2020/2021
Social Psychology
Category 'Best Course for Broadening Horizons and Diversity of Knowledge and Skills'
Type:
Optional course (faculty)
Delivered by:
Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs
When:
2 module
Instructors:
Dominic Rubin
Language:
English
ECTS credits:
3
Contact hours:
36
Course Syllabus
Abstract
Social Psychology is an elective course that introduces students to the main concepts in the branch of psychology that examines the interaction between the individual and society and its effect on identity formation and behavior.
Learning Objectives
- The course will cover the main topics that form the core of Social Psychology, as well as taking in some topics from other areas of psychology where necessary (such as personal and political psychology). These topics include: Social Thinking (the self in a social world, social beliefs and judgments, behaviors and attitudes – and why beliefs and behavior may be disconnected); Social Influence (genes, culture and gender; conformity and obedience; persuasion; group influence); and Social Relations (prejudice – disliking others; aggression – hurting others; attraction and intimacy – liking and loving others; helping; conflict and peacemaking). Students will gain familiar with key concepts in the discipline, such as (among many others): authoritarian personality; attribution theory; belief perseverance; cognitive dissonance; companionate love; conformity, consensus, consistency; door-in-the-face technique; empathy; frustration-aggression theory; gender role; group polarization; health psychology; linguistic intergroup bias; minority slowness effect; need to belong; normative influence; obedience; outgroup homogeneity effect; psychological immune system; self-affirmation theory; self-esteem; social learning theory; terror management; values; women-are-wonderful effect.
Expected Learning Outcomes
- The course will enable students to gain tools that allow them to be more conscious of their own attitudes and behaviors.
- The course will shed light on neighboring disciplines like sociology, political science, economics and history.
- social psychology will show students experimental, scientific methods to make discoveries about human beings, but also they would notice its findings also have practical applications by increasing personal awareness
- Learned vocabulary, terms on the topic mentioned above
- to gain tools that allow them to be more conscious of their own attitudes and behaviors
Course Contents
- Lecture 1. Getting to know the field of Social Psychology. Methods. Problems. Related disciplines.
- Lecture 2. The social self. Social perception.
- Lecture 3. Prejudice and Discrimination.
- Lecture 4. Attitudes and their relation to behavior. Persuasion and attitude change.
- Lecture 5. Conformity, compliance and obedience.
- Lecture 6. Group processes. Genes, culture and gender.
- Lecture 7. Interpersonal attraction and close relationships.
- Lecture 8. Interpersonal aggression. Prosocial behaviors (altruism).
- Lecture 9. Summary. Revision. Questions. Final test.
Interim Assessment
- Interim assessment (2 module)0.4 * • Exam 40% + 0.3 * • Presentation 30% + 0.3 * • Seminar participation 30%
Bibliography
Recommended Core Bibliography
- DeLamater, J. D., Collett, J. L., & Myers, D. J. (2014). Social Psychology (Vol. 8th ed). New York: Routledge. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=828243
- Fathali M. Moghaddam. (2005). Great Ideas in Psychology : A Cultural and Historical Introduction. Oneworld Publications.
- Kenneth S. Bordens, & Irwin A. Horowitz. (2001). Social Psychology: Vol. 2nd ed. Psychology Press.
- Martha L. Cottam, Elena Mastors, Thomas Preston, & Beth Dietz. (2016). Introduction to Political Psychology : 3rd Edition: Vol. 3rd edition. Routledge.
Recommended Additional Bibliography
- Cottam, M. L. (2010). Introduction to Political Psychology: Vol. 2nd ed. Psychology Press.