Social Psychology
Psychology 312

Spring 2004 Syllabus

Social psychology is the scientific study of how the thoughts, feelings, and behavior of individuals and small groups are shaped by their social context.  As we examine this subject matter, we will seek to satisfy two overarching objectives.

The first is to broadly survey the major theories and perspectives in social psychology.  This survey will be guided by an important principle -- that there is nothing so practical as a good theory (Lewin, 1951).  Social psychological theories are practical in part because they help us make sense of the sometimes confusing social world around us.  They allow us to explain vast quantities of data (including our everyday experience) in terms of a relatively small set of powerful concepts and principles.  Equally important, social psychological theories are practical because they allow us to go beyond our personal experience, enabling us to predict what is likely to happen in new situations that we have not yet encountered.  Finally, social psychological theories are practical because they can often be used to inform the design of new programs and interventions intended to solve specific problems involving human behavior and interaction.

The second core objective of this course is to acquaint students with the research on which social psychological theories are grounded.  Theories should be accepted and applied only if reasonable evidence exists to support them.  It is through empirical research that we identify which theories are good and which are not, and so which theories can be relied upon and put to practical use.  Consequently, we will consider in some detail the research evidence supporting various social psychological theories, and we will critically evaluate the methods and procedures used to gather that evidence.  In the end, this will put us in a better position to judge for ourselves the merits of the various theories we encounter.

Your are expected to attend every class.  A good portion of class time will be devoted to lectures.  These will be supplemented by occasional in-class activities, demonstrations, and videos that illustrate key concepts.  The lectures are intended to deepen your understanding of the course material.  Further, in many cases, there will be only moderate overlap between the content of the lectures and the content of the book.  The same general topics will be covered in both, but the lectures will often focus on issues that are not emphasized in the book.  Thus, in order to do well in the course, you must master the material covered in class as well as that covered in the textbook.

As part of the course you are expected to complete a term project.  Term projects are due no later than the beginning of class on Thursday, November 13, 2003, but can be turned in anytime during the semester.  The goal of the project is for you to demonstrate your understanding of the ideas covered in the course by applying them to something in your everyday experience, such as a news story or the events described in a movie.  You will be graded on your ability to demonstrate your understanding of at least three social psychological theories or perspectives covered in the course by discussing in detail how they help to explain or make sense of the new event, movie, etc.  This "rule of three" is a minimum criterion for getting a passing grade on the project (i.e., a grade of C).  To get a grade of A or B, you must go beyond the minimum requirements.

The project may take any one of several different forms.  You may do a project in which you (a) apply social psychological theory to a news event, (b) identify examples of social psychological theory in the print media, (c) design a research study to test a hypothesis derived from a social psychological theory, (d) design an intervention based on social psychological theory in order to fix a problem, or (e) use social psychological theory to analyze the key events depicted in one of 11 different motion pictures.  It is also possible to do a custom-designed project not listed above, but this must be approved in advance by Professor Larson.  For a complete description of these project alternatives and requirements, see the following document on the course web site: http://www.uic.edu/~jlarson/p312/TermProject/TermProject.html .

The project is to result in a paper that is no more than 15 pages in length (less if you can manage it).  An "A" project will be well written, carefully reasoned, thorough, and go significantly beyond the minimum requirements (i.e., "the rule of three").  The project must be turned in by the due date noted above.  A penalty will be imposed on late projects -- no exceptions will be made for technical problems (e.g., computer crashes, printer problems, etc.).  Again, see the term project page on the course web site for details.

Exams.  Four exams will be given, three Progress Exams and a cumulative Final Exam.  A Progress Exam will be given approximately every five weeks during the semester (see the table at the end of this syllabus for exact dates).  Each Progress Exam will cover only the material presented in the readings and lectures during the preceding five-week period. The Final Exam, on the other hand, will be comprehensive, covering material presented during the entire semester. Course grades will be base on three of these four exams, as follows:

(a)  If you take all three Progress Exams, the Final Exam is optional.  If you choose to take the Final Exam, your course grade will be computed on the basis on your best three exam scores (i.e., the lowest score will be dropped), plus the term project.  If you elect not to take the Final Exam, your course grade will be computed on the basis of your three Progress Exams, plus the term project.

(b)  If you miss one of the Progress Exams, the Final Exam is mandatory.  In this case, your grade will be computed on the basis of your two Progress Exams and the Final, plus the term project.  You will be given a score of 0 for any additional exams that you miss. No make-up exams will be given.

In combination, the exams will count for 75 percent of your overall course grade, with each of your best three scores contributing equally (i.e., each will be worth 25 percent).

Term Project.  The term project will count for 25 percent of your overall course grade.  Both the substance and style of your paper will be evaluated, with substance determining 3/4ths of the project grade, and style (i.e., spelling, punctuation, grammar, etc.) determining the remaining 1/4th (Please note: One implication of this grading scheme is that it is imprint to have a well-written paper.  A poorly written paper -- e.g., one with lots of awkward sentences, grammatical errors,  misused or misspelled wwords, etc -- can cost you 1-to-2 letter grades on the project).

Grade Computation: At the end of the semester the scores (percentage out of 100) you earned from each of the four graded components (3 exams and the term project) will be averaged and converted to letter grades using the scheme in the table below.
 

The weekly reading assignments are listed in the following table.  They all come from the textbook by Brehm, Kassin, and Fein (2002).  A complete reference for the textbook is given below.  It is available in the UIC bookstore.

Brehm, S. S., Kassin, S. M., & Fein, S.  (2002). Social Psychology (5/e).  Boston, MA:  Houghton Mifflin.

A Study Guide for the textbook is also available from the publisher.  There are no assigned readings from the Study Guide, although some students may find this a useful resource, and wish to order it.  The learning objectives listed at the beginning of each chapter in the Study Guide are particularly helpful -- especially if you look at them before reading the chapter in the text.  The learning objectives help to clarify the organization of the chapter, and help you focus on the most important material.  The learning objectives are also available online at textbook publisher's web site, which can be reached by pointing your browser to the following address: http://college.hmco.com/psychology/brehm/social_psychology/5e/students/ .  The publisher's web site contains additional learning resources (e.g., practice tests, critical thinking exercises, etc.) that some students may find helpful.

Students with disabilities who require accommodation for access and participation in this course should contact the instructor as soon as possible after the start of the semester.  All such students must be registered with the Office of Disability Services (ODS). Please contact ODS at 312-413-2103 (voice) or 312-413-0123 (TTY).

Students may drop courses without penalty during the first ten days of the semester (through Friday of Week 2).  From Week 3 through Week 6 students are entitled to a total of four "late drops" during their enrollment at UIC.  To "late drop" a course, students must see an LAS advisor.  The LAS Advising Office is located on the third floor of University Hall.  Advisors may be seen by appointment (996-3366), or during advising walk-in days (Tuesdays, 8:30a to 3:30p).