ITT Technical Institute SP3450 Social Psychology Onsite Course SYLLABUS Credit hours: 4.5 Contact/Instructional hours: 45 (45 Theory Hours) Prerequisite(s) and/or Corequisite(s): Prerequisites: EN1420 Composition II or equivalent, SS3150 Research Methods or equivalent Course Description: This course is a survey of theories and research concerned with how individuals behave in social constructs, and how they influence and are influenced by other people.
Where Does This Course Belong? Program Scope General Education courses include courses in the humanities, composition, mathematics, the sciences, and the social sciences. Program Goals and Objectives General Education courses are designed to provide ITT Tech students with a well-rounded education in the context of their technical programs. Each course emphasizes one or more of ITT Tech s General Education Student Learning Outcomes. 1. The student will be able to demonstrate personal responsibility. 2. The student will be able to analyze information. 3. The student will be able to solve complex problems. 4. The student will be able to communicate effectively in oral, written and visual forms. 5. The student will be able to contribute as a member of a team. 6. The student will be able to pursue lifelong learning opportunities. 1 Date: 8/20/2012
Course Summary Major Instructional Areas 1. Theoretical roots and research of social psychology 2. Social perception and cognition 3. Personal attitudes and influence 4. Social interaction and relationships 5. Social psychology in a global and technical world Detailed Topical Outline 1. The Basics of Social Psychology 1.1. Concepts Social Psychology 1.2. Major Theoretical Perspectives 1.3. Research Methods in Social Psychology 2. Perception and Social Cognition 2.1. Formation of Impressions 2.2. Attributions 2.3. Schemas 2.4. Self-fulfilling Prophecy 3. Relation of Self and the Society 3.1. Self-concept 3.2. Self-esteem 3.3. Social Comparison theory 3.4. Self-presentation 4. Attitudes in Relation to Social Responses 4.1. Reinforcement 4.2. Learning processes 4.3. Cognitive dissonance 5. Prejudice and Social Influence 5.1. Prejudice, stereotypes, and discrimination 5.2. Theories of prejudice 5.3. Reducing prejudice 5.4. Conformity, compliance, and obedience 6. Social Interaction and Attraction 6.1. Interpersonal attraction 6.2. Interdependence theory 2 Date: 8/20/2012
6.3. Social exchange theory 6.4. Self-disclosure 7. Structure and Influence of Groups 7.1. Social facilitation 7.2. Social loafing 7.3. Social impact theory 7.4. Groupthink 8. Theories of Gender 8.1. Gender 8.2. Gender identity 8.3. Gender roles 9. Social Behavior Part 1 9.1. Pro-social behavior 9.2. Altruism 9.3. Bystander effect 10. Social Behavior Part 2 10.1. Aggression 10.2. Media violence 10.3. Sexual harassment Course Objectives 1. Analyze a given scenario on the basis of various social psychology theories. 2. Compare the advantages and disadvantages of correlational and experimental research designs. 3. Evaluate the impact of and interactions between self and society. 4. Apply various cognitive processes to social interactions. 5. Determine the attitude of a person by analyzing his/her response to different situations. 6. Analyze the cognitive bases of prejudice and discrimination. 7. Analyze the ways by which social influence alters or shapes behavior. 8. Analyze the social psychological nature of personal relationships and the dynamics of interpersonal attraction. 9. Apply various theories of gender to explain social situations. 10. Differentiate between pro-social and anti-social behavior. 11. Within groups prepare oral and visual presentations on selected topics using information from the ITT Tech Virtual Library. 3 Date: 8/20/2012
Learning Materials and References Required Resources Textbook Package New to this Course Carried over from Previous Course(s) Required for Subsequent Course(s) Taylor, S.E., Peplau, L.A., & Sears, D.O. (2006). Social psychology (12 th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Publishing. ITT Tech Virtual Library Login to the ITT Tech Virtual Library (http://library.itt-tech.edu/)to access online books, journals, and other reference resources selected to support ITT Tech curricula. Recommended Resources The following books are related to this course and are available through the ITT Tech Virtual Library > Books > Ebrary: Albarracin, D., Johnson, B.T., & Zanna, M.P. (2005). Handbook of attitudes. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Ashmore, R.D., Jussim, L.J., & Wilder, D. (2001). Social identity, intergroup conflict, and conflict reduction. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. Augoustinos, M. (2001). Understanding prejudice, racism, and social conflict. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications Ltd. Bell, D. (2001). Introduction to cybercultures. New York, NY: Routledge. Correia, M.C., & Bannon, I. (2006). Other half of gender: Men's issues in development. Washington DC: World Bank. Fishbein, H.D. (2002). Peer prejudice and discrimination: The origins of prejudice. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Graner Ray, S. (2002). Gender inclusive game design. Hingham, MA: Charles River Media. Greenwood, J. (2003). Disappearance of the social in American social psychology. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press. Jean Piaget Society, Meeting Staff, Lightfoot, C., & LaLonde, C.A. (2004). Changing conceptions of psychological life. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. 4 Date: 8/20/2012
Kasulis, T.P. (2002). Intimacy or integrity: Philosophy & cultural difference. Honolulu, HI: University of Hawaii Press. Lang, F.R., Fingerman, K.L., Fitzpatrick, M.A. (2003). Growing together: Personal relationships across the life span. NY: Cambridge University Press. McAdams, D.P. (2005). Redemptive self: Stories Americans live by. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. Riding, R.J., & Rayner, S.G. (2001). Self perception. Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group. Weisel, D.L. (2002). Contemporary gangs: An organizational analysis. New York, NY: LFB Scholarly Publishing. Wyer, R.S., Bodenhauseb, G.V., Lambert, A.J. (2003). Foundations of social cognition. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Zahavi, D., & Grunbaum, T. (2004). Structure and development of self-consciousness: interdisciplinary perspectives. Philadelphia, PA: John Benjamins Publishing Company. Zimmerman, B.J., & Schunk, D.H. (2001). Self-regulated learning and academic achievement: Theoretical perspectives. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. The following journals are related to this course and are available through the ITT Tech Virtual Library>Periodicals>EbscoHost Academic Search Elite Annual Review of Psychology Annual Review of Sociology Journal of Social Psychology NOTE: All links are subject to change without prior notice. Information Search Research methodology Social cognition Social perception Social interaction The Self Attitudes Prejudice Interpersonal relationships Gender 5 Date: 8/20/2012
Aggression Prosocial behavior 6 Date: 8/20/2012
Course Plan Suggested Learning Approach In this course, you will be studying individually and within a group of your peers. As you work on the course deliverables, you are encouraged to share ideas with your peers and instructor, work collaboratively on projects and team assignments, raise critical questions, and provide constructive feedback. Use the following advice to receive maximum learning benefits from your participation in this course: DO DON T Do take a proactive learning approach. Do share your thoughts on critical issues and potential problem solutions. Do plan your course work in advance. Do explore a variety of learning resources in addition to the textbook. Do offer relevant examples from your experience. Do make an effort to understand different points of view. Do connect concepts explored in this course to real-life professional situations and your own experiences. Don t assume there is only one correct answer to a question. Don t be afraid to share your perspective on the issues analyzed in the course. Don t be negative about the points of view that are different from yours. Don t underestimate the impact of collaboration on your learning. Don t limit your course experience to reading the textbook. Don t postpone your work on the course deliverables work on small assignment components every day. 7 Date: 8/20/2012
Course Outline Unit 1: THE BASICS OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY Define social psychology and distinguish it from related fields that study human social behavior. Discuss the theoretical and historical roots of social psychology. Explain how experimenter and subject biases can distort research findings, and discuss solutions to these problems. Explain the informed consent, debriefing, and minimal risk guidelines for ethical research. Assignment Unit 1 Assignment 1: Ethical Issues and Chapter 1 Potential Sources of Bias in Research Design Unit 1 Assignment 2: Comparing and Contrasting the Theoretical Perspectives of Social Psychology Unit 2: PERCEPTION AND SOCIAL COGNITION Describe the kinds of information and processes that are important in forming impressions of other people. Describe the fundamental attribution error, the actor-observer effect, the false consensus effect, and the self-serving attributional bias, and explain why they occur. Define social cognition. Define schemas and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of schematic processing. Define heuristics and describe how the heuristic strategies of representativeness, availability, simulation, and anchoring and adjustment are used for making judgments. 8 Date: 8/20/2012
Assignment Unit 2 Assignment 1: Self-Fulfilling pp. 33 42 and pp. 53 59 Prophecy pp. 64 78 and pp. 82 90 Unit 3: RELATION OF THE SELF AND SOCIETY Define the self and distinguish between the self-concept and self-esteem. Describe how beliefs about our current and hoped-for selves are represented in memory, and discuss the emotional consequences of self-discrepancies. Describe social comparison theory, and indicate when people would engage in upward or in downward comparisons. Give examples of effective and ineffective strategies of self-presentation. Chapter 4 Assignment Unit 3 Assignment 1: Social Comparisons Unit 3 Assignment 2: Assimilation Unit 3 Assignment 3: The Self Unit 3 Assignment 4: Persuasive Advertising Quiz Unit 3 Quiz 1 5% Unit 4: ATTITUDES IN RELATION TO SOCIAL RESPONSES Define attitude, and describe its components. Discuss how basic learning processes, including association, reinforcement, and imitation, can determine a person s attitudes towards an object. 9 Date: 8/20/2012
Define cognitive dissonance, and indicate the conditions under which dissonance after a decision is the greatest. Explain the difference between systematic and heuristic processing, and indicate the conditions under which a person is likely to use each. Discuss how the communicator, the communication, the target of communication, and aspects of the situation, such as forewarning and distraction can influence a person s response to a persuasive message. Assignment Unit 4 Assignment 1: Change My Mind Chapter 5 Unit 4 Assignment 2: Attitudes Unit 4 Assignment 3: Sweet Talking the Kids Project Project Part 1: Project Plan 5% (PORTFOLIO) Unit 5: PREJUDICE AND SOCIAL INFLUENCE Define and distinguish between stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination. Describe the consequences of prejudice for its victims, including the effects of stereotype threat and attributional ambiguity. Explain and describe various theories of prejudice, including social learning, the psychodynamic approach, and intergroup competition, as well as the cognitive bases of prejudice. Describe various approaches to reducing prejudice, including socialization, intergroup contact, and recategorization approaches, and indicate the conditions under which these are most likely to be effective. Define and contrast the concepts of conformity, compliance, and obedience. Assignment Unit 5 Assignment 1: Blue and Brown 10 Date: 8/20/2012
Chapters 6-7 Eyes Revisited Unit 5 Assignment 2: Intergroup Conflict Unit 5 Assignment 3: The Milgram Experiment Unit 6: SOCIAL INTERACTION AND ATTRACTION Describe the social needs satisfied by interpersonal relationships. Explain the Interdependence Theory and explain the various levels it contains. Explain the basic presumptions of Social Exchange Theory and discuss the limitations of the economic approach to social relations. Describe the characteristics and hazards of self-disclosure and the important role self-disclosure plays in relationships. Explain four possible responses to dissatisfaction in a relationship. Out-ofclass graded work) Assignment Unit 6 Assignment 1: The Pairing Game Chapters 8-9 Unit 6 Assignment 2: What Would You Do? Unit 6 Assignment 3: If You Like Pina Coladas Quiz Unit 6 Quiz 2 5% 11 Date: 8/20/2012
Unit 7: STRUCTURE AND INFLUENCE OF GROUPS Define social facilitation, social inhibition, social loafing, and social compensation, and indicate the conditions in which each is likely to occur. Describe the basic principles of social impact theory. Discuss the impact of group polarization and groupthink on decision making. Assignment Unit 7 Assignment 1: Case Study -- Chapter 10 Rush Presentation Unit 7 Assignment 2: Lost on the Moon Unit 7 Assignment 3: Gender Role Stereotypes in Everyday Life Unit 8: THEORIES OF GENDER Define gender typing, gender stereotype, and gender roles. Define gender identity and describe some of the milestones in its development. Describe classic and modern conceptualizations of masculinity, femininity, and androgyny, and indicate consequences of these personal beliefs about the self for physical and mental health. Describe four theoretical perspectives on the causes of sex differences. Describe how gender roles have changed over time and what differences still exist in our society. Assignment Unit 8 Assignment 1: Gender Bias in the pp. 334 347, pp. Workplace 12 Date: 8/20/2012
363 369 Unit 8 Assignment 2: Gender Roles in Marriage Project Project Part 2: Literature Review (PORTFOLIO) 5% Unit 9: SOCIAL BEHAVIOR-PART I Distinguish between altruism and prosocial behavior. Explain how the evolutionary perspective, the sociocultural perspective, and the learning perspective explain helping behavior. Describe the steps in Latane and Darley s decision-making model of helping, and indicate what can prevent helping from occurring at each step. Describe how attribution theory, as well as mood, empathy, personal distress, personality characteristics, and gender influence helping. Define the bystander effect and explain why it occurs. pp. 374 389 and pp. 391 395 Assignment Project Unit 9 Assignment 1: The Boating Scenario Unit 9 Assignment 2: Case Study: The Death of Princess Diana Unit 9 Assignment 3: Bystander Intervention Project Part 3: White Paper Draft (PORTFOLIO) Quiz Unit 9 Quiz 3 5% 4% 13 Date: 8/20/2012
Unit 10: SOCIAL BEHAVIOR PART II Define aggression and distinguish between subtypes of aggression and between aggression and anger. Describe the learning perspective on aggression. Discuss the effect of social norms, fear of punishment or retaliation, learned inhibition of aggression, displacement, and catharsis on aggressive behavior. Summarize the results of laboratory studies, correlational studies, and field experiments on the effects of media violence on aggression. Describe the prevalence and determinants of various forms of intimate violence such as spousal abuse, child abuse, rape, and sexual harassment, and discuss sex differences in perceptions of these crimes. Assignment Unit 10 Assignment 1: Defining Chapter 13 Aggression Unit 10 Assignment 2: Aggression and Social Norms Unit 11: COURSE REVIEW, FINAL EXAM, AND PROJECT PRESENTATIONS 7 hours No readings assigned graded work) Exam Final Exam 15% Project Presentation Project Part 4: Final White Paper (PORTFOLIO) Project Part 5: Student Presentations 15% 15% Note: Your instructor may add a few learning activities that will change the grade allocation for each assignment in a category. The overall category percentages will not change. 14 Date: 8/20/2012
Evaluation and Grading Evaluation Criteria The graded assignments will be evaluated using the following weighted categories: Category Weight Assignment 26% Project 29% Presentation 15% Quiz 15% Exam 15% TOTAL 100% Conversion The final grades will be calculated from the percentages earned in the course, as follows: Percentage Credit A 90 100% 4.0 B+ 85 89% 3.5 B 80 84% 3.0 C+ 75 79% 2.5 C 70 74% 2.0 D+ 65 69% 1.5 D 60 64% 1.0 F <60% 0.0 Academic Integrity All students must comply with the policies that regulate all forms of academic dishonesty, or academic misconduct, including plagiarism, self-plagiarism, fabrication, deception, cheating, and sabotage. For more information on the academic honesty policies, refer to the Student Handbook and the Course Catalog. 15 Date: 8/20/2012
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