PSYC 3315-002
Social Psychology
Spring 2014
Instructor:
Lauren Coursey
E‐Mail:
lauren.coursey@mavs.uta.edu
Office:
LS 403 (Office)
LS 527 (Lab Room)
Office hours:
Lauren: Tuesday: 9:30 – 10:30 or by appointment
Class time:
Class location:
Prerequisite:
TUESDAY/THURSDAY 5:30 – 6:50
SH 121
PSYC 1315
Course Learning Goals and Objectives: General survey of topics in social psychology. The
course covers theories and research dealing with individual behavior in the social environment.
Topics include social influence processes, interpersonal attraction, group behavior, aggression,
conformity, and how attitudes are formed and changed.
MATERIALS
Textbook:
Social Psychology
Aronson, Wilson, Akert
©2013, Eighth Edition: ISBN-13: 9780205912018
You do not need a Mypsychlab code or CPS response pad.
Blackboard: The use of Blackboard is required in this course. Make it a habit to check Blackboard
regularly. I will use this space to post grades, announcements, additional readings, updates to the
syllabus, and any other relevant content. Course grades will be posted on Blackboard only. You must
have a valid UTA user id to access Blackboard. Tests will be administered on Blackboard!!!
Blackboard website: https://elearn.uta.edu/webapps/login/
EXAMS
Exams: There are a total of 4 tests, each consisting of 50 multiple-choice or true/false questions. Each
test is worth 100 points (meaning each test question is worth 2 points). The 4th test or final will be
cumulative.
All tests will be administered online via Blackboard. These will be open-book and open-note. Test
content will be a mixture of lecture and textbook content. The first three tests will be available for a
three-day period between Friday (noon) and Monday (noon), and you will have two hours to complete
each attempt. You may take each test twice within the allowed time limits, although a second attempt is
not required if you are satisfied with your score on the first attempt. The fourth test begins on Saturday,
03 May 2013 at 8:00 AM, and remains open until Thursday (08 May, noon). This test will be a
cumulative final. The same rules apply as with the other 3 tests (i.e. 50 multiple-choice questions and
you get 2 attempts of 2 hours each). Some of you will experience a “freezing” of the test while you are
taking it. If this occurs, email me via Blackboard immediately, so that I can reset your attempt (no data
will be saved). Keep in mind that I cannot guarantee an immediate response, so do not wait until the last
minute to begin your test. It is your responsibility to give yourself enough time to complete both of your
attempts (should you take both) within the test-taking period. The test will not be available after noon on
Monday, regardless of when technical errors might occur and when I can resolve them. Thus, the last
reasonable time to BEGIN your testing session is 8:00 AM on Monday morning, which allows for two
attempts of two hours each before the test period expires.
Missed Exams: If an event arises that prevents a student from taking an exam/quiz, makeup exam
requests must be made within five days of the missed exam. Requests will be approved only with
University approved excuse and documentation. Examples include documented funeral attendance,
religious holidays, and illness (See student handbook!!). A note from a friend or family member does
not constitute appropriate documentation. As tests are available for 3 days your excuse must cover the
full 72 hours! For example, a doctor’s note for Monday only will not be acceptable (you had 2 days prior
to becoming ill to complete the test).
Quizzes: There will be 10 (multiple-choice/true-false) quizzes throughout the semester. Each quiz will
be worth 10 points. The quizzes will occur at the end of the class period. Quiz content will be based on
lecture material. If you miss a quiz, a grade of zero will be given for that quiz.
Quizzes will be administered at the end of class on the dates indicated in the course schedule below. It is
your responsibility to arrive on time – any single items or entire quizzes missed due to lateness cannot be
made up.
You will need scantrons for the quizzes!!
ATTENDANCE
There is no attendance requirement for this course. Regular class attendance and participation are
strongly encouraged. Not only will they improve your comprehension of relevant topics, but being
prepared and participating are instrumental to making this class interesting and meaningful to you.
While attendance is not mandatory, I will take attendance periodically to get to know you and for
statistical purposes. I may also refer to attendance logs if, and when, you discuss your class progress
with me. Students who miss a class for any reason or miss a portion of a class due to tardiness or early
departure will still be held accountable for all of the material that is covered during those sessions,
including material covered in lecture that is not in the book. Further, you have the option of earning
extra-credit through class attendance, see below.
GRADING POLICY
4 Exams
10 Quizzes
Total
400
100
500
≥ 450
400 - 450
350 - 400
300 - 350
≤ 300
A
B
C
D
F
If you are having difficulty with the class material, or believe you are doing poorly, please talk to me
about your situation earlier rather than later. Do not wait until after the final to discuss your gpa, exam
grades, or if you have a dispute with a grade you were given. It is your responsibility to verify with me
that the percentages that you think you’ve earned are accurate. If you are near the border of a grade
boundary (e.g., between a B and an A), this is especially important. I will not make grade changes based
on your failure to verify percentages before the final grades are issued. I do not bump grades!! Do not ask
to be bumped to the next letter grade up if you are near the letter grade boundary, especially if you have
not taken advantage of extra credit opportunities.
EXTRA CREDIT: Worth 15pts or 3% each. Cannot do more than 2 (for a max of 30pts/6%)!!
Option 1: Research participation
Participate in 5 credit hours of research in the psychology department subject pool (i.e., SONA).
Experiments have varying credit hours. The deadline for this option is departmental (typically the last day
of classes) and will be detailed at a later time. See document posted under the “extra-credit” tab in
blackboard for further information to create your SONA account and sign-up for studies.
NOTE: No extra credit will be given for anything less than 5 credit hours, and no more than 15 points
extra credit will be given under any circumstances.
Option 2: Complete three 3-Page Research Reviews
Three research articles will be posted under the “extra-credit” tab in blackboard. Your job is to read each
article and write a 3 page summary/reaction paper. Briefly summarize the study (the hypothesis, methods,
results, implications) and discuss how it relates to a topic discussed in class as well as your personal
reaction to or opinion of the research study. Plagiarism will not be tolerated under any circumstances!
The papers are due no later than 5:00 pm on Friday May 02, 2014. The papers must be turned in as a
single Word document electronically via Blackboard (found under the tab “Extra-Credit”)
NOTE: No extra credit will be given for anything less than three 3-Page papers. No more than 15 points
extra credit will be given under any circumstances.
Option 3: Attend 90% of the course lectures (25 days of the 28 days).
I will pass around an attendance sheet. You must sign the attendance sheet – if you are there it is your
responsibility to make sure that you sign the attendance sheet, if you do not I will assume that you were
not there. No extra credit will be given for anything less than 25 days under any circumstances. I
understand that there are health/family/work requirements that may prevent you from attending class, this
is why you have alternative extra-credit options so that you can choose the option that works best for you.
DROP POLICY
Students may drop or swap (adding and dropping a class concurrently) classes through self-service in
MyMav from the beginning of the registration period through the late registration period. After the late
registration period, students must see their academic advisor to drop a class or withdraw. Undeclared
students must see an advisor in the University Advising Center. Drops can continue through a point
two-thirds of the way through the term or session. If you drop by the census date, no grade will be
posted. If you drop by the final drop date, you receive a W. It is the student’s responsibility to
officially withdraw if they do not plan to attend after registering. Students will not be automatically
dropped for non-attendance. Repayment of certain types of financial aid administered through the
University may be required as a result of dropping classes or withdrawing.
AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT
The University of Texas at Arlington is on record as being committed to both the spirit and letter of all
federal equal opportunity legislation, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). All
instructors at UT Arlington are required by law to provide “reasonable accommodations” to students
with disabilities, so as not to discriminate on the basis of that disability. Any student requiring an
accommodation for this course must provide the instructor with official documentation in the form of a
letter certified by the staff in the Office for Students with Disabilities, University Hall 102. Only those
students who have officially documented a need for an accommodation will have their request honored.
Information regarding diagnostic criteria and policies for obtaining disability-based academic
accommodations can be found at www.uta.edu/disability or by calling the Office for Students with
Disabilites at (817) 272-3364.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
All students enrolled in this course are expected to adhere to the UT Arlington Honor Code:
I pledge, on my honor, to uphold UT Arlington’s tradition of academic integrity, a tradition that values
hard work and honest effort in the pursuit of academic excellence.
I promise that I will submit only work that I personally create or contribute to group collaborations, and I
will appropriately reference any work from other sources. I will follow the highest standards of integrity
and uphold the spirit of the Honor Code.
STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES
The University of Texas at Arlington provides a variety of resources and programs designed to help
students develop academic skills, deal with personal situations, and better understand concepts and
information related to their courses. These resources include tutoring, major-based learning centers,
developmental education, advising and mentoring, personal counseling, and federally funded programs.
For individualized referrals to resources for any reason, students may contact the Maverick Resource
Hotline at (817) 272-6107 or visit www.uta.edu/resources for more information. Psychology Library
Resource Contact: Andy Herzog, MLS, Reference and Instruction, Central Library RM 313.
amherzog@uta.edu
ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION
E-mail: UT-Arlington provides all students with an official UT-Arlington e-mail address. I will only
communicate with you via e-mail using your UT-Arlington e-mail account. Messages relevant to the class
will be posted on Blackboard. I check my email regularly however, do not e-mail or call me to ask what
materials will be or were missed in class. I strongly encourage you to get the e-mail and telephone
number of at least one other person in class. Do not e-mail asking to be bumped up to the next letter
grade. I have made allowances for “borderline” grades, and you have extra credit opportunities. I am not
allowed to discuss grades via e-mail!!
DATE
Day
JAN 14
T
JAN 16
TH
JAN 21
IN-CLASS TOPIC
Readings/Assn.
SYLLABUS
Intro and Methodology
Ch. 1 & 2
T
Social Cognition
Ch. 3
JAN 23
TH
Social Cognition
Ch. 3 QUIZ 1
JAN 28
T
Social Perception
Ch. 4
JAN 30
TH
Social Perception
Ch. 4 QUIZ 2
FEB 4
T
The Self
Ch. 5
FEB 6
TH
The Self
Ch. 5 Test 1 Feb 7-10
FEB 11
T
Justification
Ch. 6
FEB 13
TH
FEB 18
T
FEB 20
TH
Tough Guise
FEB 25
T
Conformity
Ch. 8
FEB 27
TH
Conformity
Ch. 8 QUIZ 4
MAR 4
T
Groups
Ch. 9
MAR 6
TH
Groups
Ch. 9 Test 2 Mar 710
MAR11
T
SPRING BREAK!!
MAR 13
TH
SPRING BREAK!!
MAR 18
T
Attraction
Ch. 10
MAR 20
TH
Attraction
Ch. 10 QUIZ 5
MAR 25
T
MAR 27
TH
Prosocial
Ch. 11 QUIZ 7
APR 1
T
Prosocial
Ch. 11
APR 3
TH
Aggression
Ch. 12 QUIZ 8
APR 8
T
Aggression
Ch. 12
APR 10
TH
Media Violence
QUIZ 9
APR 15
T
Prejudice
Ch. 13
APR 17
TH
Prejudice
Ch. 13 QUIZ 10
APR 22
T
Prejudice: Eye of the storm
Ch. 13
APR 24
TH
TBD
Test 3 Apr 25 - 28
APR 29
T
MAY 1
TH
MAY 2-8
TBD
Attitudes
Ch. 7
QUIZ 3
Science of Attraction
REVIEW
Make-up quizzes
FINAL EXAM WEEK
TEST 4: MAY 3-8
CUMULATIVE