HECOL 210 Intimate Relationships

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Monday, Wednesday @ 9:00 a.m. – 11:50 a.m. (MS 227) 9 May 2016 – 15 June 2016

Instructor: Matt Johnson, PhD Office: 339 Human Ecology Building E-mail: [email protected] Office Hours: by appointment

Phone: (780) 492-5008

Policy about course outlines can be found in 23.4(2) of the University Calendar.

Course Description

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 articulate the basic concepts related to various couple therapy modalities

• 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

Required Text

Bradbury, T. N., & Karney, B. R. (2014). Intimate Relationships (2^nd ed.). New York: W. W. Norton & Company.

Additional Course Fees

There are no additional course fees.

Technology

This course has an E-class page available through Moodle. This page contains links to the reading quizzes for each textbook chapter, class handouts that the student is responsible for having access to during the lecture, and course power points that will be posted for the lectures.

There is also a general forum on Moodle for questions related to assignments or exams. Questions must be posted there so all students have access to the same information from the professor. Questions will be responded to within 2 business days, and questions posted less than 2 business days until the assignment is due or the exam is scheduled to take place will not be answered.

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Laptops are permitted for note taking only during class. Although there is compelling evidence their use is associated with shallower information processing and less retention of information than hand-written notes (e.g., Mueller & Oppenheimer, 2014).

Audio or video recording 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 the approved accommodation plan. Recorded material 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 instructor.

Email Policy

I welcome communication via email for quick questions (other than those related to assignments or exams, which must be posted to the forum). Please, refer to the syllabus prior to sending an email, as the answer to your question may be located there. I will respond to all emails within 2 business days. For lengthier questions, please come to office hours or make an appointment.

Additionally, students need to regularly check their U of A email for communications from the professor. If I have an emergency and need to cancel class, email will be the mechanism for communicating this information.

Late Work Policy

Late work is not accepted in this course and any assignment not completed as designated in the course outline will result in no credit for that assignment. In the case of illness or serious personal/family issue, an alternate assignment will be offered. This alternate assignment will entail either constructing a detailed outline of the textbook chapter or a research report on a topic of the instructor’s choosing.

Course Requirements

Reading Quizzes (20% weight)

There are 13 reading quizzes posted on the Moodle site that correspond to each chapter in the textbook. All questions on the quizzes will be based in the material from the text. Each quiz closes at midnight on the day they are due (the course schedule contains the day each quiz is to be completed). Question format will range from true/false, multiple choice, and matching. You are to work alone on the quizzes and feel free to use your textbook.

If it comes to the instructors’ attention that answers are being shared, investigation and reporting procedures for academic dishonesty will be initiated. The quizzes will be timed, with 30 minutes being allotted for each quiz.

Mid-Term Exam (35% weight)

The mid-term exam will cover all lecture and reading material through May 30. The exam may consist of true/false, matching, multiple choice, short answer, and essay questions. Additional details concerning the exam will be provided prior to the exam.

Please Note: Any student who is unable to write the mid-term exam will have the weight of that exam added to the final exam.

Final Exam (45% weight)

The final exam will cover all course material. The exam may consist of true/false, matching, multiple choice, short answer, and essay questions. This exam is scheduled for June 16, 2016 at 11:30 a.m. at a location to be announced later in the semester. Additional details concerning the exam will be provided prior to the exam.

Grading Scale

Evaluation of exams and assignments is expressed in raw marks 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.

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3 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.

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 in this respect. Students are particularly urged to familiarize themselves with the provisions of the Code of Student Behaviour (online at www.ualberta.ca/secretariat/appeals.htm) and avoid any behaviour which could potentially result in suspicions of cheating, plagiarism, misrepresentation of facts and/or participation in an offence.

Academic dishonesty is a serious offence and can result in suspension or expulsion from the University.” (GFC, 2003)

Code of Student Behaviour

“All students at the University of Alberta are subject to the Code of Student Behaviour, as outlined at:

http://www.governance.ualberta.ca/en/CodesofConductandResidenceCommunityStandards/CodeofStudentBehavio ur.aspx. Please familiarize yourself with it 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.”

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Course Schedule

Day Assignments

Monday, May 9 Detailed Explanation of the Syllabus Why Study Intimate Relationships?

Chapter 1: Why Study Intimate Relationships? – pg. 1-32

Chapter 1 Quiz Closes at Midnight Wednesday, May 11 Methods for Studying Intimate Relationships

Chapter 2: Tools of Relationship Science – pg. 33-81 Evolutionary Psychology and Attachment Theory

Chapter 3: Theoretical Frameworks – pg. 82-103

Chapter 2 Quiz Closes at Midnight

Monday, May 16 Social Exchange Theory, Social Learning Theory, and Ecological Theories

Chapter 3: Theoretical Frameworks – pg. 103-130 Men and Women, Same-Sex Couples

Chapter 4: Men and Women, Gay and Straight – pg. 131-170

Wednesday, May 18 Attraction, and Mate Selection

Chapter 5: Attraction and Mate Selection – pg. 171-210 Commitment

Monday, May 23 No Class – Victoria Day Chapter 5 Quiz

Closes at Midnight Wednesday, May 25 Personality and Individual Factors, Personal History

Chapter 6: Personality and Personal History – pg. 211-236

Chapter 6 Quiz Closes at Midnight Monday, May 30 Communication and Maintaining Intimate Relationships

Chapter 7: Communicating Closeness – pg. 237-261

Wednesday, June 1 In-Class Exam

Beliefs and Values About Intimate Relationships Chapter 9: Beliefs and Values – pg. 298-335

Mid-Term Exam

Chapter 9 Quiz Closes at Midnight Monday, June 6 Conflict Resolution and Aggression in Intimate

Relationships

Chapter 8: Managing Differences – pg. 262-297

Chapter 8 Quiz Closes at Midnight Wednesday, June 8 Construction of Meaning In Intimate Relationships

Chapter 10: Understanding Each Other – pg. 336-372

Chapter 10 Quiz Closes at Midnight Monday, June 13 Stress and Social Support

Chapter 11: Relationships in Context – pg. 373-415

Chapter 11 Quiz Closes at Midnight Wednesday, June 15 Case Study of Relationship Distress

Chapter 12: Improving Relationships – pg. 416-452 Happiness or Dissolution

Chapter 12 Quiz Closes at Midnight Thursday, June 16 11:30 a.m. – Location To Be Announced Final Exam

*This schedule is subject to changes.*