Syllabus

2019/2020 Fall Term/ Section A
DATES: September 04-December 20, 2019
TIME: 11:30 am-2:30 pm Wednesday
ROOM: CLH-A

Instructor

Ward Struthers
Office: 246 BSB
Phone: (416) 736-2100 x66476 (psych office for messages)
E-mail: struther@yorku.ca
Web Site: http://struthers.info.yorku.ca
Office Hour: 11:30 Tuesday or by appointment

Teaching Assistant

Arik Shoikhedbrod and Elysia Vaccarino
Office: Arik 022 BSB, Elysia 321 H BSB
Office Hour: Arik Wednesday, 10:30 am or by appointment, Elysia Wednesday, 10:00 am or by appointment
Arik and Elysia can be reached by e-mail: arikyork@yorku.ca and evaccari@yorku.ca (this is the best way to contact both).

Textbook

Social Psychology The Science of Everyday Life (2nd Edition) by Greenberg, J, Schmader, T., Arndt, J., & Landau, M. (2018). Worth Publishers.

Course Prerequisite

To enroll in this course, students must have earned a minimum final letter grade of C in PSYCH 1010.

Course Objectives and Overview

This is a course in social psychology or the study of how individuals think and feel about, relate to, and influence one another based on the actual, implied, or perceived presence of other individuals. Generally, this course will provide students with a background in social psychology and an opportunity to learn about various theoretical, conceptual, practical, and empirical social psychological issues. I expect that you will work hard, know the course material very well, and be able to integrate the material from different sections. Given that social psychology is related to many aspects of individuals' lives, I think that you will find the study of social psychology engaging.

Program Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:

1. Demonstrate in-depth knowledge in social psychology.
2. Critically evaluate, synthesize and resolve conflicting results in social psychology.
3. Articulate trends in social psychology.
4. Locate research articles and show critical thinking about research findings in psychology.
5. Express knowledge of social psychology in written form.
6. Engage in evidence-based dialogue with course director and peers.
7. Demonstrate an ability to work with others.

Specific Learning Objectives

1. Understand theoretical and empirical evidence of the importance of social psychology.
2. Gain experience reviewing literature and applying social psychology to other areas of research.

Grading and Course Requirements

Course requirements

Your final grade in the course will be out of 100% and will be based on: (a) your two scores on two in-class exams (60% total) (b) your final exam (40% total); and (c) your bonus points (2% total). Thus, it is possible to get a grade of 102% out of 100%.

1. In-class exams: There will be two 60-item multiple choice in-class exams in this course. Each exam is worth 30% for a total of 60% of your final grade. There will be no make-up exams, except under extraordinary circumstances. If you miss one in-class exam, you will receive a grade of zero. If you produce a valid medical document (i.e., an attending physician form), signed by a physician, stating that you were medically unable to take the exam, you will be able to take a makeup exam. If you miss an exam for non-medical reasons, you still must produce supporting documentation (e.g., death certificate, obituary notice, automobile accident report, airline ticket for emergency travel, etc.). Missing an exam for a vacations, etc., is not an acceptable reason. IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT THE ATTENDING PHYSICIAN MUST BE WILLING TO STATE THAT YOU WERE MEDICALLY UNABLE TO TAKE THE EXAM, AND YOU MUST PRODUCE THE DOCUMENT WITHIN 48 HOURS OF THE MISSED EXAM AND CONTACT THE PSYCHOLOGY DEPARTMENT, INSTRUCTOR, and TA IN ADVANCE OF THE EXAM IF YOU KNOW THAT YOU WILL BE UNABLE TO TAKE THE EXAM. In order to avoid receiving a grade of 0, you must complete an Attending Physician's Statement Form from the Office of the Registrar and it must be clear that in the Physician's statement, that you were unable to take the examination on the scheduled date and time. If this happens to you and you are unable to produce such a document, you should seriously consider dropping this course. If you miss an exam it is your responsibility to contact the TA (the TA is the preferred person) or course director within 48 hours of the exam. The nature of the makeup exam will be at the discretion of the instructor. There will be only one makeup exam for students who qualify for any missed exams. For instance, if you missed 2 regularly scheduled exams, you would write both missed exams during the makeup exam period. This exam will occur at the beginning of the next semester during the departmental makeup exam period. If you miss the makeup exam for any reason, there will be no other opportunities to earn these grades. It is important that you show up for all exams on time as no late students will be allowed to write the exam following any student's departure from the exam room.
2. Final exam: Your final exam is worth 40% of your final grade, 30% will focus on material covered since your second in-class exam and 10% will focus on an accumulation of the lectures from the whole course. You must take your final exam in order to receive a grade in this course.
3. Bonus points: To reward you for attending lectures and to demonstrate how research is conducted in social psychology, 2 bonus points (2%) will be awarded to students who participate in two social psychological studies approved by the instructor.

Grading as per Senate Policy

The grading scheme for the course conforms to the 9-point grading system used in undergraduate programs at York (e.g., A+ = 9, A = 8, B+ - 7, C+ = 5, etc.). Assignments and tests* will bear either a letter grade designation or a corresponding number grade (e.g. A+ = 90 to 100, A = 80 to 90, B+ = 75 to 79, etc.).

(For a full description of York grading system see the York University Undergraduate Calendar - Grading Scheme for 2019-20)

Attendance

For several reasons, it is important that you attend all of the lectures. First, you will receive a great deal of important information in each lecture. Second, you will be tested on the material presented in each lecture and so if you miss them, you will also miss the opportunity to get the information. The instructor and TA do not provide notes for missed classes. Finally, an opportunity to score bonus points will be provided during certain lectures, and therefore, if you are absent, you will not be awarded those bonus points. Bonus points are one time only opportunities, and therefore, there will be no opportunities to make up missed bonus points.

Late Work/Missed Tests or Exams

Students with a documented reason for missing a regularly scheduled exam, such as illness, compassionate grounds, etc., which is confirmed by supporting documentation (Attending Physician Statement which can be found at: http://myacademicrecord.students.yorku.ca/pdf/attending-physicians-statement.pdf may request accommodation from the Course Instructor. Further extensions or accommodation will require students to submit a formal petition to the Faculty.

There will be no make-up exams, except under extraordinary circumstances. If you miss one in-class exam, you will receive a grade of zero. If you produce a valid medical document (i.e., an attending physician form), signed by a physician, stating that you were medically unable to take the exam, you will be able to take a makeup exam. If you miss an exam for non-medical reasons, you still must produce supporting documentation (e.g., death certificate, obituary notice, automobile accident report, airline ticket for emergency travel, etc.). Missing an exam for a vacations, etc., is not an acceptable reason. IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT THE ATTENDING PHYSICIAN MUST BE WILLING TO STATE THAT YOU WERE MEDICALLY UNABLE TO TAKE THE EXAM, AND YOU MUST PRODUCE THE DOCUMENT WITHIN 48 HOURS OF THE MISSED EXAM AND CONTACT THE PSYCHOLOGY DEPARTMENT, INSTRUCTOR, and TA IN ADVANCE OF THE EXAM IF YOU KNOW THAT YOU WILL BE UNABLE TO TAKE THE EXAM. In order to avoid receiving a grade of 0, you must complete an Attending Physician's Statement Form from the Office of the Registrar and it must be clear that in the Physician's statement, that you were unable to take the examination on the scheduled date and time. If this happens to you and you are unable to produce such a document, you should seriously consider dropping this course. If you miss an exam it is your responsibility to contact the TA (the TA is the preferred person) or course director within 48 hours of the exam. The nature of the makeup exam will be at the discretion of the instructor. There will be only one makeup exam for any missed exams for students who qualify. For instance, if you missed 2 regularly scheduled exams, you would write both missed exams during the makeup exam period.This exam will typically take place during the first week of the next term/semester. It is important that you show up for all exams on time as no late students will be allowed to write the exam following any student's departure from the exam room.

Test Banks

The offering for sale of, buying of, and attempting to sell or buy test banks (banks of test questions and/or answers), or any course specific test questions/answers is not permitted in the Faculty of Health. Any student found to be doing this may be considered to have breached the Senate Policy on Academic Honesty. In particular, buying and attempting to sell banks of test questions and/or answers may be considered as “Cheating in an attempt to gain an improper advantage in an academic evaluation” (article 2.1.1 from the Senate Policy) and/or “encouraging, enabling or causing others” (article 2.1.10 from the Senate Policy) to cheat. The use of test banks is not permitted in this course and may be considered a potential breach of academic honesty.

Course Materials Copyright Information

These course materials are designed for use as part of the HH/PSYC 2120 P course at York University and are the property of the instructor unless otherwise stated. Third party copyrighted materials (such as book chapters, journal articles, music, videos, etc.) have either been licensed for use in this course or fall under an exception or limitation in Canadian Copyright law.

Copying this material for distribution (e.g. uploading material to a commercial third-party website) may lead to a violation of Copyright law. Intellectual Property Rights Statement

Electronic Devices During a Test/Examination

Electronic mobile devices of any kind are not allowed during a test or examination. Students are required to turn off and secure any electronic mobile device in their bag which is to be placed under the chair while a test/exam is in progress. Any student observed with an electronic devise during a test/exam may be reported to the Undergraduate Office for a potential breach of Academic Honesty.

Academic Accommodation for Students with Disabilities

While all individuals are expected to satisfy the requirements of their program of study and to aspire to do so at a level of excellence, the university recognizes that persons with disabilities may require reasonable accommodation to enable them to do so. The York University Accessibility Hub is your online stop for accessibility on campus. The Accessibility Hub provides tools, assistance and resources. Policy Statement

Policy: York University shall make reasonable and appropriate accommodations and adaptations in order to promote the ability of students with disabilities to fulfill the academic requirements of their programs.

The nature and extent of accommodations shall be consistent with and supportive of the integrity of the curriculum and of the academic standards of programs or courses.
Provided that students have given sufficient notice about their accommodation needs, instructors shall take reasonable steps to accommodate these needs in a manner consistent with the guidelines established hereunder.

For Further Information please refer to: York university academic accommodation for students with disabilities policy

Course Schedule

Add/Drop Deadlines

For a list of all important dates please refer to: Fall/Winter 2019-20 - Important Dates

	FALL (F)	YEAR (Y)	WINTER (W)
Last date to add a course without permission of instructor (also see Financial Deadlines)	Sept. 17	Sept. 17	Jan. 19
Last date to add a course with permission of instructor (also see Financial Deadlines)	Oct. 1	Oct. 22	Feb. 3
Drop deadline: Last date to drop a course without receiving a grade (also see Financial Deadlines)	Nov. 8	Feb. 3	March 13
Course Withdrawal Period (withdraw from a course and receive a grade of “W” on transcript – see note below)	Nov. 9 - Dec. 3	Feb. 4 - Apr. 5	March 14 - Apr. 5

*Note: You may withdraw from a course using the registration and enrolment system after the drop deadline until the last day of class for the term associated with the course. When you withdraw from a course, the course remains on your transcript without a grade and is notated as "W". The withdrawal will not affect your grade point average or count towards the credits required for your degree.

 

Date	Lecture Topic	Chapter
4/09/19	Introduction to PSYCH 2120.30 What is social psychology?	lecture
11/09/19	History and Research Methods of social psychology	1,2
18/09/19	SECTION I: SOCIAL THINKING Judging the Self and others perceiving people and events	4,5
25/09/19	Attitudes, Social Cognition, & person perception	3,6
2/10/19	IN-CLASS EXAM #1/video (Obedience)	1-6 + Lectures
09/10/19	SECTION II: SOCIAL INFLUENCE Sociobiology, culture, conformity (video Candit Camera)	7
16/10/19	Fall Reading Week / No class	NA
23/10/19	persuasion	8
Nov. 8	last date to drop the course without a grade	NA
30/10/19	Group influence + video Devil's Playground	9
06/11/19	IN-CLASS EXAM #2/video (video 1st person shooter)	7-9+ Lectures
13/11/19	SECTION III: SOCIAL RELATIONS Disliking and hurting others	10,11, 12
20/11/19	Helping others	13
27/11/19	Interpersonal relationships, research	14
??/12/19	FINAL EXAM (see Exam Schedule)	10-14+ all Lectures from the course