Social Psychology 

Psychology 343 - Syllabus

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Dr. Joe King Office Hours: M,W 10:00 – 11:00 AM

414 Russell Hall T,R 9:30 – 10:30 AM

Phone: 831-5789 F 11:00 - 12:00 Noon

e-mail: jsking@radford.edu

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Baron, R. and Byrne, D. (2000). Social Psychology , 9^th Edition, Allyn & Bacon: Boston

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Course Description:

The focus of this course is on the individual. Social Psychologists are generally interested in the behavior, thoughts and feelings of the individual. We will study and discuss the ways in which we explain the behavior of others, and the ways in which we use others to explain our own behavior. We will also study the ways that others influence the behavior of an individual. Finally, we will study the ways in which individuals relate to and interact with one another.

Grading: Four tests will be administered, in class, during the semester. Tests will only be offered at their scheduled time. Your grade will be determined by averaging these four grades. There may be opportunities for extra credit through participation in experiments. You are eligible for up to three points added to your final average for participation in an experiment that lasts at least 30 minutes, and for which you turn in a brief description of the purpose and conduct of that experiment.

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Date Topic Assignment

1/8 Subject matter of social psychology Chapter 1

1/10-12 Research in social psychology Chapter 1

1/15-19 Social Perception Chapter 2

1/22-26 Social Cognition Chapter 3

1/29-31 Self and Gender Chapter 5

2/6 Test 1

2/5-9 Attitudes Chapter 4

2/12-16 Prejudice & Discrimination Chapter 6

2/19-23 Interpersonal Attraction Chapter 7

2/26-28 Long Term Relationships Chapter 8

3/6 Test 2

3/5-9 Social Influence Chapter 9

3/12-16 Spring Break

3/19-23 Prosocial Behavior Chapter 10

3/26-30 Aggression Chapter 11

4/4-9 Group Processes Chapter 12

4/11-16 Social Psychology & the Law Chapter 13

4/18-23 Health & Environmental Psychology Lecture

4/25-27 Psychology and Work Chapter 13

4/30 11:00 AM Final Exam for the 1:00 MWF Class

4/30 2:00 PM Final Exam for the 12:30 TR Class

I will take attendance regularly in class. The attendance policy for this course is simple: You are expected to attend EVERY class meeting. The course takes place in the classroom. The text is an adjunct to the course. Tests will reflect the lectures and discussion that take place in class. If there are 8 classes between tests, and you miss 2, then you have missed 25% of the course for that test. This is a significant portion of the course, and therefore, probably explains poor performance on the test.

If you are having trouble in the course, please see me. My purpose here is to assist you in educating yourself as best as possible. Please ask questions in class, either regarding the text or previous classes. You will learn more, and the class will be more enjoyable.

Have a great semester.