Illinois School of Professional Psychology

at Argosy University,Chicago

COURSE SYLLABUS

PP8185

Social Psychology & Difference

Spring 2012

Faculty Name: Scott Pytluk, Ph.D.

Campus: Chicago

Contact Information:

Office Phone Number: 312-777-7693

Email:

Office Hours: Mondays, 12-2pm; Tuesdays, 1-2; Thursdays, 10-11

Teaching Assistant: Melissa Heinemann

Contact Information: ; 708.975.5483 (may call between 10am and 10pm). Prefers email.

Short Faculty Bio:

Dr. Pytluk is Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology and Coordinator of the Psychoanalytic Concentration. He serves on the Clinical Psychology Department’s Student Professional Development Committee and the campus Library Committee. He also maintains a private psychotherapy practice in downtown Chicago.

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 Textbooks:

Fiske, S.T. (2010). A core motives approach to social psychology (2nd ed.). New York: John

Wiley & Sons. ISBN 0471145297

Rosenblum, K.E., & Travis, T.M.C. (2012).The meaning of difference: American construction of

race, sex and gender, social class, sexual orientation, and disability (6th ed.). New York: The McGraw-Hill Companies. ISBN 0078111641

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: 14 Weeks

Contact Hours: 42 Hours

Credit Value: 3.0

Course Objectives:

Course Objective / Program Goal / Method of Assessment
1. Acquire a solid knowledge base of social psychological theoreies and their empirical foundation. Increase ability for critical analysis and evaluation of theory using empirical evidence and application to daily human encounters. / Goal 4 : Scientific Foundations
Goal 1: Assessment / A. midterm examination which involves synthesizing numerous sources of philosophical, theoretical, empirical, and qualitative material from your readings.
B. immersion project paper will include integration of social psychology research and theory and will be an additional source of assessment. C. class presentation of a scientific paper in social psychology.
D. homework assignments applying social psychology theory to diversity discussions and to a news item.
2. 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 outgroup. / Goal 3:Diversity / A. homework commentaries.
B. immersion project paper.
C. participation in class discussion and experiential exercises.
3) 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 3:Diversity
Goal 4:Scientific Foundations
Goal 5: Scholarship / A. participation in class discussions.
B. weekly homework commentaries.
C. class presentations.

Evidence Based Practice:

As this course has a primary focus exposure to and understanding of the major research literature in social psychology, mucn of the course reading will cover research studies. Students will also present critiques of major studies in social psychology.

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.

Extended Course description:

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.

Course Format:

The material in the course will be covered through a combination of lectures, videos, experiential exercises, and class discussion. Lectures will provide a general overview of theories and research findings within each topic area, as well as issues not covered in the readings.

Assignments:

Class participation, presentations, and homework

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.

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. If religious holidays require you to miss class (or classes), please consult with me immediately regarding the dates you will be absent so a plan can be made for make ups.

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 each week (**except for the weeks you turn in your midterm, final paper, and when you present) as you proceed through the course. These written assignments will facilitate your understanding of social psychological theories, and make the final product for the immersion project much easier and more thorough. If you read material and take the time to record your reactions and questions, you will be capable of much more efficient memory consolidation and retrieval at a later time. The weekly written assignment will have three parts:

a)  Critical comments, critiques, and questions that came to your mind about the readings during the week. Items can be general, theoretical, philosophical, specific, personal, etc., but must address aspects of the reading for that day's class. They should be in the form of short paragraphs which might include elaborate questions.(1 page)

b)  A description of 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)

c)  Finally, critical commentary on a news artucke you read in a more sophisticated news source (e.g., The New York Times, BBC News, Associated Press not The Chicago Sun Times, The Red Eye ). 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. (1 page)

Learning Group Presentation: Throughout the semester, you will work with another student as part of the structure for class discussions on social psychology topics. Groups will rotate and be responsible to present and lead class discussion on the major concepts related to the social psychology topic of the day (based on the assigned readings in the Fiske chapter; everyone will be responsible to read the assigned chapters(s) for the day. Your creativity is encouraged, so consider various ways in which your group can initiate and support class debates, discussions, and other presentations that invite interactional learning. The learning group will work jointly to explain and explore the concepts for which they are responsible and will receive a grade for the group presentation. This grade will be applied to each individual in the group. This part of the presentation should take no more than 20 minutes.

In addition, the team will present one assigned scientific article (on reserve) in class from the list that appeared earlier in the syllabus. Teams will also be required to present one current article on the same or a related topic that they research and find themselves. Presentations should be scholarly, professional, and concisely describe the rationale, methods, results, and implications. The students should demonstrate a good understanding of how the study relates to the week’s topic in social psychology.

Guidelines for article presentations:

Everyone will read the article for the class (not only the presenters). Presentations should be no more than 15 minutes long (for both articles) so you need to be concise and to the point. Follow the format below. You need to be familiar with Chapter 2 of the Fiske textbook on scientific methods to use the right terminology and be able to describe and critique the methods. An additional 5 minutes will be devoted to discussion of the material within the broader context of the topic this week (see #5 below).

1.  Briefly provide theoretical rationale for the study putting this study in the broader context of the topic this week.

2.  Hypotheses

3.  Methods used to test the hypotheses:

a.  Design

b.  Participants

c.  Procedures

4.  Results (using a visual often helps, either a graph or table if possible)

a.  Discussion

b.  Critique of the methods: limitations, threats to validity, ethical concerns

c.  What can we conclude from this study and how does this relate to the broader context of this topic in social psychology?

5.  Two discussion questions addressed to the rest of the class that will help integrate the material (i.e., Fiske chapter) read for this week.

Important Notes: a) Be sure that you do not read what you have written or directly from the book or articles; b) All of your presentations have a strict time limit to which you are expected to adhere. You need to practice your presentations ahead of time to make sure that they do not exceed the limit.

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 Week 8 to be turned in at the beginning of Week 9. For this exam, you will be responsible for all readings assigned through Week 9 (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: