COURSE SCHEDULE AVAILABLE HERE OR IN THE CANVAS SYLLABUS FOLDER

Dr. Susan Carol Losh 3204 Stone Building (EPLS Suite) 850-644-8778 850-644-4592 (EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY &  LEARNING SYSTEMS) 850-644-8776 FAX

Fall 2017 Office Hours In Stone: Thursdays 1:30-3:15 & by appointment PLUS email! slosh@fsu.edu

PLEASE LET ME KNOW IMMEDIATELY IF YOU REQUIRE ANY ASSISTANCE WITH DISABILITIES.
 

Social Psychology studies social interaction, social processes, and the interplay among the person, culture and society in attitudes, beliefs and socialization. This course introduces you to the many perspectives social psychologists use in our work. Social Psychology is a separate discipline which allows us the flexibility to explore areas as diverse as pressures toward conformity, ethnic prejudice, or child and adult development. It can be applied to virtually any organization: schools; the family. the military; businesses; churches, synagogues or mosques; sports teams; and many others. The field's diversity of mid-range theories can create conceptual ambiguity, yet simultaneously Social Psychology offers us considerable insight into the individual and society, and into the human condition.

Please be patient as you encounter six separate terms for the same concept such as social learning, or you puzzle out "chicken and egg problems" in attitude and action.
Yes, of course I wish the field would "get it together"--but, in fact, such conceptual sloppiness is true of virtually every discipline (as I found out to my shock when I minored in mathematical statistics late in graduate school.)

Social psychology provides the "conceptual glue" between organizations and individuals, the nuts and bolts to explain the reciprocity between social structure and the individual. More than anything else, social psychology addresses processes and sequencing: the routines of daily life such as conversations, forming impressions of people, collectivities or events, and creating and maintaining life in groups.

This semester, we'll examine basic theoretical perspectives in Social Psychology. Unfortunately we cannot swallow the entire discipline in one gulp. I will focus more on constructs such as "the self" or "self-efficacy" where research allows us to draw more consistent conclusions than on popular, yet conceptually murky, concepts such as "personality." I will also discuss basic methodological issues pertinent to Social Psychology, such as experimental demand and reactivity, format construction issues in questionnaires, or drawing causal inferences using more "qualitative" methods such as ethnographies.

My roles as Instructor are to facilitate and to coordinate the "big picture." For each major course section, I will discuss basic perspectives, postulated major processes, and particularly noteworthy empirical findings. I'll be calling on you, too, to discuss your experience, your readings and observations.

I recommend reading my online "lectures" or "course guides" at the beginning of each unit. I try to explicate some of the major themes that you will encounter in your readings, sometimes bring in some cutting edge materials (e.g., brain plasticity and social experience; dog jealousy!), some of the concepts I feel are less fruitful ("evolutionary psychology"), and some of the conflicts in the discipline.

In addition, we have a recorded introductory video (about 1 hour, see the Canvas Syllabus folder) that gives you a tour of our website and the course overall. There will also be short recorded introductions for each of our eight major units.
 

To be able to describe major conceptual perspectives in the discipline of Social Psychology, including:

• Major concepts in social perception, attitudes and attitude change and group influence
• Major concepts in socialization and social learning theories (our Lifespan Development course DEP 5068 is now offered both Spring and Fall for more coverage in this area.)
• Basic research on social aggression and prosocial behavior
• Very basic research in group dynamics (our Group Dynamics seminar EDP 5285 is offered in Spring 2017)

WE'RE ALL-ONLINE!

This semester, Theories of Social Psychology is totally online. Most materials are accessible through Canvas or on the myweb.fsu.edu server.

My integrative course guides are also linked in on the Overview and Readings pages, below and also under COURSE DOCUMENTS in Canvas.
This makes it easy and very quick to navigate many of our Internet resources on the "myweb" server.

For example, if you accessed our Course Calendar and Syllabus through Canvas, you can instead access it HERE as well.

Through the links you can access the online Guides and information about the Course Project and Presentation too.
If Canvas is running slowly, and when we meet in virtual space, we can connect directly to much of the SYP 5105 course information that we need.

If you are new and DON'T have an FSU ID account, you need one immediately. Access the FSU Guide to Computing Resources website (address below). Follow the links to register online for your MyFSU account.

• All lectures will be available online 24/7 or through myweb.fsu.edu.  Objectives will be posted for each section of the course as the semester progresses.
• The course website will include links to Social Psychology resources.
• Class presentations will be posted to our course website. Examples from prior years are online now for your perusal.
• Web sites that you have found pertinent to YOUR discipline will be posted.
• Announcements will alert you to any changes in the syllabus, course deadlines, or class meetings.
• More detail will be posted on each course assignment. Information will be updated throughout the semester.
• IMPORTANT: regardless of any other email account you may have, you MUST use your FSU id email for any communication related to this course!!

We will meet for about one hour about every other week in cyberspace. This time will be used for the Discussion Board, explanations, and short "in-class" assignments (see the Course Calendar in the Readings folder). We will determine this time during the first few weeks of the course.

You must use your FSU email to communicate in this course, whether with me or other students. (If you want to set up your FSU email to forward to a different server, that's OK with me as long as our communication is complete, but communication coming to me or to the university must come from your FSU email address.)

Generally I will respond to email from you within 24 hours.

FALL 2017: Here's how I can be reached:
 

3204 Stone Building 850-644-8778 Voice mail available 850-644-4592 Educational Psychology & Learning Systems 850-644-8776 FAX EMAIL IS THE FASTEST WAY TO REACH ME! slosh@fsu.edu

NEW FSU Stone Building Email Office Hours for input are 24/7 NOTE: If I have any time conflicts, I will announce that on our Blackboard website.

You have two major and five smaller assignments:

Information in the Canvas ASSIGNMENTS folder will be updated during the semester to provide more detail and format specifications. Please complete readings according to the timetable in this syllabus and be prepared with assignments by their due date.
 

SOME IMPORTANT NOTES Attendance and “In-Class” Participation Since this is an online course that is both synchronous and asynchronous in nature, attendance expectations are a bit different from what you might experience in a face-to-face course: University-wide policy requires all students to attend the first class meeting of all classes for which they are registered. Students who do not attend the first class meeting of a course for which they are registered will be dropped from the course by the academic department that offers the course. To remain enrolled in this course you must complete the "First Day Attendance" assignment by 11:59pm (EST) as shown on the CanvasAssignments folder. Attendance in an online class is noted via active participation in course activities. Participation is necessary so that course activities will be successful. Students are counting on you each other to log in and interact. Thus, student attendance will be directly tied to the discussion grade in the course. Student participation counts as an indicator of attendance and student participation on our five “In-class” assignments counts 20% of your final grade.  Attendance is taken and participation in class discussion is noted for in-class assignments.  You will find your participation noted in the Gradebook as a . These assignments can thus influence up to one-half of a final grade, e.g., from a B+ to an A- (or vice versa).  NO! NO! I DO NOT take attachments in my email. Most assignments will go through the Discussion Board or turnitin (check for specific directions.) Here are some alternatives if Canvas is down or you experience technical problems when assignments are due: My office mailbox in 3210 Stone Building (Fall 2017 only) FAX to the EPLS Office (850) 644-8776. Be sure to put my name and SYP 5105 on the Cover Sheet and include the total number of pages Mail (USE FIVE DAYS ADVANCE NOTICE!)  to Dr. Susan Carol Losh, Educational Psychology and Learning Systems, FSU, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4453 In all these alternatives, I must receive your assignment by the stated due  dates.

\

COURSE PROJECT (about 15 pages)

Course Project (about 15 pages). Wide latitude exists for your project. You may review existing literature in an area of interest to you. You may use existing research to design a future study. Or, you can conduct a small original study or analyze data that were previously collected.* You will find many examples in Canvas in the Presentations and Papers Module folders.

*Although it is possible to conduct and write up a study in a fraction of the semester, it is unlikely. That's OK. Even reviewing the literature and possibly designing a study comprise a good beginning.

We operate in milestones:

1. Preliminary prospectus: September 25
2. Updated prospectus: October 23
3. First draft: November 21 (allows for revisions if received by the due date)
4. Final draft: December 13 BY NOON
Milestone cannot be skipped (please see below)
 

EXAMPLES: The Course Project can take many forms. We enroll everyone from first year master’s students to advanced doctoral candidates. We have students from criminal justice, business, public administration, and communication as well as from the College of Education. Newer students often write library research papers with topics such as academic motivation, cartoon violence, emotional intelligence, coach-player interaction, bullying, and cross-cultural differences in social cognition. Others (sometimes—but far from always—more advanced graduate students) have conducted a short survey, small experiment or observational design. Examples here include observing parent-child interaction at supermarket checkouts or during games, observing conformity in the "upward gaze" experiment replication, nonverbal communication in counseling sessions and perceived counselor competence, seeing how social factors influence the return of a "lost wallet," conformity in aerobics classes, or how watching cartoons or children's comedies affects preschoolers. One counseling student's Social Psychology paper won a graduate student poster prize at the American Psychological Association meetings. Others have been developed into thesis or dissertation topics and/or professional presentations.

Our website “The Good Paper” in the ASSIGNMENTS folder (and HERE) in Canvas outlines some of the rubrics for an excellent paper. Because students do so many different projects on so many different social psychology topics, I can provide generics but relatively few specifics. However, I am available for discussion!

Please run your first draft (or your final draft if you don't do a first draft) through turnitin (available in Canvas) to submit your Project. I will need the entire turnitin receipt.

Don't be surprised if your first draft is a bit rocky. It absolutely happens to everyone. And the rewrites typically are spectacular!
The draft option (Milestone 3) allows you to rewrite your paper for a higher grade. ONLY the higher grade counts toward your final grade.

There is no grace period for the final assignment, Milestone 4. The university docks our department $10 per late grade per day so assignments must be turned in on the due date. Please proofread all materials and double check attachments to make sure that the final submission to Blackboard is the best representation of your work and the one you wish to be graded.

Students often produce especially good work when they work in teams. This is particularly true for the Course Project . It is far easier for teams to plan and execute a small experiment, survey, or observation in a semester's time than it is for an individual to do so. Team presentations can also be more complex. You may choose to work in teams for the Course Project, and we may coordinate teams on the Presentations.  I will need to know the names of all team members on the Course Project by October 23 . All team members must be students enrolled in this course for this semester, Fall 2017. Using the project prospectus, I also will alert you to possible teammates (but the choice is yours). Even if you decide to work on your own, it is effective to share resources with those who have similar interests.
 

DISCUSSION/PRESENTATION

Discussion/presentation (about 20 minutes): You will lead class discussion on your project topic. We will have facilities for Power Point but you will also need to post a handout summary (some students print the Power Point slides). Examples from prior classes will be posted to our WEB site in Canvas(see the Presentations Modules folder). Discussion/presentations begin in mid-November (through the week ending December 8). Traditionally, we all enjoy this part of the semester because we learn a lot from each other.

Because all presentations go into Canvas, if you want to use Prezi for your presentation, you'll need to either "share" or make your presentation Public so a link in Canvas will pull it up, or transfer each "bubble" to a pdf that we can upload to blackboard. To date we've had trouble pulling up completed Prezi presentations on our course site.
 
 

I use plus and minus grading on project drafts and presentations, and for final grades.

Participation in class discussion and class attendance are a definite consideration, especially when a student is "between grades." Your participation counts 20% of your final grade.

Adherence to principles of essay organization, and the conventions of spelling and grammar is expected and understood. I freely admit to being adamant about good writing and we will spend time on it.

The course paper MUST relate to Social Psychology. It can neither be totally intrapersonal nor totally organizational. One reason for the project "milestone" deadlines is to ensure that your topic is "on track" for this course.

I adhere to the FSU Honor Code. Plagarism is STEALING someone else's work. If you harbor any doubts, several online sites check for plagarism. You can also check with me about quoting or citing someone else's research and/or writing. Plagarized assignments receive a score of 0.

More compete information, including readings and assignments, can be found on the "READINGS" file in the Canvas Syllabus folder.
 

APPROXIMATE DATE	TOPIC	OBJECTIVES
Weeks of August 28- September 5	Orientation Introduction Methods	WEB site navigation and course outline Describe  the field of Social Psychology Describe some major theoretical orientations Distinguish among Methods most commonly used in Social Psychology Describe general methodological advantages and disadvantages
September 4	Labor Day Holiday	University closed
Weeks of September 5-22	Social Perception (Includes Attitudes and Attitude Measurement)	Define Social Perception Contrast Self-Esteem versus Self-Efficacy Define "Attitude" Describe Issues in Attitude Measurement
Weeks of September 25 - October 20	The Self Social Learning and Socialization	Describe some conceptual differences between "the self" and "personality" Compare how Social Perception relates to Self-Presentation and Self-Concept Where would you place emotion in the development and expression of the self? Describe the basics of symbolic interactionism Contrast Issues in nature versus nurture Compare basic ideas of developmentalists versus reinforcement theorists Apply types of learning theories  to roles and socialization
Weeks of October 25- November 21	Groups Group Influences and Interaction Processes	What is social facilitation? What are cohorts and aggregates? How are these entities useful and how do they differ from "groups"? Basic group definition and properties. What are the effects of group size? What are major sources of group influence? What are "good" and "bad" effects of group cohesion?
SUNDAY November 5	DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME ENDS (count me if you have trouble sleeping)	Set your clocks back one hour.  One more hour's sleep!
FRIDAY November 10	VETERAN'S DAY OBSERVED	NO FSU CLASSES
November 22-26	THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY	NO FSU CLASSES
Weeks of November 27-December 8	Applications of Social Psychology	Last week of our class

 

Both texts have been substantially revised from prior editions. Be sure to get the CURRENT edition for each one.
Barnes and Noble offers textbooks too, see: https://www.barnesandnoble.com  B&N run constant specials (one was 15% off, today's is 10% off.)

[1] DMC: John D. DeLamater, Daniel J. Myers & Jessica Collett (2015 or 2014--websites differ!) Social  Psychology, EIGHTH EDITION. Boulder, CO: Westview Press. PAPER. ISBN = 978-0-81=334950-3.

This is a basic "encyclopedia approach" text. The NEW print cost is $95.00, which is actually less than earlier editions because it is paperback.
There is also an e-edition, which costs about $60. The print edition should be at the FSU Bookstore and on Amazon. Here is a link to the Westview site, which also lists several booksellers as well as more information about the e-edition:

http://www.westviewpress.com/book.php?isbn=9780813349503#

[2] CAHILL: Spencer E. Cahill, Kent Sandstrom & Carissa Froyum (editors) (2014). Inside Social Life, SEVENTH EDITION. Oxford University Press.  PAPER. ISBN = 978-0-19-997811-3.

This edited collection presents classic "greats" (e.g., Cooley, Mead), more modern "greats" (e.g., Zerubavel), recent developments, and applied accounts of several course concepts. Many students really like this book and keep it long after our course is over.

Used copies should be available for both texts.
 

JOURNAL WISH LIST	WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY JOURNAL? THERE ARE LOTS MORE!
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology	PLEASE GIVE THE JOURNAL TITLE AND BRIEFLY
Social Psychology Quarterly	DESCRIBE THE JOURNAL.  IF A WEB SITE IS
Public Opinion Quarterly	AVAILABLE FOR THE JOURNAL, PLEASE INCLUDE THAT
Small Group Research	TOO. JUST DROP A NOTE IN THE EMAIL HERE:
Group Dynamics	slosh@fsu.edu

COURSE SCHEDULE AVAILABLE HERE OR IN THE SYLLABUS CANVAS FOLDER

Under construction as the semester progresses.