Texas A&M University – Central Texas
COURSE SYLLABUS
PSYK 405 (115) – Social Psychology
Fall Semester 2014
8/26-10/16
Tues. and Thurs., 6:00-8:50
Instructor: Genna P. Vivona, MEd, MS, LPC
Office: Psychology and Counseling Dept., 254 519-5464
Email: Genna.Vivona@killeenisd.org
Office Hours: By Appointment
UNILERT
Emergency Warning System for Texas A&M University – Central Texas
UNILERT is an emergency notification service that gives Texas A&M University-Central Texas the
ability to communicate health and safety emergency information quickly via email and text
message. By enrolling in UNILERT, university officials can quickly pass on safety-related
information, regardless of your location. Please enroll today at TAMUCT.org/UNILERT.
Course Overview and 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.
Course Objective-Student 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. applied knowledge from the course to personal experience with effects of social
psychological processes.
Required Reading and Textbook(s):
Required textbook: Myers, D.G. (2010). Social psychology (11th ed.). New York, NY: McGrawHill.
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 .
Course Requirements:
Regular class attendance is expected in this course, and attendance will be taken at every class
meeting. Students are responsible for meeting the course requirements on assigned dates as
outlined in the course calendar.
If a student must miss class, the student is still responsible for submitting assignments on time
and obtaining missed material from other students. Assignments turned in after the due date,
regardless of the nature of the absence, will be penalized. (see Academic Grades)
Academic Grades:
Class participation is required and will consist of open-ended, active discussion of course
concepts. Such discussion fosters an application of course material to personal experiences and
exposure to other’s viewpoints. Students must be in class to participate and must fully
complete the in-class activity to receive participation points each day (20 points).
Examinations - Two exams (20 points each) will be given during the semester (see Course
Calendar for dates). Test items will be essay in format. Tests will cover relevant content from
the assigned chapters listed in the Course Calendar. Questions will be drawn from textbook
readings, lecture information, and class activities. All exams must be completed independently.
Reflection Papers – Four reflections paper (5 points each) will be required on blackboard.
These reflection papers will be 2 pages double spaced and include comments, personal
experience that is relevant to the assigned reading, your thoughts and observations of
others. Please submit these papers on blackboard.
Presentation & Article Reviews – Two article reviews will be required on a subject which
applies to the application of social psychology. Each article review will be 2-3 pages and will be
written in APA format. Please see attached rubric. An oral presentation in class will also be
required to be given on the topic you have chosen (20 points).
Texas A&M University—Central Texas
Paper Grading Rubric and APA Error Checklist1
CATEGORY
Introduction
0- Unacceptable
(below standards)
Does not
adequately
convey topic.
Does not describe
subtopics to be
reviewed.
Lacks adequate thesis
statement
Focus &
Sequencing
Little evidence
articles are logically
organized into topic,
subtopics or related
to topic.
Many transitions are
unclear of
nonexistent.
1– Acceptable
(met standards)
Conveys topic, but
not key question(s)
Describes subtopics
to be reviewed.
General thesis.
2- Good
3- Excellent
Score
(occasionally
(exceeds standards)
exceeds standards)
Conveys topic and
key question(s)
Clearly delineates
subtopics to be
reviewed.
General thesis.
Most articles clearly
related to subtopic,
main topic.
Articles may not
be organized
within subtopics.
All articles clearly
related to subtopic,
main topic.
Articles logically
organized within
subtopics.
Strong introduction of
topic’s key
question(s), terms.
Clearly delineates
subtopics to be
reviewed.
Specific
thesis.
All articles clearly
related to subtopic,
main topic.
Strong
organization and
integration of
articles within
subtopics.
Attempts to
provide variety
of transitions
linking articles,
subtopics, and
main topic.
Clear, varied
transitions
linking articles,
subtopics, and
main topic.
1 article summary All article summaries
are complete, clear,
incomplete,
and properly ordered
unclear, and/or
improperly
ordered.
Article
Summary
Completeness
3 article summaries
incomplete, unclear,
and/or improperly
ordered.
2 article summaries
incomplete, unclear,
and/or improperly
ordered.
Conclusion
Merely restates
article summary
conclusions.
Review of key
conclusions.
Strong review of
key conclusions.
Some integration Strong
Does not
with thesis
integration with
summarize
statement.
thesis statement.
evidence with
Discusses impact Discusses of
respect to thesis of the historical
impact of the
statement.
article on topic. historical article
Does not discuss
on topic.
the impact of
historical article.
Strong transitions
linking articles,
subtopics, and main
topic.
Strong review of
key conclusions.
Strong integration
with thesis
statement.
Insightful
discussion of
impact of the
historical article
on topic.
CATEGORY
Grammar &
Mechanics
0- Unacceptable
(below standards)
Grammatical errors
or spelling &
punctuation
substantially detract
from the paper.
APA Style and Errors in APA style
Communication detract substantially
from the paper.
Word choice is
informal in tone.
Writing is choppy,
with many awkward
or unclear passages.
1– Acceptable
(met standards)
2- Good
(occasionally
exceeds standards)
Grammatical errors
or spelling &
punctuation interfere
with reading the
paper.
Grammatical errors or
spelling &
punctuation are
minimal and do not
detract from the
paper.
Errors in APA style
are noticeable.
Minimal errors in
APA style that do
Word choice
not detract from
occasionally
the paper.
informal in tone. Scholarly style.
Writing has a few
awkward or unclear
passages.
Two references or
Cites/References Reference and
citation errors detract citations missing or
significantly from
incorrectly written.
paper.
3- Excellent
Score
(exceeds standards)
The paper is free of
grammatical errors
and spelling &
punctuation.
No errors in APA
style.
Scholarly style.
Writing is flowing
and easy to follow.
Writing has minimal
awkward of unclear
passages.
One reference or
citations missing or
incorrectly written.
All references and
citations are correctly
written and present.
Total Points:
7 categories (3 points each) are evaluated for the final grade on project. The paper is worth 20
points. The total points are multiplied by 5 for the project grade. Ex. 18 points x 5= 90%.
Grading Criteria Rubric
Final course grade will be determined based on the sum of all points earned for assignments.
Letter Grades for points earned will be as follows: A (90-100%), B (80-89%), C (70-79%), D (6069%), F (0-59%).
Assignment
Points Each
Points Total
%of Total
Class Participation
20
20%
Exams (2)
20
40
40%
Reflection Papers (4)
5
20
20%
Presentation &
2 Article Reviews
20
20%
______________________________________________________________________________
100%
Complete Course Calendar
PSY 405 (115) – COURSE CALENDAR
Class Date
Aug. 26
Test/Topics
Syllabus, Intro to Social Psychology
Chapters
Ch 1
Aug. 28
Self in a Social World
Blackboard-Reflection 1
Ch 2
Sept. 2
Social Beliefs and Judgments
Ch 3
Sept. 4
Behavior and attitudes
Blackboard- Reflection 2
Ch 4
Sept. 9
Genes, Culture, and Gender
Conformity and Obedience
Ch 5
Ch 6
Sept. 11
Research Articles for Presentation
Sept. 16
Persuasion
Sept. 18
ONLINE-Exam 1 (Ch 1-7)
Sept. 23
Group Influence
Presentations (Ch 14)
Ch 8
Sept. 25
Prejudice: Disliking Others
Blackboard-Reflection 3
Ch 9
Sept. 30
Aggression: Hurting Others
Presentations (Ch 15)
Ch 10
Oct. 2
Blackboard- Article Reviews due
Oct. 7
Attraction & Intimacy: Liking & Loving
Presentations (Ch 16)
Ch 11
Oct. 9
Helping
Blackboard- Reflection 4
Ch 12
Oct. 14
Conflict &Peacemaking
Presentations (Cont.)
Ch 13
Oct. 16
FINAL – Exam 2 (Ch 8-16)
Ch 7
COURSE AND UNIVERSITY PROCEDURES AND POLICIES
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 record’s office will provide a deadline for
which the form must be returned, completed and signed. Once you return the signed form
to the records office and wait 24 hours, you must go into Warrior Web 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.
Academic Integrity. Texas A&M University -Central Texas values the integrity of the
academic enterprise and strives for the highest standards of academic conduct. A&MCentral Texas expects its students, faculty, and staff to support the adherence to high
standards of personal and scholarly conduct to preserve the honor and integrity of the
creative community. Academic integrity is defined as a commitment to honesty, trust,
fairness, respect, and responsibility. Any deviation by students from this expectation may
result in a failing grade for the assignment and potentially a failing grade for the course.
Academic misconduct is any act that improperly affects a true and honest evaluation of a
student’s academic performance and includes, but is not limited to, cheating on an
examination or other academic work, plagiarism and improper citation of sources, using
another student’s work, collusion, and the abuse of resource materials. All academic
misconduct concerns will be reported to the university’s Office of Student Conduct.
Ignorance of the university’s standards and expectations is never an excuse to act with a
lack of integrity. When in doubt on collaboration, citation, or any issue, please contact your
instructor before taking a course of action.
Disability Support and Access Services. At Texas A&M University – Central Texas, we
value an inclusive learning environment where every student has an equal chance to
succeed and has the right to an education that is barrier-free. The Office of Disability
Support and Access is responsible for ensuring that students with a disability enjoy equal
access to the University's programs, services and activities. Some aspects of this course or
the way the course is taught may present barriers to learning due to a disability. If you feel
this is the case, please contact Disability Support and Access at (254) 501-5831 in Warrior
Hall, Ste. 212. For more information, please visit their website at
www.tamuct/disabilitysupport. Any information you provide is private and confidential
and will be treated as such.
Tutoring. Tutoring is available to all TAMUCT students, both on-campus and online.
Subjects tutored include Accounting, Finance, Statistics, Mathematics, and Writing, and APA
formatting. Tutors are available at the Tutoring Center in Warrior Hall, Room 111. Visit
www.ct.tamus.edu/AcademicSupport and click "Tutoring Support" for tutor schedules and
contact information. If you have questions, need to schedule a tutoring session, or if you are
interested in becoming a tutor, contact Academic Support Programs at 254-5015830/5836 or by emailing Cecilia.morales@ct.tamus.edu
Chat live with a tutor 24/7 for almost any subject on your computer! Tutor.com is an online
tutoring platform that enables TAMUCT students to log-in and receive FREE online tutoring
and writing support. This tool provides tutoring in Mathematics, Writing, Career Writing,
Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Spanish, Calculus, and Statistics. To access Tutor.com, log into
your Blackboard account and click "Online Tutoring."
University Library. The University Library provides many services in support of research
across campus and at a distance. We offer over 200 electronic databases containing
approximately 250,000 eBooks and 82,000 journals, in addition to the 72,000 items in our
print collection, which can be mailed to students who live more than 50 miles from campus.
Research guides for each subject taught at TAMUCT are available through our website to
help students navigate these resources. On-campus, the library offers technology including
cameras, laptops, microphones, webcams, and digital sound recorders.
Research assistance from a librarian is also available twenty-four hours a day through our
online chat service, and at the reference desk when the library is open. Research sessions
can be scheduled for more comprehensive assistance, and may take place on Skype or inperson at the library. Assistance may cover many topics, including how to find articles in
peer-reviewed journals, how to cite resources, and how to piece together research for
written assignments.
Our 27,000-square-foot facility on the TAMUCT main campus includes student lounges,
private study rooms, group work spaces, computer labs, family areas suitable for all ages,
and many other features. Services such as interlibrary loan, TexShare, binding, and
laminating are available. The library frequently offers workshops, tours, readings, and
other events. For more information, please visit our homepage:
http://www.tamuct.edu/departments/library/index.php
TECHNOLOGY REQUIREMENTS AND SUPPORT.
Technology Requirements.
This course will use the TAMUCT Blackboard Learn learning management system.
Logon to https://tamuct.blackboard.com to access the course.
Username: Your MyCT username
(xx123 or everything before the "@" in your MyCT e-mail address)
Initial password: Your MyCT password
Check browser and computer compatibility by using the “Test Your Browser” button, found
in the “Check Your Browser” module on your Blackboard dashboard, once you have logged
in.
Technology Support. For technology issues, students should contact Help Desk Central.
24 hours a day, 7 days a week:
Email: helpdesk@tamu.edu
Phone: (254) 519-5466
Web Chat: http://hdc.tamu.edu
When calling for support please let your support technician know you are a TAMUCT student.
For issues related to course content and requirements, contact your instructor.
Technology issues are not an excuse for missing a course requirement – make sure your
computer is configured correctly and address issues well in advance of deadlines.
What you can expect from me:
* Hands on learning.
* Respect and professionalism.
* Feedback in the form of graded assignments within 24 hours in most cases.
* Return email within 24 hours except on weekends.
* I will be prepared for class, so I expect the same from you.
* Rubric for assignment in this course has as part of the grade: writing, grammar, and
spelling.