307L Stone Building (EPLS Suite)
850-644-8778
850-644-4592 (EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY &
LEARNING SYSTEMS)
slosh@garnet.acns.fsu.eduMondays 3:35-6:00 P.M.
213 Hoffman Building
CLICK HERE for Campus Map Location
| BACK TO HOMEPAGE |
SYP 5105-01
FALL 2002
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Department of Educational Psychology
and Learning Systems
Florida State University
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| Professor Susan Carol Losh
307L Stone Building (EPLS Suite) 850-644-8778 850-644-4592 (EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY & LEARNING SYSTEMS) slosh@garnet.acns.fsu.edu |
Fall 2002
Mondays 3:35-6:00 P.M. 213 Hoffman Building CLICK HERE for Campus Map Location |
Course Reference Number = 06366
CLICK
HERE for online registration
PLEASE LET ME KNOW IMMEDIATELY IF YOU REQUIRE ANY ASSISTANCE WITH DISABILITIES.
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Social Psychology studies social interaction, social processes, and the interplay between the person 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 substantive areas as different as pressures toward conformity, ethnic prejudice, or child and adult development. It can be applied to virtually any organization: schools; the military; businesses; churches, synagogues and 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.
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! For example, I have less coverage of topics such as the social psychology of emotions. I will also 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 will be 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.
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• To become familiar with major conceptual perspectives in the discipline of Social Psychology, including:
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Our course is WEB assisted through the CourseInfo/Blackboard and WEB-MC systems at FSU. You must be registered for SYP5105-01 to access our site. To access our course, here is what to do. Go online to:
Enter your GARNET username (USERNAME ONLY!) and password to log in. For example, I would enter "slosh" ONLY and omit the "@garnet.acns.fsu.edu" part. Then click on “Theories of Soc Psy” to enter our site.
If you DON'T have a garnet account, you need to get one pronto. Go to the Academic Computing and Network Services website (address below) and follow the links to register online for your garnet account at FSU.
I will use WEB-assist for several course features:
We save trees!
FALL 2002: Here's how I can be reached:
| 307L Stone
Building
850-644-8778 Voice mail available 850-644-4592 Educational Psychology & Learning Systems |
 FSU
Stone Building
CLICK HERE for Campus Map Location Office Hours: Monday and
Wednesday 1-3 P.M.
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| COURSE PAPER | Preliminary prospectus:
September 23
Updated prospectus: October 21 First draft: November 18 Final draft: December 6 |
45
percent
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| LEAD CLASS DISCUSSION | ONE completed during the November 18-December 2 period |
25
percent
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| STUDY-AHEAD EXAM | Study-ahead questions
ready November 25
Exam date to be announced (Scheduled date Thursday December 9 5:30 PM) |
30 percent
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See the links for more
information. The links 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.
| I AM SORRY. I DO NOT ACCEPT EMAIL ATTACHMENTS!
DO NOT SLIDE PAPERS UNDER MY DOOR OR THE EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY & LEARNING SYSTEMS SUITE DOOR! There have been too many problems with viruses. In a typical week, I receive well over a dozen--usually from fsu email addresses. This is especially true for University computers, which have proven to be hotbeds of infection. I will not take that risk. DO NOT slide papers under my office door.They may or may not be placed on my desk--where I may not be able to find them! Here are some alternatives if you absolutely cannot hand assignments to me in person:
ATTENTION: FINAL ALTERNATIVE! If you can't reach my mailbox with your paper, bring it to class, or fax it, you may use the following email to take attachments (course paper ONLY please): I do NOT open attachments at the slosh@garnet mailbox. |
During the semester, I may ask for a copy
of your work on disk. For example, I receive copies of all presentations
on disk. Rest assured that all disks are scanned with Norton or McAfee
Anti Virus software. I will let you know if your disk is infected.
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Course Paper (about 15 pages). Wide latitude exists for your paper. 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. A short preliminary prospectus of your paper is due September 23, an updated prospectus is due October 21. The paper is due November 18 to allow revisions. The final edition of your paper is due DECEMBER 6.
Examples from last year will be posted to our course WEB site. Some students have written library research papers with topics such as cartoon violence, emotional intelligence, coach-player interaction, bullying, and cross-cultural differences in social cognition. Others have executed a short survey, small experiment or observational design. Examples include observing parent-child interaction at supermarket checkouts or during games, conformity in aerobics classes, and how watching "The Power Rangers" affects preschoolers.
ON TEAMWORK
Students often produce especially good
work when they work in teams. This is particularly true for the Course
Paper . 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. You may choose to work in teams for the Course Paper, and we
may coordinate teams of two on the Presentations. (Your exam will be your
own work although you may want to study in teams.) I will need to
know the names of all team members on the Course Paper by
September 23. Using the course paper prospectus, I
also will alert you to possible teammates (but the choice is yours).
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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 distribute a handout summary
(some students print the Power Point slides). Examples will also be posted
to our WEB site in Blackboard (we can't upload Power Point to Web-MC).
Discussion/presentations begin on November 18.
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A final essay exam covers required course readings and related lectures. It assumes cumulative knowledge of material. You will receive approximately six essay exam questions in advance. I will select four questions for you to choose among for the exam itself (you will write on two questions). The University has scheduled the exam for the course time slot on Monday, December 9 at 5:30 P.M.
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I use plus and minus grading, throughout and for final grades. Participation in class discussion and class attendance are a consideration, especially when a student is "between grades." Adherence to principles of essay organization, and the conventions of spelling and grammar is expected and understood. The course paper MUST relate to Social Psychology. It can neither be totally intrapersonal nor totally organizational.
MORE PRELIMINARY INFORMATION ABOUT THE DISCUSSION/ PRESENTATION AND THE COURSE EXAM HERE
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| APPROXIMATE DATE | TOPIC | OBJECTIVES |
| August 26-
September 9 |
Orientation
Introduction Methods |
WEB site navigation and
course outline
What is the field of Social Psychology? What are some major theoretical Orientations? Which
Methods are most commonly used in Social Psychology?
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| September 16-30 | Social
Cognition
(Includes Attitudes and Attitude Measurement) |
What is Social Cognition?
How does it relate to Self-Presentation and Self-Concept? Self-Esteem versus Self-Efficacy Defining Attitudes Issues in Attitude Measurement |
| October 7-21 | The
Self
Social Learning and Socialization |
What is the difference
between "the self" and "personality?"
What are some basics of symbolic interactionism? Issues in nature versus nurture Comparing basic ideas of developmentalists versus reinforcement theorists Types of learning theories and applications to roles and socialization |
| October 28-
November 18 |
Groups
Group Influences and Interaction Processes |
What is social facilitation?
What are cohorts and aggregates? How are these entities useful? 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? |
| November 25-
December 2 |
Applications of Social Psychology |
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This edited collection presents some
classic "greats" (e.g., Cooley, Mead), more modern "greats" (Vygotsky,
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 may be available.
A compilation of scholarly and popular
applications of Social Psychology. Most recent edition as I went to press.
Used copies may be available.
Web site support for DAVIS is
available including generic search engines:
| JOURNAL WISH LIST |
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| Journal of Personality and Social Psychology | PLEASE GIVE THE JOURNAL TITLE |
| Social Psychology Quarterly | AND BRIEFLY DESCRIBE THE JOURNAL. IF A |
| Public Opinion Quarterly | WEB SITE IS AVAILABLE FOR THE JOURNAL |
| Small Group Research (use this title under Search) | PLEASE INCLUDE THAT TOO. JUST DROP A |
| Group Dynamics | A NOTE IN THE EMAIL HERE: |
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slosh@garnet.acns.fsu.edu |
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EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH |
COURSE SCHEDULE
AVAILABLE HERE! |
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Susan Carol Losh
September 2, 2002.
Under
construction as the semester progresses.
