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The information contained on this page is designed to give students a representative example of material covered in the course. Any information related to course assignments, dates, or course materials is illustrative only. For a definitive list of materials, please check the online catalog 3-4 weeks before the course start date.
PSYCH 424 Applied Social Psychology (3) Application of social psychological theories and research methods to field settings and to the study of social issues.
Overview
PSYCH 424 examines how social psychological methods, theory, and research can be applied to foster individual, institutional, and society-wide change. After taking this course, students should be able to distinguish between basic social psychology and applied social psychology, to be knowledgeable about research methods and intervention techniques, and to have an understanding of the causes of a variety of social problems and science-based strategies for solving them.
The prerequisites for the course are PSYCH 100 Introductory Psychology and PSYCH 221 Introduction to Social Psychology. Students must have received a minimum of a “D” in both of those courses.
This course has an established start and end date. Students are required to meet due dates and to have access to the Internet to complete the course.
Objectives
By the time you complete this course, you should have learned about the following:
- Recognize the major concepts and empirical findings in applied
social psychology - Identify social psychological principles relevant to personal
well-being - Apply scientific methods to real-world problems
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 Resources
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
| 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 Schedule
| Unit | Week | Activity |
|---|---|---|
| Lesson 1: Introduction to Applied Social Psychology | Week 1
| Please complete the following assignments in the order listed below:
|
| Lesson 2: Theory | Week 2
|
Please complete the following assignments in the order listed below:
|
| Lesson 3: Intervention and Evaluation | Week 3
| Complete the following assignments in the order listed below:
|
| EXAM #1 | Week 4
|
|
| Lesson 4: Challenges of Everyday Life | Week 5
|
Complete the following assignments in the order listed below:
|
| Lesson 5: Health | Week 6
| Complete the following tasks in the order listed below.
|
| Lesson 6: Behavioral Health | Week 7
| Complete the following tasks in the order listed below.
|
| EXAM #2 | Week 8
|
1. Complete and Submit Exam #2 |
| Spring Break | Week 9
|
|
| Lesson 7: Communications Technology | Week 10
|
Complete the following tasks in the order listed below.
|
| Lesson 8: Organizational Life | Week 11
|
Complete the following tasks in the order listed below.
|
| Lesson 9: The Environment | Week 12
|
Complete the following tasks in the order listed below.
|
| EXAM #3 | Week 13
|
|
| Lesson 10: Intergroup Relations | Week 14
|
Complete the following tasks in the order listed below.
|
| Lesson 11: Community | Week 15
|
Complete the following tasks in the order listed below.
|
| EXAM #4 | Week 15
|
|
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.
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.
Course Requirements and Grading
The World Campus follows the same grading system as the Penn State resident program. The grades of A, B, C, D, and F indicate the following qualities of academic performance:
A = (Excellent) Indicates exceptional achievement
B = (Good) Indicates extensive achievement
C = (Satisfactory) Indicates acceptable achievement
D = (Poor) Indicates only minimal achievement
F = (Failure) Indicates inadequate achievement necessitating a repetition of the course in order to secure credit
Essays
You can earn up to 220 points total for your essays. For each lesson in this course, you will submit an essay based on the focus assignment. Each assignment is worth 20 points total. The focus assignments will involve reading the chapter assigned, reading or finding an article, possibly watching a short video, and answering the questions posed in an essay (as if this is a formal paper) or short essay format (answering each part separately). All of your Essays should be in full sentences. Do not use lists/numbered lists to answer questions.
Essays will be returned to you via email, with comments and grades embedded in the file. Please be sure that the ‘Track Changes’ feature in Word is turned on.
Essays are due by 11:59 PM on Sunday of the week the lesson is assigned. Please submit all essays in Microsoft Word format.
A brief word regarding my evaluation of your essays – generally speaking, your essays should be in the 2-3 page range. In all honesty, I am not a proponent of setting a ‘required’ page length for written work. I am far less concerned with quantity than I am with quality. This is an upper level course and my feeling is that good writing is clear and concise – there is no need to take 4 or 5 pages to say what can more effectively be said in 2 or 3 pages of quality writing. However I have found that providing this information helps to standardize submitted work, which not only makes the grading overall more fair, but also provides you with an idea of expectations.
Discussion Forums
You can earn up to 30 points for your discussion forums. For 10 out of the 11 lessons in the course, you are required to submit at least three posts in the related Discussion Forum. Your initial post, that starts a discussion thread, will be a response to/commentary on the question(s) posed that week and can include a question you have about the material covered, a thought you have related to the material, a summary of a related new story you found, or similar items, personal experience(s) related to the question, etc. The idea here is for your post to be interesting and engaging to your classmates.Your initial post is worth one point.
In addition, you are required to comment twice more in the discussion forum for each lesson. You can either comment on another person's thread or you can respond to comments left on your own thread. Each of your required subsequent posts in the discussion forum (meaning those after your first post) are also worth one point (for a total of two more points). You are encouraged to comment more than twice - this will help you all engage with the material and each other.
To receive full participation points (i.e., the full 3 points), your postings should meet the following criteria:
- Postings should be evenly distributed during the week to facilitate discussion (not concentrated all on one day or at the beginning and/or end of the period).
- Postings should generally be about one short paragraph (3-5 sentences) with a maximum of two paragraphs.
- Avoid postings that are limited to 'I agree' or 'great idea', etc. If you agree (or disagree) with a posting then say why you agree by supporting your statement with concepts from the readings or by bringing in a related example or experience.
- Address the questions as much as possible (don't let the discussion stray).
- Try to use quotes from the readings that support your postings. Include page numbers when you do that.
- Build on others’ responses to create threads.
- Bring in related prior knowledge (work experience, prior coursework, readings, etc.)
Because you only have to do this for 10 out of the 11 lessons, you have one lesson (or the equivalent number of points for one less spread across the semester) where you can miss the discussion forum without adverse effects to your grade.
Discussion forums must be complete by 11:59 PM on Sunday of the week the lesson is assigned (but, again, DO NOT post all of your threads Sunday/Sunday night because you will not receive credit).
As for grading – generally speaking, the feedback for discussion posts will less substantive than that for the written essays/papers. This is an area where you can easily gain ‘completion’ points which can really boost your final grade!
Exams
There will be four exams throughout this course. Each of them will only focus on the material covered prior to the test. That means that there is no cumulative final exam. Each exam is worth 50 points. The exams consist of 25 multiple choice questions based on the book chapters and the articles read for each week. The exams are open note/book exams, but they are timed. You will have 60 minutes to complete each exam and the exam will automatically submit at the end of 60 minutes. Whatever you have not finished within the 60 minutes will be counted as a zero for that question.
Exams must be completed by 11:59 PM on Sunday of the week of the exam.
Late Work Policy
Essay(s) submitted within 24 hours after the assignment deadline (i.e., 11:59 PM every Sunday) will be accepted, but will receive a 5 point deduction for each day it is late (i.e., the best score you could get is a 15/20, or a 75%).
Any/all assignment(s) submitted after this 24 hour window (i.e., after 11:59 PM Monday of the week that it is due), will not be accepted and, accordingly, will receive a "0".
You cannot complete late work for the exams or for the discussion forums. Should you miss those during the specified time periods for each assignment, you will simply lose those points.
Please refer to the University Registrar's 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.
Academic Integrity
According to Penn State policy G-9: Academic Integrity (for undergraduate students in undergraduate courses) and policy GCAC-805 Academic Integrity (for graduate students and undergraduate students in graduate courses), 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 or GCAC-805 Academic Integrity as appropriate). 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, procedures allow a student to accept or contest/appeal the allegation. If a student chooses to contest/appeal the allegation, the case will then be managed by the respective school, college or campus Academic Integrity Committee. Review procedures may vary by college, campus, or school, but all follow the aforementioned policies.
All academic integrity violations are referred to the Office of Student Accountability and Conflict Response, which may assign an educational intervention and/or apply a Formal Warning, Conduct Probation, Suspension, or Expulsion.
Information about Penn State's academic integrity policy 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.
Students with disabilities participating in internship, practicum, student teaching, or other experiential learning opportunities as part of their degree requirements may also be eligible for reasonable accommodations to ensure equal access and opportunity. These accommodations are determined through an interactive process involving the student, their University supervisor, and the site supervisor. Student Disability Resources can assist students with identifying potential barriers, facilitating accommodation requests, and coordinating with University supervisors to promote inclusive learning experiences.
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.