Welcome to the
webpage for
Social Psychology
AK/HH/AS/SC/PSYC 2120 3.0 (Section R)
Winter 2008
IMPORTANT COURSE
INFORMATION:
The main
website for this course can be found at: http://silver.yorku.ca/2008w-hhpsyc2120r-03
***Please note, some of you could not access the PowerPoint Slides from
this website. They should now be
available. After you
login using your passport account, click on Week 1 and then the provided link
to get to the PowerPoint slides for the first class. If you encounter any difficulties, please
feel free to send me an email (steeleje@yorku.ca)
or click the support link for the website.
PLEASE ALSO NOTE that if you have just registered in the course it will
take 1-2 business days to provide you with access. For this reason, I have provided a link to
the lecture slides from Week 1 and Week 2 below.***
To access the notes
from Week 1,
please click here.
To access the notes
from Week 2,
please click here.
The
information provide below is all outlined in the course
syllabus.
Instructor: Dr. Jennifer Steele
E-mail:
steeleje@yorku.ca
Phone:
416-736-2100 ext. 22156
Office: BSB 331
Office
hours by appointment
Teaching Assistant: Leah Reisz
E-mail: lreisz@yorku.ca
Phone: 416-736-2100,
ext. 20444
Office: Atkinson 026C
Office hours by appointment
Course Schedule: Thursdays
Course Web Address: http://silver.yorku.ca/2008w-hhpsyc2120r-03 (Lecture slides will be posted here
usually within 1 day after class)
Some
information is also posted at:
http://www.atkinson.yorku.ca/~jsteele/psyc2120_Winter08.html
Syllabus: For a printable version of the course syllabus, please
click here.
Required Text: Myers, D. G. & Spencer, S. J. (2006). Social Psychology (Third Canadian Edition).
Supplementary Website: http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0070952027/student_view0/
Use the scroll-down
menu on the left-hand side to select a chapter.
From there you can go through sample multiple choice questions. I would also recommend that you purchase
access to their eStudy Guide for optimal course
preparation.
Course Description and Goals:
This course is designed to provide you with a detailed introduction to
major theories and research in the field of social psychology. Social psychology can be defined as “the
scientific study of how people think about, influence, and relate to one
another” (Myers & Spencer, 2006, p. 2).
Throughout this course we will cover a wide range of topics of interest
to social psychologists including social cognition (how we think about
ourselves and others), conformity and persuasion, prejudice, as well as intimacy
and attraction. The first goal of this
course, therefore, is to provide you with the opportunity to learn more about
the field of social psychology. We will
examine how people influence, and are influenced by, their social environments
and how seemingly minor changes in the social situation can have an important
effect on individuals’ thoughts, feelings, and behaviours. A second goal is to allow you to learn more
about those around you, and about yourself.
Course Requirements and Grading:
It is
expected that you attend each lecture and that you read every assigned chapter
of the textbook. Lectures will not cover
the exact material presented in the text and accordingly approximately half of each exam will be based on topics presented
exclusively in either the lecture or the text.
If you miss a
lecture, it is your responsibility to find out what you missed from other
students in the class. To assist you, I
will post the PowerPoint slides on the course website, generally within 2 days
after class. The slides will provide you
with the basic material covered, however they will not always provide the
critical details learned during class time.
Course Grading Scheme:
Midterm 1: 30%
1 ˝ hours. Multiple choice. Followed by a 1 hour video.
Midterm
1 ˝ hours. Multiple choice. Followed by a 1 hour video.
Final Exam: 40%
3
hours. Multiple choice
and short answer.
You
must take the final exam in order to receive a grade in this course.
Missing an exam
Students are expected
to write each test on the dates specified.
There will be two multiple choice in-class exams in this course. Each in-class exam is worth 30% of your final
grade. In addition, the final exam is
worth 40% of your final grade. There
will be no make-up exams,
except under extraordinary circumstances. If you miss an exam with no
legitimate excuse, you will receive a grade of zero.
If you have a
legitimate reason (e.g., death in the family, severe illness, etc.) for being
excused from an exam, and have documentation to verify your absence (please see
below), you may take a make-up exam in lieu of the missed exam. You must contact me at least one day in
advance of the exam and provide documentation in order to be permitted to take
a make-up exam. In the case of an emergency, contact me as soon as
possible. Please note that in order to
write a deferred examination, you must make personal arrangements with me. The nature of the makeup exam will be at my
discretion; if Midterm 1 is missed, you might be asked to write a joint
Midterm1/Midterm2 examination worth 60% of your final grade. Note also that deferred exams are held on a
single common date determined by the Department of Psychology. No individualized testing is available unless
arranged formally through one of the offices at the University (e.g., Counselling and Development Centre, Faculty of Arts; Counselling Centre, Atkinson).
If you
produce a valid medical document, signed by a physician, stating that you were
medically unable to take the exam, you will be able to take a makeup exam. If
you miss an exam for non-medical reasons, you still must produce supporting
documentation (e.g., death certificate, obituary notice, automobile accident
report, airline ticket for emergency travel, etc.). Missing an exam for a
vacation, etc., is not an acceptable reason. IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT THE
ATTENDING PHYSICIAN MUST BE WILLING TO STATE THAT YOU WERE MEDICALLY UNABLE TO
TAKE THE EXAM, AND YOU MUST PRODUCE THE DOCUMENT WITHIN 48 HOURS OF THE MISSED EXAM
AND TELEPHONE THE PSYCHOLOGY DEPARTMENT IN ADVANCE OF THE EXAM IF YOU KNOW THAT
YOU WILL BE UNABLE TO TAKE THE EXAM. If
you are ill or facing extreme personal circumstances and are unable to get the
required documentation, I highly recommend that you consider dropping the
course.
WEEKLY TOPICS AND
I recommend that each reading be
completed before class.
Date Topic
Thurs Jan 3rd Introduction to Social Psychology Chapter 1
Thurs Jan 10th
The
Self in a Social World Chapter 2
Thurs Jan 17th
Social Cognition and Social
Perception Chapter 3
Thurs Jan 24th
Attitudes Chapter 4
Thurs Jan 31st Midterm 1 (1˝ hours) &
Video
Thurs Feb 7th Conformity and Persuasion Chapters 6 & 7
Thurs Feb 14th OFF
(reading week)
Thurs Feb 21st
Group Processes & Intergroup Relations Chapters 8 & 13
Thurs Feb 28th
Culture and
Emotional Expression Chapter 5
Thurs March 6th Midterm 2 (1˝ hours) &
Video
Thurs March 13th
Stereotyping and Prejudice Chapter 12
Thurs March 20th
Aggression and Prosocial
Behaviour Chapters 10 & 9
Thurs March 27th
Attraction and Intimacy Chapter 11
Class wrap-up and review
TBA Final Exam (3 hours) – during
exam period
Please note: It is important that you show up for
all exams on time as no late students will be allowed to write the exam
following any student’s departure from the exam room. Exams will start promptly at the scheduled
time. Please also ensure that your cell
phone is turned off.
The multiple choice
portion of each exam will consist of 90 questions with 5 response options each.
Midterm 1 will cover material from the
textbook as well as lectures notes for chapters 1, 2, 3, & 4.
Midterm 2 will cover material from the
textbook as well as lectures notes for chapters 5, 6, 7, 8, & 13.
The multiple choice portion of the
final examination will cover material from the textbook as well as lectures
notes for chapters 9, 10, 11, & 12 (this part of the exam is
non-cumulative). Short-answer topics will
be selected from the entire course content.
Possible topics will be provided in class.
You will not be tested
on Module A, B, or C
Some Additional Considerations:
The
Psychology Department lists a number of student responsibilities and requirements,
two of which are presented here.
It is the responsibility of the student to ensure that courses are selected in
accordance with current degree/certificate and program requirements. Please
check to make sure that the course that you enroll in fits with your degree
requirements.
All students are required to satisfy all of the co-requisite(s) and
prerequisite(s) for courses selected for enrolment. You may be de-enrolled from
a course for which you lack the required co- or prerequisite(s). Do not rely on
the enrolment system to block your enrolment from such courses. It is the
student's responsibility to ensure that co- and prerequisite requirements have
been satisfied. Please note that such de-enrolment could occur even after the
course has started, leaving you with few or no options in terms of replacing
the course. As noted on the website, the pre-requisite for this course is AK/HH/AS/SC/PSYC 1010 6.0 or AK/PSYC 2410 6.0,
with a minimum grade of C. If you do not meet this requirement, you will
want to drop the course and/or contact the Psychology Office (416-736-5117 or
416-736-5202) asap.
There are certain things
that help to ensure an enjoyable and productive use of class time. Please come to class prepared to start on
time. Please also turn off all cell
phones and other electronic devices prior to each class.