• to introduce you to the perspectives, topics, and methods of social psychology;
• to help you develop an appreciation for social psychology's central theme: the power of the situation;
• to foster your critical thinking skills in general;
• and, to help you learn to cultivate skill at analyzing complex social events.

For our class to be an interesting and worthwhile experience, its important that you:
• Attend class and do all of the assignments and readings for the days they are due.
• Think critically about the readings and concepts: What are their implications? What questions do they raise? Do the readings agree with your observations or personal experience (if not, why)?
• Be aware that class lectures and activities are meant to supplement the text and additional readings. As such, class topics may often overlap with reading material, but may also cover entirely unique material. EVERYTHING, even assigned readings not covered in class, is fair game for the course exams. You are also responsible for material covered in classes you miss.
• Actively participate during class. I would like for there to be a substantial component of the course that involves active discussions. Feel free to interrupt me, challenge me, bring interesting examples in, and otherwise make your voice heard. Take advantage of the opportunity to learn as much as possible and to have (intellectual) fun!

• Gilovich, Keltner, Nisbett (2006).  Social Psychology, 1st Edition. W.W. Norton & Company. Available in the bookstore or via on-line sellers (try Better World Books).
• Supplemental Readings will be posted (as PDF files) on Blackboard or available at the library.

• Study Guide: If the bookstore runs out of copies, request that they order it for you. Note that some, but not all, of the Study Guide materials are available for free on the textbook's companion web site:  http://www.wwnorton.com/college/psych/socialpsych/

Your grade will be determined by your performance on each of the following:

• 65%  Three Exams
• 30%  Conformity & Obedience Response Paper, and Stereotyping & Prejudice Paper
• 5%    Blog Reports
• Extra Credit - See below

*Note: You will not receive an "A" or equivalent on any homework assignment or paper that has more than three grammatical, formatting, punctuation or other syntax errors. Common errors are failing to follow assignment directions, failure to properly cite your sources, noun-verb agreement, a confusion of "then" and "than," and failure to use apostrophes appropriately. Proof-read and spell check everything you hand in and work on these basic writing skills. Remember there are writing tutors at the Writing Center who can help (as can I). If you are working regularly with a writing tutor (or me) and I have documentation of this, I will be more lenient.

ASSIGNMENT DETAILS

Exams (Exams 1 & 2 are worth 20% each;  Exam 3 is worth 25%; 65% total)
There will be 3 exams in the course. Each exam will have 30-40 multiple choice questions and one short-answer question sampling from the topics addressed in-class, from the textbook, and from supplementary readings and activities. You should note that I like to ask questions that require you to apply theories and terms. *See me ASAP if you have a documented accommodation for extended test time.

Papers (30% total)
You will be completing two paper assignments throughout the course. Instructions for each assignment are (or will be) linked on the Course Schedule.  The purpose of these papers is to test your understanding of the material, but also to encourage you to engage in critical and in-depth thinking.

Blog Reports (20 possible points; 5% total)
At the beginning of the semester, you will choose two different general topic areas from the following list: 

• culture & the self
• self-esteem
• cognitive dissonance
• conformity
• obedience
• cognitive biases and heuristics
• fundamental attribution error &  self-fulfilling prophecy
• aggression
• altruism
• morality/justice/cooperation
• stereotyping & prejudice 

For each topic area, you should search or browse through entries from the blogs listed below, and find an interesting, relevant entry that relates in some way to the material in the textbook and/or lecture.  For the entry you choose, write a 1-2 page (typed, double-spaced) report explaining: 1) the most important or interesting points from the blog entry; 2) what concept(s) it addresses; and, 3) why it is interesting to you. At the end of the paper provide a reference for the blog entry formatted following these instructions linked here. You will also deliver a very brief (3-5 minute) report to the class.  Papers that are well-written, coherent and accurate will be given 5 points. Reports that are well-spoken, coherent and accurate will be given 5 points. You will complete a blog report twice during the semester, for a total of 20 possible points.

Choose an entry from one of the following blogs:

• The Situationist - dedicated to entries exploring situational forces: http://thesituationist.wordpress.com/
• Social Psychology Eye: http://socialpsychologyeye.wordpress.com/
• PSYBlog - general scientific psychology:  http://www.spring.org.uk/
• The Frontal Cortex - emphasis on neuroscience: http://scienceblogs.com/cortex/
• Cognitive Daily - emphasis on cognition and neuroscience: http://scienceblogs.com/cognitivedaily/
• Psychology Today Blogs: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog

Extra Credit
From any source, you may obtain a maximum of 3 percentage points of extra credit. These percentage points will be added to your final course grade. I will inform you of extra credit opportunities available to you as they arise (e.g., relevant talks on campus, etc.). Throughout the semester, however, you may also obtain extra credit by participating in the same studies the Introductory Psychology students participate in for L.O.C. credit. You will receive one-quarter of a percentage point added to your final grade in this course for each 20 minutes worth of research credit you participate in. To obtain this extra credit, you must turn in the same L.O.C. documentation required for the Introductory Psychology students (including the answers to the questions for each study). For information about the L.O.C. requirement and to download the proper forms, visit http://www.muhlenberg.edu/depts/psychology/loc.htm


Course Grades will be assigned as follows:
Extraordinary work:   A+ (98-100%); A (93-97%); A- (90-92%)
Good work:   B+ (88-89%); B (83-87%); B- (80-82%)
Satisfactory work:    C+ (78-79%); C (73-77%); C- (70-72%)
Poor work:    D (60-69%);  F (<60%)

• Assignments are due at the beginning of our class meeting on the due date. After that point, the clock starts at 1 day late.
• Except in the case of documented emergency situations:
  • Your grade will be lowered by 1 letter grade each day a response paper is late.
  • I will not give credit for any assignment more than 5 days late.
  • Missing any quiz, exam, or in-class presentation appearance will result in a zero for that assignment.
• If you have a documented emergency and you contact me as soon as humanly possible about a missed test, you will be allowed to take a (different and more difficult) make-up during finals week. Also, contact me immediately about missed assignments and we will make arrangements.
• "A Virus Ate My Homework” ~ "My Internet is Broken" Computer problems do not relieve your responsibility for turning in work on time. I suggest that you aim to have each assignment completed one full day before it is due to allow for all the various last minute problems that may arise. Note: Pen drives fail (really, they do). Make back-ups of all your work. Also - please note that the computers in Moyer Hall are not regularly monitored by the OIT staff (as are other computer labs on campus). As such, there is no guarantee that any computer or printer will be working when you need it to! Leave plenty of time to make a run to Ettinger or the library to print Power Point slides or assignments. Now you know.

• I encourage you to talk to me about difficulties you are having with the exams or assignments. Avoid the temptation to cheat by keeping up with your coursework, by anticipating problems and by communicating with me about any problems you are having. I will be happy to help you learn how to properly cite sources, etc., and I remind you that extensions may be available if you ask (in a timely fashion). You are expected to know and follow the Academic Behavior Code of Muhlenberg College (http://www.muhlenberg.edu/mgt/deanst/handbook/Iabc2.pdf). You are responsible for keeping drafts, references, disk and backup copies of all of your written assignments until final grades are completed. Any cheating will be reported to the Dean, and strictly dealt with via a failing grade on the exam, assignment, or a failing grade for the course depending on the severity of the infraction.
• All work in this class should be your own work. You should note that paraphrasing is not an appropriate way to use sources in a paper. Even some types of paraphrasing you may have been told were acceptable in other courses are not acceptable here. You are required to follow the guidelines about paraphrasing described at the following web site: http://www.muhlenberg.edu/depts/psychology/paraphrasing.htm. Feel free to ask me if you are uncertain how to use your sources. If you engage in inappropriate paraphrasing, you will have to re-write the assignment or your grade on the assignment will be lowered by 2 letter grades. You will not be allowed to re-write the final paper, so inappropriate paraphrasing will result in an automatic 2 letter grade deduction. Note: persistent and egregious patterns of inappropriate paraphrasing will be reported to the Dean of Students as academic dishonesty (plagiarism).