PSYCH 221 (GS) Introduction to Social Psychology (3) Research and theory on topics including interpersonal attraction, aggression, helping, attitudes, attribution, cooperation, competition, and groups, from a psychological perspective.
Overview
This course is designed to serve as an introduction to the study of social psychology. We will be covering a wide variety of issues. Most of the students who have taken an intro social psych class like this report that they gain a lot of insight into their own thoughts and behaviors and into the behaviors and motivations of other people. In a “nutshell” I guess what I’m saying is that most people think this stuff is sort of cool. I think it’s cool, and I hope that you will too. Because this is an on-line course I feel that it is necessary to offer a word of warning right away. Your success in this course, including your grade will depend largely on the effort that you extend to learn. It will be entirely up to you to read the assigned material, and more importantly, it will be up to you to make sure that you truly understand what you have read. I will be monitoring your progress through the course, and if you are having trouble I want to encourage you to contact me by e-mail so that we can figure out how to help you do well.
Objectives
This course is designed to accomplish three basic goals:
- To serve as an introduction to the topic of social psychology. We will begin the course discussing what defines the field and move on to introduce a series of theories that help us to understand our world.
- To assist in the development of critical thinking skills. Social psychologists recognize that when it comes to human behavior, we are often not particularly accurate in our assessments of other people, and even ourselves. We will discuss how and why this can happen, but we will also discuss ways to improve our thinking skills.
- To demonstrate the applicability of social psychological principles across a broad range of experiences. Some of you might end up becoming social psychologists, but most students will not be following this career path. The material covered in this course can be (and is) applied to a wide variety of careers, and life experiences.
Materials
Most World Campus courses require that students purchase materials (e.g., textbooks, specific software, etc.). To learn about how to order materials, please see the Course Materials page. You should check LionPATH approximately 3–4 weeks before the course begins for a list of required materials.
Library
Many of the University Libraries resources can be utilized from a distance. Through the Libraries website, you can
- access magazine, journal, and newspaper articles online using library databases;
- borrow materials and have them delivered to your doorstep—or even your desktop;
- get research help via email, chat, or phone using the Ask a Librarian service; and
- much more.
You must have an active Penn State Access Account to take full advantage of the Libraries' resources and service. The Off-Campus Users page has additional information about these free services.
Technical Specifications
For this course we recommend the minimum World Campus technical requirements listed below:
| Operating System | Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8*; Mac OS X 10.5 or higher *Windows 8 support excludes the tablet only RT version |
|---|---|
| Processor | 2 GHz or higher |
| Memory | 1 GB of RAM |
| Hard Drive Space | 20 GB free disk space |
| Browser | We recommend the latest ANGEL-supported version of Firefox or
Internet Explorer. To determine if your browser fits this criterion,
and for advice on downloading a supported version,
please refer to the following ITS knowledge base article: Supported Browsers and Recommended Computers.
Note: Cookies, Java, and JavaScript must be enabled. Pop-up blockers should be configured to permit new windows from Penn State websites. Due to nonstandard handling of CSS, JavaScript and caching, older versions of Internet Explorer (such as IE 6 or earlier) do not work with our courses. |
| Plug-ins | Adobe Reader [Download from Adobe]
Flash Player (v7.0 or later) [Download from Adobe] |
| Additional Software | Microsoft Office (2007 or later) |
| Internet Connection | Broadband (cable or DSL) connection required |
| Printer | Access to graphics-capable printer |
| DVD-ROM | Required |
| Sound Card, Microphone, and Speakers | Required |
| Monitor | Capable of at least 1024 x 768 resolution |
If you need technical assistance at any point during the course, please contact the Service Desk.
For registration, advising, disability services, help with materials, exams, general problem solving, visit World Campus Student Services!
Course Requirements and Grading
Course Components
Pre-Reading Commentaries
I’ve broken the course down into sections based on the chapters of the textbook. Each chapter that we cover has two parts, and for each part I have included some thoughts and observations about the material. You are expected to read these commentaries first, and then read the assigned pages of the textbook for that section. At the end of the commentaries you will find several links. One is a link to the Quiz that corresponds to that reading. You will read the commentary, then read the textbook, then take this short quiz (see details below). After some lessons you will also be asked to complete a Web-Assignment (see details below).
Quizzes
At the end of each Pre-Reading Commentary there is a link to a short quiz. You are expected to take the quiz after you have read the commentary, and after you have read through the assigned textbook pages. Each quiz is worth 5 points, and those points are awarded in a pass/fail format. If you take the quiz and submit it you will get the 5 points, if you do not take the quiz you will get a zero. I will be monitoring your performance on these quizzes and also keeping track of when you submitted them. This allows me the ability to keep track of your progress through the material. If I notice that you are not submitting the quizzes, or are doing very poorly on them, then you should expect an e-mail from me. The quizzes are also designed to help you to identify concepts that you haven’t master (so that you can study some more before the exam). Please note that the quizzes that count are part of the ANGEL portion of the course. There are also some practice quizzes on the companion website for the course. I encourage you to take these quizzes also, but they are not counted toward your grade.
Web-Assignments
The web assignments are designed to see how well you can apply the concepts. At the end of some of the Pre-Reading Commentaries I provide a link to a short assignment that will often involve going to a website, and then commenting on how the site illustrates some concept from the course. The specific instructions for each of the assignments are written at the top of each web assignment page. You can access each web assignment page by clicking on the lessons tab and then clicking on the Web Assignments folder- note: only some of the pre-reading commentaries include Web Assignments, you will not find one fore each pre-reading commentary.
Journal Writing
You will be asked to write three journal entries during the course. These assignments are designed to see how well you can integrate the material across the breadth of the course. The instructions for completing these assignments are found by clicking on the lessons tab, then clicking on the Journal Writing Assignments folder, and finally clicking on the Journal Writing Assignments link.
Exams
You are required to take four exams during this course. The exams are in a multiple-choice format. You will be given 1 hour to answer 50 questions. (That is a fairly rapid pace, so you will need to know the material well)
Grades: Your final grade will be based on completion of the Quizzes, Web-Assignments, Journal Assignments, and Exams.
Assignment |
Description |
Total Points |
Quizzes |
25 Quizzes worth 5 points each |
125 |
Web Assignments |
11 web assignments Only your highest scoring 10 grades will count 10 points each 100 points total |
100 |
Journals |
3 journal entries worth 25 points each |
75 |
Exams |
4 exams worth 100 points each |
400 |
TOTAL POINTS |
700 |
Late Work: Late work is NOT accepted unless approved by the instructor prior to the due date. Turning in something late without informing the instructor that it was going to be late will result in a zero for that assignment. If you make arrangements to turn something in late (i.e. tell me prior to the due date that you are turning in something late) it will result in a loss of 5% per day after the due date. In other words, you will lose one entire grade level for every 2 days late.
Academic Dishonesty: All work must be your own. Do not work on paper assignments with others, unless you are instructed to do so. Cheating on exams will not be tolerated and will be dealt with according to University policies (See policy at http://www.psu.edu/ufs/policies/). It may result in failing the course.
Please refer to the University Grading Policy for Undergraduate Courses for additional information about University grading policies. If, for reasons beyond the student's control, a student is prevented from completing a course within the prescribed time, the grade in that course may be deferred with the concurrence of the instructor. The symbol DF appears on the student's transcript until the course has been completed. Non-emergency permission for filing a deferred grade must be requested by the student before the beginning of the final examination period. In an emergency situation, an instructor can approve a deferred grade after the final exam period has started. Under emergency conditions during which the instructor is unavailable, authorization is required from one of the following: the dean of the college in which the candidate is enrolled; the executive director of the Division of Undergraduate Studies if the student is enrolled in that division or is a provisional student; or the campus chancellor of the student's associated Penn State campus.
For additional information please refer to the Deferring a Grade page.
Course Schedule
| Unit / Lesson | Activity |
|---|---|
| Getting Started |
|
| Lesson 1: Introduction to Social Psychology |
|
| Lesson 2: Methodology: How Social Psychologists Do Research |
|
| Lesson 3: Social Cognition: How We Think about the Social World |
|
| Lesson 4: Social Perception: How We Come to Understand Other People |
|
| Lesson 5: Self Knowledge: How We Come to Understand Ourselves |
|
| Lesson 6: The Need to Justify Our Actions The Costs and Benefits of Dissonance Reduction |
|
| Lesson 7: Attitudes and Attitude Change: Influencing Thoughts and Feelings |
|
| Lesson 8: Conformity: Influencing Behavior |
|
| Lesson 9: Group Processes: Influence in Social Groups |
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| Lesson 10: Interpersonal Attraction: From First Impressions to Close Relationships |
|
| Lesson 11: Prosocial Behavior: Why Do People Help? |
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| Lesson 12: Aggression: Why Do We Hurt Other People? Can We Prevent It? |
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| Lesson 13: Prejudice: Causes and Cures |
|
| Final Exam |
|
Formal instruction will end on the last day of class. Provided that you have an active Penn State Access Account user ID and password, you will continue to be able to access the course materials for one year, starting from the end date of the academic semester in which the course was offered (with the exception of library reserves and other external resources that may have a shorter archival period). After one year, you might be able to access the course based on the policies of the program or department offering the course material, up to a maximum of three years from the end date of the academic semester in which the course was offered. For more information, please review the University Course Archival Policy.
Note: If you are planning to graduate this semester, please communicate your intent to graduate to your instructor. This will alert your instructor to the need to submit your final grade in time to meet the published graduation deadlines. For more information about graduation policies and deadlines, please refer to Graduation at the Chaiken Center for Student Success.
Academic Integrity
According to Penn State policy G-9: Academic Integrity , an academic integrity violation is “an intentional, unintentional, or attempted violation of course or assessment policies to gain an academic advantage or to advantage or disadvantage another student academically.” Unless your instructor tells you otherwise, you must complete all course work entirely on your own, using only sources that have been permitted by your instructor, and you may not assist other students with papers, quizzes, exams, or other assessments. If your instructor allows you to use ideas, images, or word phrases created by another person (e.g., from Course Hero or Chegg) or by generative technology, such as ChatGPT, you must identify their source. You may not submit false or fabricated information, use the same academic work for credit in multiple courses, or share instructional content. Students with questions about academic integrity should ask their instructor before submitting work.
Students facing allegations of academic misconduct may not drop/withdraw from the affected course unless they are cleared of wrongdoing (see G-9: Academic Integrity ). Attempted drops will be prevented or reversed, and students will be expected to complete course work and meet course deadlines. Students who are found responsible for academic integrity violations face academic outcomes, which can be severe, and put themselves at jeopardy for other outcomes which may include ineligibility for Dean’s List, pass/fail elections, and grade forgiveness. Students may also face consequences from their home/major program and/or The Schreyer Honors College.
How Academic Integrity Violations Are Handled
World Campus students are expected to act with civility and
personal integrity; respect other students' dignity, rights, and
property; and help create and maintain an environment in which all
can succeed through the fruits of their own efforts. An environment
of academic integrity is requisite to respect for oneself and
others, as well as a civil community.
In cases where academic integrity is questioned, the Policy on Academic Integrity indicates that procedure requires an instructor to inform the student of the allegation. Procedures allow a student to accept or contest a charge. If a student chooses to contest a charge, the case will then be managed by the respective college or campus Academic Integrity Committee. If that committee recommends an administrative sanction (Formal Warning, Conduct Probation, Suspension, Expulsion), the claim will be referred to the Office of Student Accountability and Conflict Response.
All Penn State colleges abide by this Penn State policy, but review procedures may vary by college when academic dishonesty is suspected. Information about Penn State's academic integrity policy and college review procedures is included in the information that students receive upon enrolling in a course. To obtain that information in advance of enrolling in a course, please contact us by going to the Contacts & Help page .
Accommodating Disabilities
Penn State welcomes students with disabilities into the University’s educational programs. Every Penn State campus has an office for students with disabilities, including World Campus. The Disabilities and Accommodations section of the Chaiken Center for Student Success website provides World Campus students with information regarding how to request accommodations, documentation guidelines and eligibility, and appeals and complaints. For additional information, please visit the University's Student Disability Resources website.
In order to receive consideration for reasonable accommodations, you must contact the appropriate disability services office at the campus where you are officially enrolled, participate in an intake interview, and provide documentation. If the documentation supports your request for reasonable accommodations, your campus's disability services office will provide you with an accommodation letter. Please share this letter with your instructors and discuss the accommodations with them as early in your courses as possible. You must follow this process for every semester that you request accommodations.
Additional Policies
For information about additional policies regarding Penn State Access Accounts; credit by examination; course tuition, fees, and refund schedules; and drops and withdrawals, please see the World Campus Student Center website.
Disclaimer: Please note that the specifics of this Course Syllabus are subject to change, and you will be responsible for abiding by any such changes. Your instructor will notify you of any changes.