Bonnie L. Rosenblatt, Ph.D.
Office: 393 Old Main Phone: (610) 683 - 4459
Email: rosenbla@kutztown.edu
I will be teaching Social Psychology in the Spring of 2007
Here is a copy of my most recent course syllabus.
Syllabus
Professor: Bonnie L. Rosenblatt, Ph.D.
Office: Old Main # 393
Phone: (610) 683 – 4459
(Note that I share a phone. If you need to leave a message on voice mail, please be careful to select the right mailbox - this will ensure that I can return your call as soon as possible.)
Email: rosenbla@kutztown.edu
Web Page: http://faculty.kutztown.edu/rosenbla (under construction!)
Office hours : TBA
Please email or talk to me if you would like to make an appointment. Also, it might be a good idea to call or email before dropping by during office hours just to be sure I am not already meeting with another student. My class schedule is posted on my web page, office door and in the Psychology Department (Jean Waxler – Department Secretary: 683 – 4455) and it should help you pick a likely time to meet with me.
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Link to text book web site with study aids. |
Aronson, E. Wilson, T.D., Akert, R.M. (2005). Social Psychology (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall/Pearson Education.
Ruscher, J. B., & Hammer, E. Y. (Eds.) (2004).Current directions in social psychology. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall/Pearson Education.
Introduction
Consider your eating habits for a moment. How are they different when you know you are alone from when you are with a date, or at a bar or in a fine restaurant? All of these situations are examples of different social contexts – obviously, there are many more. Social Psychologists study how the social context shapes not only individuals’ behaviors, but also their mental processes – such as attitude formation, thoughts and feelings. In class we will explore questions such as how can I persuade someone to do me a favor or buy my product? Does watching violence in the media reduce or increase actual violent behavior? Why did the Holocaust occur; could something like it occur again? How and why do we form stereotypes of people? Can we reliability detect when other’s are lying? What shapes our personal identities?
Even if you are not a psychology major you should find this class relevant to your daily lives. People who intend to pursue careers in business, marketing, public speaking, education and law should find this class particularly relevant.
One major goal of the class will be to understand how social psychologists rigorously apply the scientific method to their research questions. This will often mean learning about multiple theories and the details of experiments that either succeed or fail to support them. Sometimes the results might seem “obvious;” the important aspect of theses results is that they are obtained through empirical methods of observation and are not merely someone’s opinion or supposition. In the same vein, we will learn to apply the scientific method to answer novel research questions as they unfold in class. Social Psychology is still a young science and does not always have all the answers, but with a firm grasp of empirical methodology we, as a class, should be able to formulate a way to investigate our novel questions.
A second major goal of the class will be to develop a good understanding of the major themes, theories and findings in Social Psychology.
The third major goal of the class will be to actively engage in critical thinking and discussion of readings, videos and lectures. This class will involve more participation than your basic lecture class. Highly successful students will attend class regularly and do more than be passive vessels into which I pour a stream of facts.
Academic Honesty
All students must abide by the academic honesty policy of Kutztown
University and all other
student conduct standards as described in the online student handbook, "The Key"
"Academic dishonesty involves any attempt to obtain academic credit or influence
the grading process by means unauthorized by the course instructor" (The Key,
chapter 5, p. 46). It is a student's responsibility to behave in accordance with
University policy. In short, behave honorably, turn in work that is completely
your own, and use only approved resources for completion of exams and
assignments. When in doubt, please ask.
Students with Disabilities
The Office of Human Diversity, located in 220 Stratton Administration Center
(Phone: 610-683-4108; Fax: 610-683-1520; TDD: 610-683-4499), provides
many services for students with disabilities. If you have a documented
disability please see me during office hours within the first 2 weeks of the
semester so we can work out accommodations.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS (these may change for 2007)
Participation & Assignments (40%)
There will be a number of small assignments during the semester including readings, discussions, and social observation projects (20%). Some of these assignments will take place entirely in class and it will not be possible to make them up. Thus, I recommend that you attend class and notify me ahead of time if you know you must miss class.
There will be one final Term Project (20%) that can be turned in at any time but will be due no later than 6pm Tuesday April 5, 2005. The goal of the Term Project is for you to demonstrate your understanding of Social Psychological theories and findings by applying them to experiences in your everyday lives. There will be a number of ways to complete this requirement. You may apply theories to 1) current events in the news, to 2) pre-approved films or novels or 3) advertising/marketing campaigns. You also have the option of 4) developing your own research proposal based on theories discussed in class and readings and at least 2 additional research articles. (This is only proposal; you will not actually conduct the experiment.)
Again, you must choose 1 of these types of projects and complete it by the due date listed above. To successfully complete the project you will need to apply at least 3 theories or principles to your topic. You will be graded on how well you demonstrate your understanding of at least three theories from class or text and how well you use these theories to interpret something else. A more detailed handout will be provided shortly. Also, please always keep a back-up copy of your assignments to protect yourself against the rare possibility that it is misplaced.
Exams (60%)
There will be 3 non-cumulative midterms each worth 15% of your grade. There will be one final exam worth 15%. Exams will consist of a combination of multiple-choice and short answer/essay questions. To succeed on these exams you will need to demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of the theories covered in class. You will also need to be able to apply them to novel situations. For example, we will learn about cognitive dissonance, the tendency to experience tension/discomfort when our attitudes and behavior are not consistent. People cope with this discomfort by a) changing their behavior -- although this is very difficult to do and happens infrequently, b) trivializing how important the attitude is to them, or c) changing their attitude -- this occurs most often. To apply this theory, you might explain what outcomes are possible (and most likely) for someone who both smokes, yet has the attitude that smoking is unhealthy.
Grading
Your final grade will be based on your 4 exam grades (60%), in class assignments & attendance (20%), term project (20%) and extra credit (maximum of 2 percentage points added to your final grade).
Percentage Grade
90
– 100 A
80
- 89 B
70
- 79 C
60
- 69 D
59
and below F