Texas A&M University – Central Texas
PSYK 405-125: Social Psychology
Spring 2014, 2st half
Tue/Thu 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm (1800-2100)
Soldier Development Center, Rm. G112
Instructor: Stephanie Smith-Oliver
Office: None
Phone: (254) 368-3965
Email: stephanie.smith@ct.tamus.edu (but Blackboard is better)
Office hours: I have no office hours, but you can call or text at any time and schedule a
meeting.
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Catalog course description: Theory and phenomena of social psychology. The effect of
social variables upon the behavior of individuals. Topics to be covered include socialization,
language and communication, prejudice, social attitudes, attitude change, aggression, prosocial
behavior, and group behavior. Prerequisite: PSY 101; PSY 102 or approval of department
head.
Required textbook: Myers, D.G. (2010). Social psychology (11th ed.). New York, NY: McGrawHill. (ISBN: 978-0-07-803529-6)
Additional resource: The Social Psychology Network website is a very useful resource to find
general information about topics in social psychology. The website address for the network is:
http://www.socialpsychology.org .
Learning outcomes (LO): Upon satisfactory completion of this course, the student will have
LO 1. learned content-specific knowledge of major theories and research findings in social
psychology.
LO 2. developed a basic ability to interpret and discuss research studies in psychology.
LO 3. gained a better understanding of the influence the social situation has on our behavior.
LO 4. written a short literature review paper of social psychological processes.
Course format/ attendance and late work policies: The class will meet face-to-face,
but there will also be course materials on Blackboard, including a course calendar and links to
upload your coursework. Students are expected to get assignments completed by the
deadlines indicated. Late work will not be accepted, so plan carefully to get all work in on
time. Class meetings will include lectures, class discussions, group work, and examinations.
Students are expected to attend class and participate in class activities. Absences and lack of
participation, as well as frequent late arrivals/ early departures, will have a negative effect on
your overall course grade. If you need to miss class for any reason, email me (or ask someone
else to) as soon as possible; if you want the absence to be excused, I’ll need you to bring me
some documentation of the reason for your absence. Make-up exams will be possible under
extreme circumstances, but each student can take ONLY 1 make-up exam. If you want to turn
any work in early, that’d be great. I may not be able to grade it right away but I’ll let you know I
received it.
Academic integrity and classroom conduct policy: Texas A&M University - Central
Texas expects all students to maintain high standards of personal and scholarly conduct.
Students guilty of academic dishonesty are subject to disciplinary action. Academic
dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, cheating on an examination or other academic
work, plagiarism, collusion, and the abuse of resource materials. Violations of academic
honesty policies subject a student to loss of credit for relevant assignments or more severe
penalties as dictated by TAMU-CT’s student conduct code. Students are not allowed to use
electronic devices in class except computers to take notes; those using computers will need
to sit in the front row. The course instructor is responsible for initiating action for each case
of academic dishonesty. More information on this topic and related information can be
found at http://www.tarleton.edu/centraltexas/departments/student-affairs/studentconduct.html . Any work determined to have been completed with other students or
otherwise violating academic policies will be dealt with as academic dishonesty following
TAMU-CT’s policies, including reporting the instance to relevant authorities. Note that there
are some assignments specifically designed to be done in collaboration with other students;
this will be indicated in the assignment description. All other work should be completely
individually without help from other students. If it’s not clear to you which assignments
allow you to work with others, be sure to check with the course instructor. For postings on
the discussion board, please be respectful of the ideas and opinions of all class members;
inappropriate language and interactions may lead to being blocked for the rest of the
semester from the discussion area and the loss of related points. To get the most out of this
class and all your classes, it’s best to treat them like a job; be prepared each day and take as
much responsibility for your own work as you can. In general, if you respect other class
members and your instructor, you should be fine.
Smarthinking: This is an online tutoring platform that enables TAMU-CT students to log-in
and receive FREE online tutoring and writing support. This tool provides tutoring in
Mathematics, Writing, General and Organic Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Introduction to Human
Anatomy and Physiology, Accounting, Economics, Introductory Finance, Spanish, and Statistics.
For this class, the writing assistance is the most valuable. Note that it is NOT help with editing/
proofreading, but help in developing and expressing ideas.
Students will have access to Smarthinking after 5:00pm on the 4th class day. Students may gain
access by going to smarthinking.com and entering in their University Student ID as their
username and Birthday (mmddyyyy) as their password. Once you log-in, you have the option to
change your log-in information. If you have difficulties contact Student Affairs at (254) 5195721.
On-campus writing help: The TAMU-CT Student Affairs Office has developed a writing
assistance/tutoring center on North Campus. Everyone can benefit from another person’s
perspective on written work, especially a knowledgeable perspective. I encourage all of you to
talk to one of the writing assistance center staff if possible; they are available at the times
noted below in the Commons/Quiet Study Lounge (located in the North Campus library).
Disability Support Services: It is the policy of Texas A&M University-Central Texas to
comply with the Americans with Disability Act. If you have or believe you have a disability, you
may wish to self-identify. You can do so by providing documentation to the Academic Support
Programs Coordinator. Students are encouraged to seek information about accommodations to
help assure success in this class. Please contact Ryan Thompson at (254) 519-5796 or on Main
Campus, Room 114. Additional information can be found at
http://www.TAMUCT.org/StudentAffairs .
Drop policy: If you discover that you need to drop this class, you must go to the Records
Office and ask for the necessary paperwork. Professors cannot drop students; this is always the
responsibility of the student. The Records office will give a deadline for which the form must be
returned, completely signed. Once you return the signed form to the Records office and wait 24
hours, you must go into DuckTrax and confirm that you are no longer enrolled. Should you still
be enrolled, FOLLOW UP with the Records office immediately. You are to attend class until the
procedure is complete to avoid penalty for absence. Should you miss the deadline or fail to
follow the procedure, you will receive an F in the course.
Library Services: Information literacy focuses on research skills which prepare individuals to
live and work in an information-centered society. Librarians will work with students in the
development of critical reasoning, ethical use of information, and the appropriate use of
secondary research techniques. Help may include, yet is not limited to: exploration of
information resources such as library collections and services, identification of subject
databases and scholarly journals, and execution of effective search strategies. Library Resources
are outlined and accessed at http://www.tarleton.edu/centraltexas/departments/library/
APA format: In July 2009, the American Psychological Association released the 6th edition of
their publication manual. Although some students may not be familiar with the new format
yet, I want you to become familiar with it. Therefore this course requires ALL WORK to meet
the standards of the 6th edition; all relevant grading rubrics will include an APA format
component.
***Please note that dates and other policies listed may be changed as needed and, if they are,
changes will be announced through the Announcements section of Blackboard and may be
noted on the calendar section of Blackboard. Students are responsible for being aware of any
changes made.
Grading:
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Exams (3 @ 20 each)
Article reviews (2 @ 15% each)
Social norm paper
Discussion board posts (Response and 3 Replies)
Class participation
20 %
20 %
20 %
20%
20%
(20 pts per exam)
(30 pts. per review)
(100 pts.)
(total 6 pts. each)
(10 pts.)
Final course grades will follow the system below:
A = 90.00+ total points, B = 80.00-89.99 points, C = 70.00-79.99 points, D = 62.00-69.99 points,
F = 61.99 or fewer points
Technology Needs: Because this class has online components, I wanted to give you some
information relevant to those. Blackboard is the course management system for our class.
While it has a lot of positives, there are some issues students have dealt with. For all exams
and work like discussions, it’s best to use only a wired system (NOT wireless). If you don’t have
access to one of your own, you can use the various computer labs around campus. Also, when
you upload documents to Blackboard, be sure they’ve uploaded before shutting down your
system (also be sure to virus-check all documents before uploading them). Finally,
Blackboard’s email system is not well-designed, so use my ct.tamus.edu email to contact me. If
you need help with learning parts of Blackboard, try the tutorial at
http://online.tarleton.edu/fac_dev/applications/student_blackboard.
If this is the first time you are taking a course that uses Blackboard, you should definitely
complete all topics in this tutorial. Your ability to use Blackboard will enhance your success in
this course. Also, online learning work requires students to be very self-disciplined; be sure
you understand and are prepared to comply with all required class assignments and
deadlines.
When you first logon to Blackboard each semester, run a browser check, using this link:
http://online.tarleton.edu/Dual/computersettings.htm to be sure that your computer and
browser settings are correct for Blackboard to function well. This is a CRITICAL step as these
settings are important for when you take an exam or submit an assignment. Technology issues
are not an excuse for missing a course requirement or deadline – make sure your computer is
configured correctly and deal with issues long before the deadlines or else use the computer
labs.
Technology Support: For technological or computer issues, students should contact the Online
Instructional Technology Support Desk using the information below.
Email: www.tamuct.edu/help
Phone: (254) 519-5466
Class topic list schedule
Dates:
Topic:
Reading:
3/18
3/20
3/25
3/27
4/1
4/3
4/8
4/10
4/15
4/17
4/22
4/24
4/29
5/1
5/6
5/8
Syllabus/ Intro to social psych
Ch. 1
Library day! Make sure you know how to use the system!
Self in a social world
Ch. 2
Social beliefs and judgments
Ch. 3
Behavior and attitudes/ Article 1 review due
Ch. 4
Exam 1
[Chs. 2, 3, 4]
Genes, culture, and gender
Ch. 5
Conformity and obedience
Ch. 6
Group influence/ Article 2 review due
Ch. 8
Exam 2
[Chs. 5, 6, 8]
Prejudice – Presentations
Ch. 9
Aggression - Presentations
Ch. 10
Attraction and intimacy - Presentations
Ch. 11
Helping - Presentations
Ch. 12
No class! Study for exam
Exam 3
[Chs. 10-12]
Note that not all chapters will be required for exams, but you may want to read the missing
chapters as part of your exam preparation since the topics are interrelated. There is no
comprehensive final exam for this course.
We will not have class on Exam days. I will set up the exams on blackboard.
Paper Topics:
Motivation
“Self” Impressions
Priming
Memories
Self-Justification
Evil and Moral Acts
Genetics
Gender Roles
Conformity
Obedience
Social Loafing
Group Think
Social Sources of Prejudice
Consequences of Prejudice
Influences of Aggression
Reduction of Aggression
Altruism
Guilt
Each student will turn in and present a short paper over one of the above topics. This paper will
be due on the day you present. It will be written in APA format and adhere to the guidelines of
the grading rubric that will be posted on Blackboard. You will turn in one copy through the
Blackboard TurnItIn link and a hard copy to me immediately after your presentation. All
reference articles will be turned in to the appropriate Blackboard link in PDF format. I will
deduct 20 points for each article NOT turned in but referenced.
Each student will be required to turn in three article reviews – one for three separate articles of
your choosing (preferably related to the topic of your paper. These reviews will answer a list of
questions which will be posted under the assignment link on blackboard. I will need a copy of
your article – not a link, but a PDF version – to be turned in along with the review. NO CREDIT
WILL BE AWARDED IF THERE IS NO ARTICLE ATTACHED!!!
Discussion board posts will be due starting the second Tuesday of class (March 25) and
continue until the last week of readings. Responses to classmates posts will be due the
following Thursday starting the second week of class (March 27). Please include, a substantive
writing of how the material related to you (this will really help you to learn the subject and
terminology) – at least 1 standard paragraph (but try not to write a novel). Replies will consist
of a substantive comment – not “I Agree”.
During classes, I will present a short powerpoint covering the major topics of the assigned
chapter. Any student presenters will follow. The remainder of the class time will be used to
allow students discourse on the topics prompted by the readings. This is a time for a lively
discussion, but remember that everyone lives in their own reality. Name calling, rude, or
inappropriate comments, will force me to ask the perpetrator to leave the class and this will
result in a null grade for attendance and participation for the day.
Finally, I’m looking forward to working with you on this class. If you have any questions or
concerns about the class or any problems with the coursework or course materials, please
contact me as soon as possible to let me know (don’t just ask your classmates). I’ll reply as
soon as possible, usually within 24 hours (except on weekends). The only exception to this is if
you have technology issues with Blackboard. For those, please let me know what’s going on,
but ask for help from the Online Instructional Technology Support Desk. Their contact info is
given above. Feel free to call or text to talk about class or other issues at the school.
Let’s have a great semester!