Argosy University, Chicago

COURSE SYLLABUS

PP8155

Social Psychology & Difference

Summer 2012

Faculty Information

Faculty Name: Torrey Wilson, Ph.D.

Campus: Chicago

Contact Information:

Office Phone Number: 312-777-7616

E-mail:

Office hours: TBA

Teaching Assistant: Nore Salman

Course Catalogue Description:

This course presents the concepts of attitude formation, attribution theory, interpersonal perception, social constructivism, and social cognition. These concepts are also applied to populations with different social attributions related to culture, gender, race, age, sexual orientation, class, and physical status.

Course Pre-requisites: None

Required Texts:

Fiske, S.T. (2010) Social beings: A core motives approach to social psychology. (2nd Ed) New York: John Wiley & Sons.

Rosenblum, K.E., & Travis, T.M.C. (2008) The meaning of difference: American construction of race, sex and gender, social class, sexual orientation, and disability. (5th Ed) New York: The McGraw-Hill Companies. ISBN: 0073380059

*Please be certain to purchase the specific editions of the books listed. Older editions will not be acceptable

Additional Required Readings on Library Reserve.

Technology: Pentium III CPU/ Windows 98; 128MB RAM printer; Microsoft Office: Acrobat (full version); Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 (PC), 5.0 (MAC), or Netscape Navigator 4.08; Norton Antivirus.

Course length: 7 Weeks

Contact Hours: 42 Hours

Credit Value: 3.0

Course Objectives:

Course Objectives / Program Goals / Method of Assessment
Acquire a solid knowledge
base of social psychological theories and their empirical foundation. Increase ability for critical analysis and evaluation of theory using empirical evidence and application to daily human encounters. / Goal 4 – Science / ·  midterm examination which involves synthesizing numerous sources of philosophical, theoretical, empirical, and qualitative material from your readings.
·  immersion project paper will include integration of social psychology research and theory and will be an additional source of assessment.
·  class presentation of a scientific paper in social psychology.
·  homework assignments applying social psychology theory to diversity discussions and to a news item.
Achieve greater awareness of aspects of group identities in terms of ability status, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, country of origin, religion, and age and develop greater empathic understanding of the experience of stigmatization accompanying membership in an out-group. / Goal 3 - Diversity / ·  homework commentaries.
·  immersion project paper.
·  participation in class discussion and experiential exercises.
Enhance intellectual independence and personal self-confidence. It is important for students at any level, but particularly at the graduate level, to begin to form and articulate a point of view about your culture, social context, unfolding events in society, and the role of psychological science in providing an explanatory framework as well as solutions for societal issues we face. This is important as you will be practicing your profession within the wider context of society with clients who cope with those realities. The class is a venue in which you may test your ideas and views, within a mutually supportive and respectful environment, to learn to express dissenting views and to critique the views of others. / Goal 5 - Scholarship / ·  participation in class discussions.
·  weekly homework commentaries.
·  class presentations.

Instructional Contact Hours/Credit

Students can expect 15 hours of instructional engagement for every 1 semester credit hour of a course. Instructional engagement activities include lectures, presentations, discussions, group-work, and other activities that would normally occur during class time. Instructional engagement activities may occur in a face-to-face meeting, or in the eclassroom.

In addition to instructional engagement, students can expect to complete 30 hours of outside work for every 1 semester credit hour of a course. Outside work includes preparing for and completing readings and assignments. Such outside work includes, but is not limited to, all research associated with completing assignments, work with others to complete a group project, participation in tutorials, labs, simulations and other electronic activities that are not a part of the instructional engagement, as well as any activities related to preparation for instructional engagement.

At least an equivalent amount of work as required in paragraph above shall be applied for other academic activities as established by the institution, including laboratory work, internships, practica, studio work, and other academic work leading to the award of credit hours.

Purpose:

With the advent of social movements for change in American society, Clinical Psychology has begun to consider the impact of social, cultural, and economic factors on its theoretical and practical understanding of human functioning and psychological well-being. Theory and research in Social Psychology can be useful to Clinical Psychologists as a guiding framework for critical investigation of the grounding assumptions and biases our field relies on when attempting to address issues of difference in personal, professional, and institutional realms.

This course will focus on an understanding and critical evaluation of the theoretical constructs and the corresponding body of empirical research from the field of social psychology. In addition, emphasis will be placed on the constructions, meanings, and experiences of difference in an effort to prepare students to function as ethically-minded psychologists. Social psychological concepts will provide a theoretical framework for understanding specific "categorical" features of identity and difference including race, ethnicity, religion, age, sexual orientation, physical difference and/or disability, gender, national origin, and social class. A self-critical social constructionist perspective will be the most common theoretical approach to be accompanied by treatments of the social psychological constructs of deviance, conformity, social influence, attributions, social cognition, mass communication and propaganda, and prejudice.

One goal of the course will be to promote students' own process of examination and exploration of aspects of difference. Particularly, students will be encouraged to reflect on their own personal and professional development and on the statuses and categories they occupy so as to gain greater self-awareness and sensitivity to their own and others' attitudes, biases, and preferences.

Assignments:

The class will include group discussions of course material as well as reactions to it. While frequency of participation is important, your demonstration of a thoughtful and critical understanding of the material and your ability to present and defend an argument are equally so. To facilitate free expression in class, I will work to create a safe and comfortable environment and ask students for their cooperation in this effort. If, at any time during the course, you feel unable to express yourself or participate fully, please make an appointment to talk with me privately.10% of final grade.

Punctual attendance at all classes is required. Class will start promptly and will end promptly. If you experience a personal emergency that prevents you from attending class, please call to inform me prior to class so we can agree on a way for you to have an alternative but commensurate experience. Failure to inform me of absence prior to class will be considered an unexcused absence. More than two unexcused absences will automatically result in a failing grade for this course. Tardiness, unexcused absences, and any other type of unprofessional conduct will affect your course grade.

Late assignments will not be accepted in this course and will result in an F on the assignment except under the most exceptional circumstances and with express prior permission of the instructor.

Weekly homework assignment (Typed double-spaced):

To facilitate critical reading of the course assignments and to stimulate class discussion, you will be required to turn in a written assignment for each week. Describe your reflections on your experience of the process of exploring issues of diversity and difference this week. Please go for some depth here. This reflection does not need to focus on your experience of the class session this week (1 page).

Application of social psychology theory to a news item: Class presentation:

Critical commentary on a news article you read in a more sophisticated news source (e.g.,

The New York Times, BBC news, Associated Press). Apply concepts using the theories that will be discussed in class that week to your commentaries of the news item. You need to be very explicit in applying specific concepts to the news item. You will be asked to give a brief (5-minute) presentation in class that week. A sign-up sheet for this presentation will be distributed on the first day of class.

Awareness of international human rights issue: Provide critical commentary on one of the articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (by researching how the human rights issue in question has been respected and/or violated around the world including the US. Give specific examples. You will give a short (10-minute) presentation in class. A sign-up sheet for this presentation will be distributed on the first day of class.

Midterm:

The take-home midterm will consist of essay questions that ask you to demonstrate an integrated knowledge of course concepts and readings up to that date. The midterm must be written according to APA-style. It will be distributed at the end of Class 9 to be turned in at the beginning of Class 10. For this exam, you will be responsible for all readings assigned through Week 10 (including readings on discrimination and prejudice). No late papers will be accepted without the most legitimate of excuses and only with advance permission, i.e., as discussed with instructor prior to the due date.

“Immersion Experience” (Final project/paper & Presentation):

The major project for the course requires that you expose yourself to some aspect of diversity about which you feel personally naive, uncomfortable, or uninformed and write about your subjective experience. This may be an aspect of your own identity or not. Think creatively about the sorts of experiences, including readings, music, movies, events, or art, that will expand your understanding of this aspect of identity. Decide on an action plan, a map of a sequence of tasks for you to undergo each of the weeks of the term. The plan should consist of a variety of activities and experiences. Most students lead up to a direct immersion experience by doing things such as reading fiction, magazines, newsletters, watching films, listening to music, going to lectures. Examples of the more intensive and direct immersion experiences to strive for include:

·  Going to a religious service or spiritual ceremony that is radically different from your own background (e.g., if you are an atheist, attend a synagogue or a Roman Catholic or Pentecostal service.)

·  Attending a gay, lesbian, or bisexual event (e.g. at a bar, a community fund-raiser; check-out the Windy City Times or web-sites for ideas)

·  Going to a community event or activity for a specific ethnic group (e.g., attending an African-American church service)

·  Attending a meeting of Tri-S, Society for the Second Self, a gathering of transgendered persons (with permission from society leaders)

·  Spending a day using a wheelchair, wearing a blindfold, etc.

·  Spending a day in a factory (if you've never held such a job) or go with your groceries to the front of the line and ask if they take food-stamps.

**You are required to submit a proposal outlining your intended series of experiences and activities in Class 4. Please begin by identifying the group/topic you are choosing and then provide a rationale for your choice. You will lay out in detail, week-by-week, how you intend to immerse yourself in your topic. Finally, you will provide the question/hypothesis that you intend to address in your literature review (section 1 of the paper). (1-2 pages)

Your paper will include the following five sections:

Critical literature review of research and theory on an aspect of the topic you chose that

will inform your experience and provide a scholarly context for your paper. Be sure you address a

specific question in this section to focus your literature review. You need to research original articles

here. Do not cite the Fiske textbook in this section. Refer to the APA Style Manual and literature

reviews found in APA journals to guide you in how to write this section as well as the article by Bem

to be provided in class. Your review needs to be concise, focused, and provide an informative

conclusion answering a specific question that is pertinent to your immersion experience. (4 pages)

  1. Your identity. How do you identify regarding the social factor you've chosen to learn more about? For example, if you have chosen to expose yourself to a specific ethnic or racial minority group, what is your own racial or ethnic identification? How important has this aspect of yourself been to you in the past and recently? How did you "receive" this identity growing up and how have you actively worked to integrate it or not into your identity in adulthood? (1 page)
  2. Group and activity chosen. Discuss the social factor and group chosen. Why did you choose this group or topic? Which activities did you choose and why? (1 page)
  3. Subjective experience of cross-cultural interaction. What was this experience like for you? How did you feel? Was it different than what you expected? How do you think this has affected you? (2 pages)
  4. Implications for professional development: How do you think it will be for you to engage in professional roles (i.e., as therapist, supervisor, instructor, etc.) with individuals belonging to this social group or how will it be for you, as a member of a stigmatized group, to function in the majority context as a professional? What strengths do you bring to such relationships? How did this activity affect your development and skills as a psychologist and what is your future plan for further growth in this and other areas? (2 pages)

Throughout this paper, you will refer to theoretical models and research discussed in class or found in the readings (e.g., racial identity or sexual identity development models, upward mobility, group processes, conformity, etc.) in your paper. In particular, you should include discussion of the essentialist and social constructionist perspectives. Address how the meaning or significance of the social factor/group you chose is "created” in society. Identify specific social and social psychological processes referencing theory and research (cite original sources that you have researched for this paper). Thus, the paper should be scholarly, not just an opinion piece.

Papers should be 8-10 pages (using page limit guidelines as above), typed, double-spaced, 1 inch margins, and in APA-style. Papers are due in Class 13. Again, no late papers will be accepted except under extenuating circumstances, and not without express prior permission from the instructor.