Spring 2006                            Social Psychology                                 Psych 41532

Instructor:              Dr. Kristin Mickelson

Office:                   Kent Hall Addition 332

Office Phone:        672-2253

Email:                 kmickels@kent.edu

Purpose:               Social psychology is the scientific study of the way people think about, feel, and behave in social
                              situations.  It involves understanding how people influence, and are influenced by, others around them.
                              The primary goal of this course is to provide you with an understanding of the perspectives, research
                              methods, and empirical findings of social psychology.  An equally important goal will be to develop
                              critical and integrative ways of thinking about theory and research in social psychology.  The course
                              will be divided into three main sections: thoughts, behaviors, and feelings.

 

Text:                     Social Psychology (8th Edition), by David G. Myers

 

Various articles will also be assigned – the articles will be held on electronic reserve in the library for students

to make copies. Go to http://reserves.library.kent.edu - look up my name and click on the course and type

in the password: intro26

Requirements:     Final grades will be based on 3 exams (each worth 25% of the grade), participation in one class demonstration with a 3-page write-up (15%), and general participation/discussion (10% - jointly based on attendance and participation (either verbal or written) in class sessions). To reiterate, you may earn your participation grade through speaking in class OR through written comments emailed (or turned in to me at the start or end of a class session). Participation does not need to occur every class period – rather on a regular basis – I want to see you are engaging the course content. The participation may be questions asked, or comments on your opinions about the topic. Written comments need not be long - around one to three sentences.

Attendance:          Students are responsible for all materials presented and discussed in class (including announcements

made). CELLPHONES MUST BE TURNED OFF PRIOR TO START OF CLASS.

Exams:                   The format of the three exams will be a combination of multiple choice and short answer.  Concise
                                and complete answers on the open-ended questions will be rewarded.  A review session will be offered
                                prior to each exam.  A convenient time for the majority of students will be scheduled.  The last exam will
                                not be a cumulative one.

Missed Exams:     The only acceptable excuse for a missed exam is personal or family illness. In the instance that one of
                                these rare events occurs, verification must be provided and I must be notified prior to the exam.


Date                                    Topic                                                     Reading

T          1/17                  Overview of Course

 

Th        1/19                  Introduction to Social Psychology                       chapter 1

 

T          1/24                  Film:    Obedience to Authority (45min)              Baumrind article

                                                                                                            Milgram article

 

Th        1/26                  Methods and Ethics                                           McGuire article

 

T          1/31                  Self in a Social World                                        chapter 2

 

Th        2/2                    Social Beliefs & Judgments                                chapter 3

                       

T          2/7                    Behavior & Attitudes                                         chapter 4

 

Th        2/9                    Social Comparison Theory                                 Taylor & Lobel article

                                                                                                            Helgeson & Mickelson article

 

T          2/14                  Social Cognition                                                 chapter 14 (pp. 567-576)

                       

Th        2/16                  EXAM 1

 

T          2/21                  Social Roles & Gender Roles (Part I)                 chapter 5

 

Th        2/23                  Role Conflict (Part II)                           

                                    Film:    Quiet Rage: Stanford Prison Experiment (50 min)

                                   

T          2/28                  Class Debate on TV & Attitudes                        Iyengar et al. article

                                    (Major Demonstration)

 

Th        3/2                    Conformity                                                        chapter 6

 

T          3/7                    Film:  Jonestown Massacre                               Barker article

                       

Th        3/9                    Persuasion                                                        chapter 7

 

T          3/14                  Group Influence                                                chapter 8

                                    Film:    Abilene Paradox (27 min)

 

Th        3/16                  Social Psychology in Court                                 chapter 15

                                    (Major Demonstration)

 

T          3/21                  Prejudice                                                          chapter 9

                                                                                                            Aronson article

 

Th        3/23                  EXAM 2

 

T          3/28                 SPRING BREAK                                               NO CLASS

 

Th        3/30                 SPRING BREAK                                               NO CLASS

 

T          4/4                    Aggression                                                        chapter 10

 

Th        4/6                    Conflict  (Major Demonstration)                     chapter 13

 

T          4/11                  Attraction                                                         chapter 11

                                                                                                           

Th        4/13                  Love                                                                 Kiesler & Baral article

 

T          4/18                  Attachment                                                       Hazan & Shaver article

 

Th        4/20                  Class Debate on Nature vs.                               Rosenthal & Jacobson article

                                    Nurture of Intelligence                                       Bouchard et al. article

                                    (Major Demonstration)

 

T          4/25                  Health & Social Psychology (Part I)                   Taylor article

 

Th        4/27                  Health & Social Psychology (Part II)                  chapter 14 (597-602)

                                    Film:    20/20 story (20 min)                               Harrison article

 

T          5/2                    Helping                                                             chapter 12

 

Th        5/4                    Semester Review

 

***FINAL EXAM                  Thursday, May 11th               12:45-3:00PM***

 

Major Class Demonstration –

 

This demonstration will constitute 15% of your final course grade. You will be randomly assigned to one of four major class demonstrations (TV & Attitudes Debate, Mock Jury, Conflict Game, Nature vs. Nurture Debate) – you must let me know by the second week of classes if you have a schedule conflict with any of the dates – I will make the assignments the 3rd or 4th week of class. Your grade for the demonstration will consist of attending and participating in the demonstration, and writing a 3-page paper about it. The first page of the paper will be a summary of the relevant article/chapter on the demonstration, and in the last two pages you will need to present two social psychological theories that are relevant to the demonstration. Specific, detailed instructions about each demonstration and paper will be given at least one week prior to the demonstration. Any case of plagiarism will be referred to the Student Conduct Board and will result, at a minimum, in an assigned grade of F for this course. Plagiarism is defined as 7 or more consecutive words (or a unique phrasing less than 7 words) taken from another source without appropriate citation (i.e., quotation marks and reference).