PSYC 333
Personality and Social Psychology
COURSE SYLLABUS (UNOFFICIAL-Jan. 10, 2012)
When:
Where:
Instructor:
Office hours:
Tu, Th 10:05-11:25
McIntyre Med 504 (*see class schedule on Minerva for room changes)
Prof. Jennifer A. Bartz
Tu, Th 1:30-2:00 & by appt.
W8/33 Stewart, 514 398-7626
Teaching Assistants:
Jamie Cassoff jamiecassoff@gmail.com
Office hour: Monday 3-4pm (& by appt.) in room W7/14-D
Sara Quinn sara.quinn@mail.mcgill.ca
Office hour: Wednesday 1-2 pm (& by appt.) in room W7/3D
Course Description: Human behavior is a product of both factors residing within the person and factors
residing in one's environment (other individuals, relationships, groups, and momentary situations). The course
will consider traditional approaches to person-situation interactions and a more dynamic approach based on
recent research on goals and social cognition.
Prerequisites: Introduction to Social Psychology (PSYC 215).
Required Readings: COURSEPACK Purchase at McGill Bookstore (same as last year).
Course webpage:
Mycourses
Course Policies
Students are responsible for all material covered in lectures and assigned readings. The class will be
taught in lecture format. Lecture notes will be posted on WebCT after each class.
Slides from lecture will be available on the course website. Typically, drafts of powerpoint files will
be available prior to class barring technical difficulties but the final version will not be posted until a later time.
Audio recordings of the lectures are also available on the web but note that each term, audio seems to fail for
one or two lectures. Do not rely solely on the audio recordings. Copies of lecture slides will be placed on
reserve once every two weeks.
Audio recordings should be available at course website and at: http://courseware.mcgill.ca/lectures/
Evaluation
In-class exams: Two in-class exams will be given in this course; the material covered for each in-class
exam WILL NOT be cumulative. The first in-class exam will take place on February 9th, in MCMED 504, and
will cover Chpts 1-4 and lectures from January 10 to February 7; the 2nd in-class exam will take place on
March 22nd, in MCMED 504, and will cover Chpts 5-8 and lectures from February 14 to March 20. The inclass exams will consist of multiple-choice questions and one essay questions (worth five points of exam grade).
Each in-class exam is worth 30% of your grade for the course.
Final exam: The final exam will be scheduled by the University during the April exam period. The final
exam will cover material from lectures and from assigned readings and WILL BE cumulative. The final exam
will consist of multiple-choice questions and one essay questions (worth five points of exam grade). The final
exam is worth 40% of your grade for the course.
Bonus journal (3 percent): You may choose to write a journal reflecting on the lecture and/or reading
of the text each week. Journal entries are to be 1/2-1 page about how the material under consideration applies
to you and your life. You may also write about ideas you have to follow up on the research discussed. Journal
entries are to be submitted weekly on Tuesday (by 10:00am) beginning January 24th via the Assignments
feature on WebCT. Specifically, go to PSY 333's webCT page, and click on the "Assignments" option; you will
find an assignment called "Bonus Journal #1" (or 2, etc.). From there, you upload your journal file, and then
click 'submit.' You must submit 10 journal entries out of a possible 13 weeks with the final submission possible
on April 10th. Grading of journal entries will be pass/fail.
Pop Quizzes: I may give unannounced pop quizzes at any class. A correct answer on the quiz is a bonus
point for the next test.
Missed Exams: You will need to provide some written documentation that can be verified for an
excused absence. A note from a doctor should include an explicit statement from the doctor that your condition
is serious enough to require that you be confined to your bed and be receiving medical treatment. You should
print your name, id number and the name of the doctor on the note. You should also keep a copy of the note for
your own records. Grades for the other exams will be used to create a predicted score for the missed exam.
Exam Review. If you would like to review your exam, you will need to make an appointment with one
of the TAs for this course. The TA will provide you with your exam and the answer key. The primary function
of exam review is to learn about your mistakes and the type of questions you will be asked on exams in this
course. Exam review is a good way to improve your grade. If you believe that an answer other than the correct
answer should be counted for a particular question then you must submit a request to have the question
reconsidered. The method is to submit at exam review a note title “PLEASE RECONSIDER QUESTION X on
VERSION Y” where X is the question # and y is the version of the test. This request must be made within 7
days of exam review following the posting of test results AND the request must include a rationale for why an
alternative should be considered a correct answer.
NOTE: In the event of circumstances beyond the control of the instructor, the evaluation scheme as
set out in this outline might require change.
University Policies
Plagiarism and Cheating: McGill University values academic integrity. Therefore, all students must
understand the meaning and consequences of cheating, plagiarism and other academic offences under the Code
of Student Conduct and Disciplinary Procedures. See www.mcgill.ca/integrity for more information.
Students with Disabilities: If you have a disability, please contact the Office for Students with
Disabilities at 514-398-6009. All accommodations and provisions for the course evaluations and exams are to
be handled directly through the Office for Students with Disabilities.
Selected Lecture Topics (Subject to Change)
Persons and situations
Who am I?
Structure of the self
Illusions
Self-presentation: Self enhance versus self-verify
Self in comparison to others
Self in response to threat
The search for personal consistency and Cognitive Affective System Theory
Goals and self regulation
Ironic processes
Gender and agency and communion
Implicit theories
Prejudice I: Basic processes
Prejudice II: Case of sexism
Attachment
The relational self
Brain-body connection I: Embodied cognition
Brain-body connection II: Stress and well-bing
Happiness
Living with limited self knowledge and self control