate and retrieve original scientific journal articles focused on a specific and relevant topic
5. Students will read, evaluate and summarize in writing at least one original scientific journal article

Major Objectives

• Students will explain the historical and cultural context of social psychology
• Students will apply principles and theories of social psychology to real world problems
• Students will effectively search, read, and critically evaluate the professional literature

Required Course Components

Midterm and Comprehensive Final Essay Exams (100 points, 200 points total): A midterm and comprehensive final exam are required of all students. The format of exam questions will be multiple-choice, matching, TF with explanation, definitions, and short answer. Under no circumstances may you take an exam early. Emergencies that result in a missed exam will be handled on an individual basis.

Quizzes and Thought Writing (10 points each, variable points): Expect both announced and unannounced quizzes which will be evaluated on pass-no pass. Thought writing will be evaluated for evidence of thinking and familiarity with relevant theories, concepts, and research discussed in assigned readings.

Summarizing Two Scientific Articles (50 points each). To enable you to better understand how professionals in the field of psychology communicate, you are asked to summarize a minimum of two scientific journal articles. The articles must be referenced in and retrieved from the PsycArticles or PsycInfo databases and must be directly related to social psychological theories and concepts. Articles from the web are not acceptable. A complete copy of each article must accompany the summary both of which are to be submitted electronically. The first summary must be submitted by Friday, March 17th and the second by Friday, May 5th. Guidelines for the summaries will be posted to Connected Learning.

Grading

Evaluation in the course is set up on a point system. At midterm earned points will be summed and divided by the available points. This will yield a percentage that will correspond with a letter grade at midterm. The final grade will be the sum of total earned points divided by total available points. Students who do not get around to do both summaries will forfeit those points.

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