Sociology 545
Social Psychology
Fall 2005
Professor Jerald G. Schutte
http://www.vcsun.org/~jschutte/s545f05/homepage.htm
email:
This class meets in SH 102 on Wednesday evenings from 6:00 to 8:45 pm. It is a seminar format with associated readings and discussions. Its goal is to promote critical insight into the three most prominent perspectives in Social Psychology, both from an historical perspective as well as an applied analysis. The grade will consist of four evaluations each counting for 25% of the grade: 1) Midterm; 2) Final; 3) Leadership in Readings’ discussion; and 4) Project applying class concepts to a real world situation. Plus and minus grading will be used. Readings will be assigned on a weekly basis and discussed the following week. Office hours will be held immediately before and after class, as well as Saturdays at 3:30 pm in SH 178A
Sociology 545
Week Date(s) Topic
Week 1 Aug-31 Introduction: Presentation of the logistics of and perspective on class assignments to be carried out in Soc 545, together with a discussion and overview of the approaches to micro theory and their associated methodology.
Logistics
Perspective and Overview
Methods and Approaches
Week 2-3 Sep 7-14 Cognitive Theory – Survey of the literature pertaining to the principals of perception and cognition, balance/dissonance and attribution theories in Social Psychology.
Perception and Cognition
Balance and Dissonance
Attribution Theory
Week 4-5 Sep 21-28 Symbolic Interaction Theory – Discussion of the Approaches to the theory of self and role as conveyed in the early to mid 20th century literature. Emphasis will be on integration of inter-disciplinary approaches.
The Self Concept
Role and Self
The Interpretive Approach
Week 6-7 Oct 5-12 Exchange Theory – Exposure to the principals of social exchange as put forth by Homans and later Blau as refined in the Game Theoretical language of Kelley.
Principals of Exchange Exchange and Power
Week 8 Oct 19th Midterm – In class examination on the principles of the three micro approaches to Social Psychology--two hour written essay format.
Week 9-10 Oct 26 to Nov 02 Groups – An introduction to the theory of social groups; their structure, process and dynamics with emphasis on the application of micro perspectives to the measurement of concepts such as boundary maintenance, structural balance, status characteristics, group think and inter-group relations.
Structure – Coalitions/Structural Balance
Communication – Status Characteristics
Cohesiveness – Group Think and risky shift
Week 11-12 Nov 09 to Nov 16 Institutions – Application of micro approaches to the measurement of institutional problems and processes, with emphasis on latent functions and effects
Law and Politics
Economics
Family and Education
Week 13-14 Nov 23 to Nov 30 Collective Behavior – Critique of the micro approaches to analyzing emergent behavior, not guided by pre-established norms, particularly crowd, mass and social movement behavior.
Crowd Behavior
Mass Behavior
Social Movements
Week 15 Dec 07 Final – Take home to be distributed in class with a due
date of December 14th. Emphasis on global assessment of the social psychology perspective and its role in sociology
Basis Reference Reading List
1. Kelley, H.H. & John W. Thibaut, 1978 Interpersonal Relationships, John Wiley & Sons, New York:
2. Kelley, Harold H., “The Process of Causal Attribution”, American Psychologist, Feb 1973, 107-128.
3. Thibault, J. W., & Kelley, H. H. (1952). The Social Psychology of Groups. New York: John Wiley & Sons
4. Blau, Peter Michael. 1964. Exchange and Power in Social Life. New York, NY: Willey.
5. Homans, George 1964 “Bringing Men Back In” (ASR Vol. 29 No. 5, pp 809-818).
6. Homans, George C. 1964 Social behavior. Its elementary forms. Under the editorship of Robert Merton.
New York, N.Y.: Harcourt, Brace & World
7. Festinger, Leon. Theory of Cognitive Dissonance. Stanford: Stanford UP, 1957.
8. Heider, F. (1946). “Attitudes and cognitive organization”. Journal of Psychology, 21, 107-112.
9. Cook, Karen S., G. A. Fine, and J. S. House., 1995. Sociological Perspectives on Social Psychology. Boston: Allyn Bacon
10. Rosenberg, Morris, and Ralph H. Turner, eds. 1981. Social Psychology: Sociological Perspectives. N.Y.: Basic Books
11. Goffman, Erving. 1959. The presentation of self in everyday life. New York: Doubleday.
12. Turner, Ralph H. 1978, “The role and the person”. American Journal of Sociology. 84: 1-23
13. Whorf, Benjamin. 1956, Language, Thought and Reality - Selected Writings.
14. Mead, George Herbert. 1934, Mind, Self, and Society. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
15. Cooley, Charles Horton. 1902, Human Nature and the Social Order. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons
16. Stryker, Sheldon,.1996, Symbolic Interactionism: A Structural Version. Blackburn Press.