HECOL 210: Intimate Relationships Section A1
Fall 2018
Instructor: Jamin Blatter, Ph.D.
Office: BS P-343
Office hours: R 1:00-2:30 (or by appointment)
Email: [email protected] (preferred, please put HECOL 210 or Intimate Relationships in the subject somewhere and see email policy below)
Phone: 780-492-3822
Class location: ECHA 2 490
Class time: TR 11:00am-12:20pm
Course website: accessible through e-class on the University homepage
Required text:
Bradbury, T. N., & Karney, B. R. (2014). Intimate Relationships (Second Edition). New York: W. W.
Norton & Company.
Course description and learning objectives:
This course explores the most current research and theory in the field of intimate relationships, emphasizing the contextual factors, intrapersonal variables, and interpersonal processes that contribute to relationship failure or success. Students will be exposed to a variety of topics related to intimate
relationships, including attraction, communication, commitment, and conflict. The course also incorporates an experiential component, facilitating exploration and analysis of personal beliefs concerning intimate relationships and the development of communication/problem solving skills.
Course Objectives:
• To appreciate the importance of intimate relationships for individuals, children, and society
• To articulate the basic tenants of the influential theories used to understand intimate relationships
• To evaluate knowledge/advice concerning intimate relationships based on methodological rigor
• To understand the magnitude of the differences between men and women and the key areas where sex differences arise within an intimate relationship
• To identify the key intrapersonal and interpersonal processes within intimate relationships and the impact of these processes on intimate relationships
• To understand the ways that contextual factors influence intimate relationships
• To understand the ways that intimate relationships develop within a particular couple and across the lifespan
• To develop research-based communication and problem solving skills for intimate relationships
Please note: In this course, we will discuss several examples of social behavior that may be unpleasant and/or controversial (e.g., intimate partner violence, aggression, stereotyping/prejudice, conflict and divorce, deception, rape, gender roles, evolutionary psychology, politics, and so forth).
Additionally, discussions of the theories and empirical research may challenge your pre-existing beliefs about social behavior. Some students might find these topics or discussions uncomfortable or anxiety provoking. Nevertheless, all students will be responsible for all required topics, lectures, readings, assignments, and activities. I encourage concerned students to review the readings and slides in advance, so that they can anticipate the presentation of material they may find discomforting.
Hopefully, by the end of the term, you will have the skills to (1) identify and describe the core theories and concepts involved in relationships research, (2) interpret, critically evaluate, and discuss scientific research on relationships, (3) collaborate with others to apply the findings from the literature to experiences from your daily life, and (4) recognize and apply this knowledge to the real world and your everyday life.
Lecture:
Two 80-minute lectures are scheduled for each week and the entire class period will be devoted to lecture. The purpose of the lectures is not to repeat the material covered in the text. Instead, I will be introducing, clarifying, and elaborating on material about relationships, some of it in the text, but not all. I will also be using class activities, demonstrations, video clips, as well as examples from published
research, and real life applications to supplement the text material. All of this material, in addition to the material in the text, readings, and lecture notes, is eligible to be covered on the exams.
The power point slides will be posted prior to each class, but these slides may be incomplete. That is, some of the definitions, descriptions, and examples discussed during class may not appear in the posted notes. In addition, descriptions of class activities, demonstrations, and video clips (and how they may be relevant to the course material) will also not be posted. Allowing access to the slides is used to facilitate and supplement note taking, not eliminate it. Therefore, although students are encouraged to print and read the lecture notes before attending class if they wish, these activities will not be a sufficient
alternative for attending class.If you miss lecture for any reason, you are strongly encouraged to not only review the lecture notes posted online, but also to (a) meet with another student to go through the notes and catch up on any supplemental material not included in the notes, and (b) attend office hours with the instructor to go over any questions or to clarify anything regarding the missed lecture. I will not simply administer the completed lecture slides via email if a student misses class. Therefore, completed lecture slides will not be given out for any reason. Nor will I re-administer a lecture (in whole or in part) during office hours for a student who misses class. If you miss a lecture, you are welcome to come to office hours to ask specific questions, but I will not give a private lecture for missed classes.
Lecture time is limited, so you will be responsible for a great deal of the information in the text on your own. Just because it hasn’t been explicitly covered in lecture does not mean that it won’t be on the exam. Many students will find it helpful to complete the readings from the text before attending lecture. The tentative outline for the course, including exam dates and chapters of the text covered each week is as follows:
Tentative* Class Schedule:
Date Lecture # Topics Covered Chapters from
Text Sept. 4th 1 Orientation to the Course;
Introduction
- Sept. 6th 2 Introduction to Relationship
Science
1 Sept. 11th 3 Introduction to Relationship
Science; Research Methods
-
Sept. 13th 4 Research Methods 2
Sept. 18th 5 Research Methods; Social Cognition
9
Sept. 20th 6 Social Cognition 10
Sept. 25th 7 Social Cognition; Attraction 5
Sept. 27th 8 Attraction -
Oct. 2nd - Exam 1 Lectures 1-8 and readings
Oct. 4th 9 Communication 7
Oct. 9th 10 Communication -
Oct. 11th 11 Communication; Interdependency 3
Oct. 16th 12 Interdependency -
Oct. 18th 13 Interdependency; Love 4
Oct. 23rd 14 Love -
Oct. 25th 15 Love -
Oct. 30th - Exam 2 Lectures 9-15 and
readings
Nov. 1st 16 Stress & Strains 11
Nov. 6th 17 Stress & Strains; Conflict -
Nov. 8th 18 Conflict 8
Nov. 13th - No Class
Reading Week
-
Nov. 15th - No Class
Reading Week
-
Nov. 20th 19 Conflict; Dissolution & Loss 6
Nov. 22nd 20 Dissolution & Loss -
Nov. 27th 21 Guest lecture: Sexual Assault Center
- Nov. 29th 22 Dissolution & Loss; Maintaining &
Repairing
12
Dec. 4th 23 Maintaining & Repairing -
Dec. 6th 24 Maintaining & Repairing; Room to Catch Up...
13
Dec. 14th - Final Exam
9:00 am
Lectures 16-24 and readings/partially
cumulative
*This is a tentative schedule and may be subject to change. The instructor reserves the right to make changes to this schedule as the course progresses. Any changes made to the chapters/topics covered will be announced to the class.
Exams (see learning objectives 1, 2, and 4):
Students are responsible for all lecture, text, assigned readings, and course material. In addition, any content covered in a demonstration/activity completed in class, or in any videos played in class is eligible to be covered on the exams. Thus, attending class is essential to success in this course. The instructor will not answer questions regarding what content students should focus on for the tests. All material listed above is eligible for testing. It is up to the students to decide what they should spend more time reviewing.
There are three exams: Two midterm exams (each worth 25% of the final grade) and one final exam (worth 35% of the final grade). The midterm exams will not be cumulative. That is, they will only cover the lectures and course material covered in the weeks before that exam (which will be roughly one third of the material for each exam; see class schedule). Thus, Exam 2 will only cover material covered since Exam 1. However, the Final Exam will be partially cumulative and cover material from the entire course.
Approximately half of the questions will focus exclusively on material covered since Exam 2, and the other half will be based on material covered from the entire course. The Final Exam is scheduled by the University exams office, and has a tentative date of Friday, December 14th at 9:00 am(note: students must verify the date and time on Bear Tracks when the Final Exam Schedule is posted). You will have the full class period (roughly 80 minutes for the midterm exams and 3 hours for the final) to complete each exam. The exams will consist of some combination of multiple-choice, fill in the blank,
true/false, matching, and/or short and/or long answer questions. The emphasis of the exams will be on conceptual, definitional, and application questions. Students should know the material in three ways: (1) understand the technical language, (2) be able to word it in ordinary language, and (3) be able to
recognize and apply it to the real world. Students should also be familiar with the names of key
researchers in the area, and be able to link these researchers to the theories and studies with which they are associated. Sample questions will be posted on e-class prior to each exam.
Importantly, if you miss Exam 1 or Exam 2, you must contact the instructor within 24 hours of the exam date (i.e., for Exam 1 you must contact the instructor via email no later than 11:20 am on October 3rd) in order to have the weight of the exam transferred to the final. However, a student may only transfer the weight of 1 missed exam. If a student misses both midterms, they will receive a zero on the second midterm, and the weight will be transferred for the first. FAILURE TO CONTACT THE INSTRUCTOR WITHIN THE ALLOTTED TIME FRAME WILL RESULT IN A ZERO ON THE EXAM.
For an excused absence where the cause is religious belief, a student must contact the instructor within two weeks of the start of Fall or Winter classes to request accommodation for the term. Instructors may request adequate documentation to substantiate the student request. Deferral of term work or tests is a privilege and not a right; there is no guarantee that a deferral will be granted. Misrepresentation of facts to get a deferral is a serious breach of the Code of Student Behavior.
In addition, students are expected to take the final exam as scheduled (see above for tentative date).
Students have access to their final exam schedule through Bear Tracks and on the Registrar’s website well in advance. Multiple exams and/or closely scheduled final exams are not valid excuses for a deferral of one or more final exams. A student who cannot take the final exam due to incapacitating illness, severe domestic affliction, or other compelling reasons must apply for a deferral through their Faculty Office since that exam is scheduled during the Final Examination Period. Students who failed at the start of the term to request exam accommodations for religious beliefs are expected to follow the normal deferral process. Such an application must be made to the student’s Faculty Office within 48 hours of the missed examination and must be supported by a Statutory Declaration (in lieu of a medical statement form) or other appropriate documentation (see what to do when you're sick). Deferred examinations are a privilege and not a right; there is no guarantee that a deferred examination will be granted. Misrepresentation of facts to gain a deferred examination is a serious breach of the Code of Student Behavior.
If a student is granted a deferral for the Final Exam (with a valid reason), the deferred exam will be cumulative, and will consist entirely of short and long answer questions. The deferred examination will be held on Friday, January 11th at 2:00 pm in BS P-343.
Your student photo ID is required at exams to verify your identity. Students will not be allowed to begin a test after it has been in progress for 30 minutes, and students must remain in the classroom until at least 30 minutes has elapsed. Electronic equipment cannot be brought into testing classrooms and hats should not be worn.
Class participation assignments (worth 15%; see learning objectives 1, 2, and 3):
This course is designed to be highly interactive, including class discussions and a variety of activities.
There are class participation assignments randomly assigned throughout the course. These assignments will be completed within the class period and must be handed in to the instructor with the student’s name and ID on it at the end of that class. Grading for these activities will be based on evidence that the assignment was fully completed, with serious thought given to the subject.
Students will only be allowed one attempt per activity and must be present in class as well as prepared to hand in their responses by the end of the given class (i.e., it is the student’s responsibility to bring paper and something to write with to each class). Late activities will not be accepted for any reason.
Any late submissions (after the end of the class period) will automatically be granted a grade of zero. If students have questions about their performance on these activities, they should see the instructor during office hours.
Students will be allowed to miss up to 2 class participation activities for whatever reason without penalty (or their grade being affected). This also means that if students receive a poor score on an activity (up to 2), they will have the opportunity to make it up by completing the additional activity(ies), and therefore not have that poor score count towards the final grade. Thus, the best activity scores for each student after dropping the lowest 2 will count towards this 15% portion of their final grade.
The class participation activities may be based on lecture, the textbook, or some combination of the two. Therefore, it is in students’ best interest to be sure to both attend lecture as well as keep up with the readings in the textbook. In addition, some activities may require you to work with other students in small group discussions, however, each student will be responsible for handing in their own work for credit.
Grading:
Exam 1: 25% Final grades will be reported using letter grades. Final grades will be determined after combining scores for all components of the course into a percentage total for each student. These percentages will then be converted into letter grades based on the following conversion system*:
Exam 2: 25%
Final Exam: 35%
Class Participation Activities:
15%
--- --- Total: 100%
*Note: There is no possibility of a reexamination in this course.
Grading scale:
Evaluation of exams and assignments is expressed in raw points throughout the term. A final, cumulative score is translated into a letter grade based on the university four-point grading system (see below). Assignment of final grades is based on a combination of absolute achievement and relative performance in this course.
Excellent:
The student has demonstrated excellent understanding of course content.
A+ Outstanding: The student has demonstrated an extraordinary grasp of the course content and performance reflects creativity and innovation, in addition to a high level of analytical ability.
A Excellent: The student has demonstrated superior understanding of the course content and a high level of analytical ability.
A- The student has demonstrated superior understanding of the course content, but has not shown the same level of analytical ability as students receiving an A.
Good:
The student has demonstrated a sound understanding of course content.
B+ The student has demonstrated a sound understanding of course material, with superior understanding being evident in some topics.
B The student has demonstrated a uniformly sound understanding of course material.
B- The student has demonstrated a generally sound understanding of course material, but there are some areas in which depth of understanding is limited.
Satisfactory/Adequate:
The student has demonstrated awareness of course content.
C+ The student has demonstrated adequate awareness of course content with sound understanding of some topics.
C The student has demonstrated adequate awareness of all of the central dimensions of the course.
C- The student has demonstrated adequate awareness of most of the central dimensions of the course, but lacks knowledge of one or two topics.
Poor D+ The student has demonstrated a lack of knowledge in one or more of the central dimensions of the course, and has very superficial understanding of most topics.
Minimal Pass D The student’s performance is only minimally acceptable due to a lack of understanding of several central dimensions of course content.
Fail F The student has demonstrated a lack of knowledge of most of the course content.
*Note: This is not a curved course and this is a guideline. Midterm exams, class participation activities, and final exam grades will be posted under “My Grades” on e-class. Neither the midterms, final exams, nor class activities will be passed back to the students. Should students wish to see their exams, they may view it during the exam viewings (to be scheduled at a later date) or during office hours. Grades are unofficial until approved by the Department and/or Faculty offering the course.
Missing a significant portion of the course work will result in a “1” being applied to your final letter grade on your transcript (e.g., a student may receive a C1, indicating that they received a C and missed
significant course work). This notation will be applied to the grades of any students who meet any of the following criteria:
1. Have an unexcused absence from any of the exams, and/or 2. Fails to complete at least half of the class participation activities
Re-Grading: If you believe that there is a grading error for one of your tests, or class participation activities, you must complete a Re-grading Request Form (available on the course website) where you will have an opportunity to outline the perceived error and refer to any evidence (e.g., reference to a statement from the readings, or a particular lecture slide). Students will submit completed forms via email to the instructor whose decision will be final (e.g., there is no guarantee that submitting a form will result in an increase in score, and may actually result in a decrease if an error is found). Any requests for reviewing or re-grading any questions on assignments or tests must be received before the end of the last day of classes (i.e., by 5 pm on December 6th).
Grade reporting:
Grades are submitted electronically through BearTracks. Details for accessing will follow later in the term.
Additional considerations…
Office hours:
Students are welcomed and encouraged to attend office hours. Appointments will only be made with students who cannot attend office hours. If your class schedule prevents you from attending the scheduled office hours, you should (a) log on to Bear Tracks and go to your schedule, (b) hit ALT Prt Scr, and paste the page into a Word document, and then (c) attach that document to the email requesting a meeting.
Students should feel free to ask questions during class and/or immediately before or after class. If you are having trouble understanding the course material, please see the instructor well in advance of the exams.
Waiting until the last minute is an unwise strategy, as I am unable to help those students that do not take the initiative.
Also, a note about emailing questions: Students are encouraged to read through their syllabus and lecture notes before asking their questions to determine whether they can find the answer on their own before emailing the instructor. Also, the instructor will answer only brief and succinct questions regarding material via email. If your question is even somewhat intricate/complex, or if you have more than a couple of questions, please see me during office hours or before/after class. Questions sent via email should also be as specific as possible, so I can give an appropriate response quickly.
Students who email vague, nonspecific, complex, or otherwise unclear questions or comments (e.g., “I don’t understand relationships”) will be encouraged to attend office hours.
Additionally, it would be useful for students to be clear about what specific aspect of the material they do not understand. So, rather than emailing something vague (e.g., “I don’t understand
relationships”) students should first tell me what you know about the topic and then ask your specific question. This policy will result in the ability of the instructor to respond to all students in a timely manner as well as not waste my time or yours providing information about things you already understand.
Note on email etiquette: In writing any email to the instructor, students will be required to include the following information if they desire a response:
1. The student’s first and last name 2. Their student ID number
3. The course number/name
4. If requesting a meeting outside office hours, at least 2 time windows you would be available to meet.
Failure to include this information may result in the email going unanswered. The instructor teaches more than one course, so not including this information makes it very difficult to get back to students accurately and in a timely fashion (aside from the fact that not including your name – or a greeting – in an email is disrespectful to the recipient).
Furthermore, any emails (anonymous or otherwise) sent to the instructor that are disrespectful, aggressive, hostile, or harassing in nature will be reported to the department and will be investigated for violations of the Student Code of Conduct. Any students found to be in violation of the code will be disciplined accordingly. Disrespectful behavior (including emails) will not be tolerated.
Absence from class or exams, and missed work:
Regular attendance is essential for optimal performance in any course. In cases of potentially excusable absences due to illness or domestic affliction, notify the instructor by e-mail within two days.
Regarding absences that may be excusable and procedures for addressing course components missed as a result, consult the sections of the University Calendar regarding Attendance and Examinations.
Be aware that unexcused absences will result in partial or total loss of the grade for the “attendance and participation” component(s) of a course, as well as for any assignments that are not
handed-in or completed as a result.
Note: In this course, students are given the option of transferring the weight of one exam to the final for one of the two midterms and still earn 100% (i.e., an A+) in the course. Additionally, students are allowed to miss up to 2 class participation activities without penalty (see those specific sections of this syllabus for details). These procedures are in place to take care of various circumstances that students might find themselves in (including, but not limited to, adding the class late, illness,
forgetfulness, computer issues); that is, students have been accommodated for these circumstances in advance. Unfortunately, if you miss more than the allowed number of exams or class participation activities, then it will start to affect your grade, and I cannot accommodate you more than this. There has to be a minimum amount of work that everyone is responsible for completing in order to achieve the same grade/credit for this course. To offer further accommodation would be unfair to the other students in the class. Therefore, extensions or additional accommodations for missed work will not be granted beyond that already outlined for each course component.
Classroom etiquette:
Students are expected to behave appropriately during class, reflecting respect for the instructor and their classmates. Students are expected to turn off or silence (not just vibrate setting) all cell phones, pagers, laptops, and music devices during class time. Laptops and tablets are only permitted for the purpose of note taking. Frequent talking or disruptions will not be tolerated. Students are free to ask questions during lecture, but please avoid discussing lecture material (or other topics) with other students during lecture time, except as part of a full-class discussion. Students who talk loudly or excessively
during class will either (a) be called on to answer questions regarding the lecture or text material, or (b) be asked to leave the lecture.
Note: Audio or video recording, digital or otherwise, of lectures, labs, seminars or any other teaching environment by students is allowed only with the prior written consent of the instructor or as a part of an approved accommodation plan. Student or instructor content, digital or otherwise, created and/or used within the context of the course is to be used solely for personal study, and is not to be used or distributed for any other purpose without prior written consent from the content author(s). This includes uploading course content to third party websites.
Student Success Centre:
Students who require additional help in developing strategies for better time management, study skills, or examination skills should contact the Student Success Centre (1-80 Students’ Union Building).
Writing assistance:
Any student experiencing difficulties, or requiring extra assistance for written assignments (in any course) of any kind, is encouraged to make use of the resources available through the University of Alberta’s Centre for Writers in Assiniboia Hall (for a complete list of available services and tutors, please see https://www.ualberta.ca/current-students/centre-for-writers/).
Student Accessibility Services:
Students who require accommodations in this course due to a disability affecting mobility, vision, hearing, learning, mental, or physical health are advised to contact Student Accessibility Services (SAS;
formerly SSDS) in SUB (1-80 Students’ Union Building; email [email protected]; phone 780-492- 3381) as soon as possible so that appropriate arrangements can be made. Accommodations can be made for both taking notes and taking exams. Students registered with Student Accessibility Services who will be using accommodations in the classroom are required to provide a “Letter of Introduction” to the instructor as soon as possible. Students are encouraged to make an appointment with the instructor to discuss any required accommodations. Those students who need accommodated exams must provide the instructor with an “Exam Instructions & Authorization” form one week prior to each exam.
Eligible students have both rights and responsibilities with regard to accessibility-related
accommodations. Students who take exams with accommodation are responsible for meeting the required SAS deadlines and regulations. Consequently, scheduling exam accommodations in accordance
with SAS deadlines and procedures is essential. Failing to meet SAS regulations will likely result in SAS being unable to provide the necessary services required. Should this happen, students will be invited to take their exams with their peers during the allotted time in the assigned room. Visit SAS for further information.
Academic integrity:
The University of Alberta is committed to the highest standards of academic integrity and honesty.
Students are expected to be familiar with these standards regarding academic honesty and to uphold the policies of the University of Alberta in this respect. Students are particularly urged to familiarize themselves with the provisions of the Code of Student Behavior and avoid any behavior that could potentially result in suspicions of cheating, plagiarism, misrepresentation of facts, and/or participation in an offense. Academic dishonesty is a serious offense and can result in suspension or expulsion from the University.
All forms of dishonesty are unacceptable at the University. Any offense will be reported to the Associate Dean who will determine the disciplinary action to be taken. Cheating, plagiarism, and misrepresentation of facts are serious offenses. Anyone who engages in these practices will receive, at minimum, a grade of zero for the exam or paper in question and no opportunity will be given to replace the grade or redistribute the weights. Additionally, the sanction for cheating on any examination may include a disciplinary failing grade and senior students should expect a period of suspension or expulsion
from the University of Alberta. All students should consult the information provided by the Office of Judicial Affairs regarding avoiding cheating and plagiarism in particular, and academic dishonesty in general (see the Academic Integrity Undergraduate Handbook and Information for Students). If in doubt about what is permitted in this class, ask the instructor.
Please familiarize yourself with the Code of Student Behavior and ensure that you do not participate in any inappropriate behavior as defined by the Code. Key components of the code include the following statements:
“30.3.2(1) No Student shall submit the words, ideas, images or data of another person as the Student’s own in any academic writing, essay, thesis, project, assignment, presentation or poster in a course or program of study.
30.3.2(2)c. No Student shall represent another’s substantial editorial or compositional assistance on an assignment as the Student’s own work.”
Academic honesty:
All students should consult the information provided by the Student Conduct and Accountability Office regarding avoiding cheating and plagiarism in particular and academic dishonesty in general. If in doubt about what is permitted in this class, ask the instructor.
An instructor or coordinator who is convinced that a student has handed in work that he or she could not possibly reproduce without outside assistance is obliged, out of consideration of fairness to other students, to report the case to the Associate Dean of the Faculty. See the Academic Discipline Process.
Before unpleasantness occurs, consult the appropriate resources and also discuss this matter with any tutor(s) and with your instructor.
Learning and working environment:
The University of Alberta is committed to ensuring that all students, faculty, and staff are able to work and study in an environment that is safe and free from discrimination and harassment. It does not tolerate behavior that undermines that environment. The department urges anyone who feel that this policy is being violated to:
1. Discuss the matter with the person whose behavior is causing concern; or
2. If that discussion is unsatisfactory, or there is concern that direct discussion is inappropriate or threatening, discuss it with the Chair of the department.
For additional advice or assistance regarding this policy, you may contact the Office of the Student Ombuds. Information about the University of Alberta Discrimination and Harassment Policy and Procedures is described in UAPPOL.
Final note (disclaimer):
Any errors (typographical or otherwise) in this Course Outline are subject to change and will be announced to the class. The date of the final examination is set by the Registrar and takes precedence over the final examination date reported in this syllabus.
Policy about course outlines can be found in the Evaluation Procedures and Grading System section of the University Calendar.
COPYRIGHT: © Dr. Jamin Blatter, Department of Human Ecology, Faculty of Agricultural, Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Alberta, 2018.
