This course is designed to familiarize students with the principal theories, concepts, and methods of social psychology. The material covers phenomena related to social behavior and social influences on behavior. Topics include social perception and cognition, attitudes and attitude change, attraction, helping, aggression, interpersonal influence, and group processes. The lectures and readings are designed to acquaint students with both classic and current research trends in these subject areas. It is my aim that students will apply course concepts to everyday life and develop critical thinking skills through analysis of research studies and questions.

Social Psychology 321, Fall 2009

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Course Objectives

1. Understand theories about social behavior and thinking
2. Learn specific methods and results of research studies and what they tell us about social behavior
3. Become acquainted with types of methodology used in the field of social psychology
4. Apply course concepts to your everyday life
5. Read a journal article and write a thoughtful response
6. Learn APA style source citation and referencing

Text and Chapter Outlines

Baron, R. A., Branscombe, N. R., & Byrne, D. (2009). Social psychology (12th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon. I have developed outlines for all of the material we will cover. You will need to access Blackboard, print the  chapter outlines, and bring them to class with you each day. They will serve as useful note-taking and study guides.

Blackboard

Course materials and elaborated information about course requirements will be available for download from Blackboard. Students are expected to check Blackboard regularly for announcements.

University Policies and Deadlines

The add-drop period for class registration ends on Aug. 26th. Sep. 4th is the last day to provide advance written notification to instructors with intent to observe religious holidays. Oct. 30th is the last day to withdraw with a grade of “W.” If you have a physical or mental limitation that requires an academic adjustment or an accommodation, please contact me at your earliest convenience. If you will be taking exams at Disability Support Services, it is your responsibility to remind me of that a week prior to each exam.

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 require Virginia Commonwealth University to provide academic adjustments or accommodations for students with documented disabilities. Students seeking adjustments or accommodations must self-identify with Ms. Joyce Knight (jbknight@vcu.edu, (804) 828-2253, Student Commons), the coordinator of services for students with disabilities.

Students should be familiar with VCU's guidelines for student conduct.

Attendance & Participation

As exams focus mostly on class notes, it is in your best interest to attend class. I strongly encourage class participation. Because we meet only once a week, we will often cover more than one chapter a class. I will administer random unannounced attendance checks that will affect your grade (see the Grading Policy, below).

Papers

Two paper assignments will be posted on Blackboard (one idea paper and one journal article reflection paper). No late papers accepted, where "late" is defined as the end of the class period.

Exams

Questions primarily will be multiple choice with some short answer. Bring a pencil on exam days. The final exam will be cumulative. Any person who must delay taking an exam must consult with the instructor prior to test day (unless a true emergency arises, in which case you should contact the instructor as soon as possible). Exams will be given on days indicated on the syllabus – the dates will not change. However, exams will only consist of the information we have had time to cover.

Cheating (see University Honors Policy)

Any form of cheating or plagiarism will be dealt with severely. When you write papers, you should (a) use your own words to express your own ideas; (b) use your own words to express someone else's ideas and cite the source; and/or (c) put quotes around someone else's words and cite the source. If you violate any of these rules, you will receive a zero on the assignment or fail the class, depending on the severity of the infraction. If you violate these rules on more than one assignment, you will fail the class. I encourage you to ask for help before turning in a paper (the Writing Center would be a good resource).

Grading Policy

Note: No extra credit will be offered. Attendance points will be calculated by the instructor assigning points to each day on which attendance was taken; the total of the points will be 25.