Social Psychology (213-0-20)
Instructors
Daniel C Molden
Meeting Info
Swift Hall 107: Tues, Thurs 11:00AM - 12:20PM
Overview of class
This course provides a broad overview of social psychology revolving around one general question: In what ways do our social relations affect who we are and how we act? In approaching this question, we will examine three basic social motives, "Belonging", "Understanding", and "Controlling", and explore how these motives influence how we explain our own and others' behaviors, how we form and change our attitudes and opinions, how we are influenced by the groups to which we belong, and what compels us to help or hurt those with whom we interact. At the end of the course, we will then discuss some ways in which the answers to these questions are relevant for addressing a variety of social problems. Course meetings will primarily consist of multimedia lectures with as many impromptu discussions as I am able to inspire.
The course will involve both asynchronous activities (e.g., videos, exercises) for you to complete on your own and twice weekly synchronous meetings where we will discuss the material in more depth. To facilitate engagement, there will also be periodic "quizzes" and discussions using the classroom interaction systems TopHat and Packback, so even if you don't like talking in big groups, you will still have opportunities to participate. Evaluation will also be based on short-answer questions that you will complete weekly and submit online. You will prepare the answers to these questions using your class notes, textbook, or any other outside sources you choose. There will also be a take-home final-exam that covers all of the material in the course due during finals week.
Registration Requirements
Prereq: Psychology 110
Class Materials (Required)
Required materials:
A. PRIMARY TEXTS
I have assembled an open-source textbook that is freely available online at: http://noba.to/rav4zqkf
B. SOFTWARE
In this course, we will be using the classroom interaction software Top Hat and Packback. Top Hat will be used to take attendance, conduct surveys, run real-time experiments during synchronous meetings. Packback will be used to facilitate discussion outside of class. This software is required material for the course and involves modest subscription fees for use (students on scholarship may request fee waivers). It is designed to run in a web browser on a laptop or through an app that runs on all IOS or Android compatible smart phone or tablet.
Class Attributes
Social & Behavioral Sciences Distro Area
Attendance at 1st class mandatory
Prerequisites apply, see description
SDG No Poverty
SDG Reduced Inequality
SDG Gender Equality