Social Psychology (PSY 343)
Section 01 (Wednesday, 6:00-9:00)
Fall, 2006

Professor: Hilary Lips, Ph.D.
    Office: 33-B Washington Hall
    Phone: 831-5361
    E-mail: hlips@radford.edu
    Website: http://www.radford.edu/~hlips		   Syllabus:   
  Course Schedule  Grading 
  Projects-Presentations
  Page 2  Page 3  Page 4
Office Hours: Tuesdays & Thursdays 3:30 – 5:00 and by appointment
      
Textbook: Social Psychology (Fourth edition) by Stephen Franzoi (McGraw-Hill, 2006). This text, when purchased new, comes with a CD-ROM designed to help you learn and review important concepts in the course. It also includes multiple-choice test preparation questions keyed to each chapter, along with feedback for each question. I recommend that you use these resources to get the most out of this book.
     There is a companion web site for the Franzoi textbook, available at  http://www.mhhe.com/franzoi4 (Click on "Online Learning Center, Student Edition). This site can be used as an interactive study guide for the textbook. For each chapter it provides a list of learning objectives, a chapter overview, practice quizzes using multiple choice, fill in the blanks and true-false questions, flashcards and internet exercises.
   
Course Requirements and Grading:
General Expectations: You are expected to attend class, to come prepared, and to participate in the class activities and projects. Complete assigned activities before class. Read each assigned chapter or reading before the class in which it is scheduled to be discussed. You are responsible for all material in the assigned readings, whether or not it is discussed in class. You are also responsible for all material presented in lectures, whether or not it is in the readings. If you miss classes, you will be missing not only lectures, but group meetings, in-class exercises, announcements, etc. that cannot easily be made up.  
TESTS AND EXAM -- 105 POINTS
WEEKLY MINI-QUIZZES -- 20 points
Brief quizzes on the assigned readings will be given during the first 10 minutes of each class, except when a regular test is scheduled, These tests may vary in format, and may include multiple-choice, matching, true-false, fill-in-the blank, and written-answer questions. The two lowest scores on these mini-quizzes (including missed tests) will be dropped.
TESTS: (Dates are listed in the schedule at the end of this syllabus)
Test # 1 - - 25 points
Test # 2 - - 25 points

Altogether, scores on the 2 tests and the mini-quizzes make up 70 of the 150 points for the course. In other words, almost half of your grade in this course (47%) is determined by your combined test and quiz scores. In general, if you miss a test, your score on that test will be 0. If you must miss one of the tests because of illness or emergency, you must provide documentation of the emergency and consult with me in advance about the possibility of a make-up test. Except under very exceptional circumstances, make-up tests will not be allowed for this course; rather, the weight assigned to the final exam score will be increased to reflect the weight of the missing test.
FINAL EXAM – 35 points
The final exam will take place on the date specified in the university's fall schedule: Wednesday December 13th at 8 p.m. It will cover material from all sections of the course, with an emphasis on material not covered in previous tests. If you have done all the mini-quizzes and have a grade of A (61.6 out of a total possible of 70, or 88% and) on your cumulated test and all mini-quiz scores for the course, you are not required to write the final exam and may choose instead to have your test scores weighted more heavily.

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ASSIGNMENTS, PROJECTS AND GROUP WORK -- 45 POINTS
1)      Assignments and In-class exercises - 25 points
ATTITUDE ANALYSIS PROJECT (7 points )
This assignment requires you to identify an attitude you personally hold that you would like to examine. It could be an attitude toward a particular idea, a particular individual, a group of persons, a type of music, or anything toward which you have a clear set of opinions and feelings. Your task for this assignment is, first, using the theories of attitude formation and change discussed in chapter 6, to analyze how you formed this particular attitude and how you maintain it. Secondly, analyze what kinds of things would change this attitude, if you wanted to change it (You do NOT have to change your attitude for this assignment. The point is to understand how and why your attitude formed and it maintained). Turn in a 4-page (typed, double-spaced) paper that includes references to specific theories and how they apply to the case you are analyzing. Include a complete list of references (bibliography) at the end of the paper, using APA format. ( For guidance on APA citation style, go to this Website: http://www.liu.edu/CWIS/CWP/library/workshop/citapa.htm ). The paper is due on October 18th. One point will be deducted for each day the paper is late.
    
IN-CLASS EXERCISES (18 points) (In assigned lab groups) (18 points)
This is a class in which active learning, through hands-on participation in projects, is emphasized. Discussion and/or research exercises will be carried out in class time in assigned lab groups or in spontaneous groupings (e.g. students might spend class time working on a case study, role-playing different social scenarios, brainstorming to design a questionnaire, or going onto the campus to observe behavior). A significant part of virtually every class will be devoted to this component--and sometimes there will be more than one such exercise per class meeting. . Students who participate and write up and hand in the results will receive credit. Those who are absent for whatever reason or who do not participate or write up the results will not receive credit. (Up to Three missed exercises will be allowed without penalty). Your grade on this aspect of the course will be based on the proportion of the class exercises and that you complete satisfactorily.
   
2)      Group Project - 20 points  
You will work in a group of 3 to 4 people to prepare a 20--25 minute creative, interesting, and memorable class presentation analyzing a particular newsworthy event or series of events (something that had made headlines in recent months) in terms of social psychological principles. Further instructions for this project will be made available on my Website and discussed in class on September 6 th. The presentations will be made at the end of the semester, during the final two classes. You may form your own group, if you wish. I will construct groups for everyone who does not wish to form their own. You must let me know by August 30th (i.e. our second weekly class) if you have formed your own group (and give me a list of participants). If I have not heard from you by the end of that class, I will assign you to a group. Some class time will be devoted to group meetings on September 6th and on subsequent dates. Some class time will be devoted to group meetings on September 7th and on subsequent dates.
[Note: If it is impractical or impossible for you to participate in a group project, you must alert me to this problem during the first week of class. Under such conditions, I will arrange for you to do an individual project].
   
Questions you may have:
Q: What if I do not appear for group meetings in class, or agreed-upon out-of-class meetings?
A: You will lose marks whenever you miss in-class meetings unless you can demonstrate that you were prevented from coming by a serious emergency and you contact me and/or your group members ahead of time to explain your absence. If you miss out-of-class meetings, you must contact your group ahead of time and find a way to do your share of the work.. If you do not do this, your grade will be lower.
Q: What if I fail to live up to my contract with the group, miss deadlines, don’t do what I agreed to do, etc.?
A: Part of your grade is determined by your fellow group members. Thus, if you consistently disappoint them and let them down, your grade will be lower.
    
3) BONUS POINTS: UP TO 8 points altogether

Up to 4 bonus points. You will have the opportunity to earn extra credit toward your grade in exchange for participating in research projects conducted by psychology students and faculty. Participation is voluntary. Every ½ hour of research participation will earn you 1 point, up to a maximum of 4. You will be able to sign-up for approved studies using an on-line scheduling system (Experimetrix). Details about the Experimetrix system and research participation will be presented in class. After you have participated, write up a brief (2 or 3 sentences) description of the study and turn it in within a week.

3 bonus points can be earned by registering for and attending (and reporting on) two sessions of RU’s Homeland Security Conference on September 11th. (Choose from Panels 1, 2, or 3and/ or the screening and panel discussion of United 93). The schedule and registration information can be obtained at the conference Website: http://www.radford.edu/ruhsc/index.html.
Register for the conference, not the luncheon.

Up to 3 bonus points can be earned by attending and submitting a one-page report on other designated out-of-class lectures or events (1 point per lecture or event). Write a one-page report and turn it in within one week of the event.
    

   
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GRADING:
A:  At least 132 points out of 150 (88%)
B:  At least 120 points out of 150 (80%)
C:  At least 105 points out of 150 (70%)
D:  At least 90 points out of 150 (60%)
Example of Grade Calculation:
A student gets 18/25 on the first test, 20/25 on the second test, and 15/20 on the combined mini-quizzes. She gets 24/35 on the final exam. She never missed a class and participated in all in-class exercises, so she gets 18/18 on her in-class work. She turned in her Attitude Change project on time and received 6/7 on that project. Her group project grade is 17/20. To calculate her grade, she adds all of these scores (18+20+15+24+18+6+17) to get a total of 118. She earned 2 bonus points, which bring her total to 120. Consulting the above GRADING chart, she sees that 120 out of 150 is a B.
Radford University Honor Code: In accepting admission to Radford University, each student makes a commitment to uphold the Honor System without compromise or exception. The Honor Code provides an essential framework that guides our actions during the classroom learning experience. The Honor Code, and our commitment to the Honor Code, allow us to put trust in each other. That trust is vital to the learning experience. All students are expected to abide by the Standards of Academic Integrity described in the Student Handbook.


If you need help with studying, writing, or getting the most out of your courses, the Learning Assistance Resource Center can help. The Learning Assistance and Resource Center (LARC), located in 126 Walker Hall, is open to all students Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. Certified, trained tutors provide help with basic study skills, writing, and content-specific material. An appointment is necessary and can be made by calling 831-7704, emailing larc@radford.edu, or IMing “rularcappt”.
   
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COURSE SCHEDULE
Dates: Topic: Read:
August 23 Overview of social psychology 
Social Loafing: Why do we do it? 		Franzoi, chapter 1
pp. 364-369 in ch. 10
August 30 The power of social situations over us:
(Social influence: conformity)		 Franzoi, chapter 9,
pp. 309-332
September 6 Power of social situations con'td
(compliance and obedience)		 Franzoi, Chapter 9,
pp. 332-352
 
  Additional Topics and Readings
Zimbardo article &  Nichols response    Political Psychology of Terrorist Alarms at:
   http://www.apa.org/about/division/terrorism.html 
 
Moghaddam article    Staircase to Terrorism at:
   http://www.georgetown.edu/departments/psychology/faculty/
staircase.pdf#search=%22Staircase%20to%20Terrorism%22 
September 13 Doing research in social psychology Franzoi, chapter 2
September 20
    		The Self in Social Psychology Franzoi, Chapter 3

September 27    TEST #1 (covers Franzoi chapters 1, 2,3 & 9 & pp. 364-369,
                                           additional articles & all lecture material)
September 27    (2nd half) Library instruction session. Class will meet in the Library,
                             Classroom B at 7:30 p.m.
    
October 4 Self-Presentation / Social Perception Franzoi, Chapter 4
October 11 Social Cognition / Stereotyping Franzoi, Chapter 5
October 18 Attitudes & Persuasion
(Attitude Analysis Project is due at the
beginning of this class) 		Franzoi, Chapter 6
October 25
     		Prejudice & Discrimination Franzoi, Chapter 8
November 1 Interpersonal attraction Franzoi, Chapter 11
November 8 TEST # 2 (covers Franzoi chapters 4, 5, 6, 8, 11 and lecture material)
  Second half of class will be devoted to group projects meetings.
  I will expect to meet with every group, and every group should have
  a clear and detailed written plan for the presentation at this meeting.
November 15 Intimate relationships Franzoi, Chapter 12
   
November 22 - Thanksgiving Break -- No class
   
November 29 Prosocial behavior / Helping
Group Presentations (2nd half)		 Franzoi, Ch. 14
December 6 Group Presentations Franzoi, Ch. 14
Wednesday, December 13, 8 p.m.:    Final Examination
                                                    (Cumulative, based on a study guide to be handed out)
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