PSYCO 241: Social Psychology Section X50
Winter 2018
Instructor: Jamin Blatter, Ph.D. Teaching Assistant: Elyse Runac
Office: BS P-347 Office: BS P-533
Office hours: M & W 11:00am-12:00pm Office hours: by appointment
(or by appointment) Email: [email protected] (preferred, please
Email: [email protected] (preferred, please put Psyco 241 or Social Psychology in the put Psyco 241 or Social Psychology in the subject subject somewhere and see email policy below) somewhere and see email policy below)
Phone: 780-492-0136
Class location: BS M-145
Class time: R 5:00-8:00 pm
Course website: accessible through e-class on the University homepage Required text:
Aronson, E., Wilson, T. D., Fehr, B., & Akert, R. M. (2017). Social Psychology (Sixth Canadian Edition).
Pearson Education Canada.
Course prerequisites:
PSYCO 104 or SCI 100, and PSYCO 105 (or equivalent as approved by the Psychology department).
Students who have not completed these prerequisites will not be given credit for completing PSYCO 241.
Course description and learning objectives:
Social psychology can be broadly defined as the scientific investigation of how peoples’
perceptions and behavior are influenced by their social environment. The objective of this course is to provide an introduction to the science of social psychology, highlighting the most influential theories and research in the field. In addition to examining the research methods used in historical and contemporary empirical investigations, this course will explore various research topics in social judgment (e.g., attitudes, social cognition), social influence (e.g., persuasion, conformity), and social relationships (e.g., altruism, close relationships, prejudice), with an emphasis on empirical studies. Hopefully, by the end of the term you will have the skills to (1) understand major theories and concepts in social psychology, (2) critically evaluate social psychological research and media claims related to social psychology, and (3) recognize and apply this knowledge to the real world and your everyday life.
Please note: In this course, we will discuss several examples of social behavior that may be unpleasant and/or controversial (e.g., aggression, stereotyping/prejudice, deception, objectification, torture, politics, the death penalty, 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 find discomforting.
Lecture:
One 3-hour lecture is scheduled for each week and the entire class period will be devoted to lecture (except on the days of Exams 1 and 2, where lecture will begin after a short break following the exam). 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 social psychology, 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 the 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 Jan. 11th 1 Introduction to Course; Research
Methods
1 & 2
Jan. 18th 2 Research Methods; The Self 5
Jan. 25th 3 The Self; Social Judgment 3 & 4
Assignment 1 due Feb. 1st 4 Social Judgment; Stereotypes,
Prejudice, & Discrimination 12
Feb. 8th 5 Exam #1; Attitudes Lectures 1-4 and
readings; 6
Feb. 15th 6 Attitudes; Conformity 7
Feb. 22nd Reading Week
Mar. 1st 7 Conformity; Groups 8
Mar. 8th 8 Groups; Altruism 10
Mar. 15th 9 Exam #2; Movie (Assignment 2) Lectures 5-8 and readings Mar. 22nd 10 Movie; Attraction & Interpersonal
Relationships; Aggression
9 Mar. 29th 11 Aggression; Psychology and the
Law
11 Apr. 5th 12 Psychology and the Law; Room to
Catch Up... Assignment 2 due
Apr. 12th Final Exam Lectures 9-12 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 and 3):
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 the 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 Thursday, April 12th at 5:00 pm(note: students must verify the date and time on Bear Tracks when the Final Exam Schedule is posted). You will have part of the class period for the midterm exams and the full class period (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 5:00 pm on February 9th) in order to reschedule a time to take the exam the following week. In other words, makeup exams should be taken as soon as possible after the missed exam, generally within 1 week of the regularly scheduled exam. In extreme circumstances (e.g., due to a serious or severe medical condition, etc.), in which this is not possible, the weight of the missed exam may be transferred to the final, at the instructor’s discretion. 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. The makeup exams will be different from the original exams.
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 (Calendar section 23.5.6). 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, May 18th at 2:00 pm in BS P-347.
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.
Assignments (worth 15%; see learning objectives 2 and 3):
There are 2 assignments (worth 15% of your final grade). You will find detailed instructions for the assignments on e-class. Assignments must be saved as one of the following of formats: .rtf, .doc., .docx, or .pdf. Assignments submitted in other formats will not be graded. Students who go over the page limit will lose points. Students who go over the page limit by 100 words or less will have 1 point deducted (e.g., lose 1 point out of 10; even for going over by only 1 word). Likewise, students who go over the page limit by 101-200 words will have 2 points deducted, and so on.
Students will submit their assignments through the appropriate assignments function on the course website. The instructor will go over how to submit these assignments during class, and instructions can be found on the course website. If you are unsure about how to submit an assignment, you are
encouraged to see the instructor or TA prior to the due date. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that they know how to submit these assignments. Due dates for these assignments can be found on the lecture outline, and on the class schedule on the course website. Assignments must be submitted by 11:55pm on the given due date. A late penalty will be applied to the assignments such that 2 points will be deducted off the total for each day (or part thereof) late (submitting at 11:56 pm counts as one day late). After 5 days, late assignments will not be accepted.
The purpose of these assignments is to apply social psychological concepts learned in class to real world phenomena. Accordingly, for the first assignment (worth 5% of the final grade), students will be asked to evaluate a news story about social psychological research (see learning objective 2). For the second assignment (worth 10% of the final grade), students will watch a movie during class time and identify 5 social psychological concepts learned in class (e.g., motivations, cognitive processes, influence tactics, etc.) that are depicted or exemplified in the movie (see learning objective 3). These assignments should be graded within 2 weeks of submission, and these grades will appear on the course website. If students have questions about their assignments, they should see the instructor or TA during office hours.
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%
Assignments: 15%
--- ---
Total: 100%
*Note: There is no possibility of a reexamination in this course.
Distribution of Grades in Undergraduate Courses Letter
grade
A+ A A- B+ B B- C+ C C- D+ D F
% grade range
≥95 90- 94.9
85- 89.9
80- 84.9
75- 79.9
71- 74.9
67- 70.9
63- 66.9
60- 62.9
55- 59.9
50-54.9 <50 Grade
points
4.0 4.0 3.7 3.3 3.0 2.7 2.3 2.0 1.7 1.3 1.0 0
Descriptor Excellent Good Satisfactory Poor Minimal
Pass
Fail
*Note: This is not a curved course and this is a guideline (i.e., the instructor reserves the right to revise grade cutoffs) for the conversion of percentage grades to the equivalent letter grade. Cutoffs may be adjusted so that the proportion of students receiving each letter grade corresponds to the University- suggested ranges, depending on class performance and clustering of scores, and will reflect your performance in relation to the rest of the class. Midterm exams, assignments, and final exam grades will be posted under “My Grades” on e-class. Neither the midterms nor final exams will be passed back to the students. Should students wish to see their exam, they may view it with the TA 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 one of the assignments
Re-Grading: If you believe that there is a grading error for one of your tests, or assignment questions, 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 (NOT the TA) 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 5pm on April 13th).
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 or TA. Also, the instructor will answer only brief and succinct questions regarding material via email. Also, the instructor will answer only brief and succinct questions regarding material via email. If your question is even somewhat intricate/complex, 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 groups”) 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 groups”) 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 or TA, 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 or TA that are aggressive, hostile, or harassing in nature will be reported to the Associate Chair of the Undergraduate Program in Psychology, Pete Hurd, 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. If you have comments or concerns about the class, you are encouraged to see the instructor in person, make such comments on the course evaluations at the end of the term, or to see the Associate Chair. 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 section 23.3(1) and 23.5.6 of the University Calendar.
Note: In this course, students are given the option of taking a make-up exam and/or 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 (see those specific sections of this syllabus for details). Additionally, students are allowed to submit assignments late and take the penalty. 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 submit your assignments late, 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, 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 (2-300 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 http://www.c4w.arts.ualberta.ca/Default.aspx).
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) as soon as possible. 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. Contact
SAS (www.ssds.ualberta.ca) 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 (online at
www.governance.ualberta.ca) 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 of Science/Arts 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, in the Faculty of Science/Faculty of Arts, the sanction for cheating on any examination will include a disciplinary failing grade (NO
EXCEPTIONS) 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.
Plagiarism and cheating:
All students should consult the “Truth in Education” handbook or website
(http://www.tie.ualberta.ca/) regarding the definitions of plagiarism and its consequences when detected.
An instructor or coordinator who is convinced that a student has plagiarized or cheated (or 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. Before unpleasantness occurs, consult http://www.uofaweb.ualberta.ca/TIE/; also discuss this matter with any tutor(s) and with your instructor.
Learning and working environment:
The Faculty of Arts 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 any 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 if direct discussion with the person is inappropriate or threatening, discuss the matter with the Associate Chair or Chair of the Psychology
Department.
For additional resources or assistance regarding this policy, please contact the student ombudservice at: http://www.ombudservice.ualberta.ca/. Information about the University of Alberta
Discrimination and Harassment Policy and Procedures is described in UAPPOL at https://policiesonline.ualberta.ca/PoliciesProcedures/Pages/DisPol.aspx?PID=110.
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 Section 23.4(2) of the University Calendar.
COPYRIGHT: © Dr. Jamin Blatter, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts, University of Alberta, 2018.