Social Psychology 2500-EN-PS-OB2L-3
This course will consist of 30 hours of lecture, which will introduce the social psychological understanding of human cognition, affect and behavior and 30 hours of seminar during which students will be encouraged to use the theoretical knowledge provided during the lecture in a practical manner.
During the lecture, social cognition and intergroup relations subfields will be of focal interest – and the social identity framework will be used as a main interpretative framework to understand human social behavior. The lecture will provide students with a background in classic and modern social psychological theories, as well as opportunities to interpret the real-life problems within the theoretical framework of social psychology.
The seminar is as an elaboration of the Social Psychology lecture. The seminar will be based mostly on the readings given in the syllabus. Students will be encouraged to work consistently through the whole semester, by writing reflection papers on the readings mentioned in the syllabus and bigger essays based on the knowledge from the course. The goal of the course is to find different explanations of human behavior in given social situations.
Type of course
Learning outcomes
The students who complete this course will gain competence in the field of social psychology and will be able to integrate the material from different sections (social cognition, attitudes, intra
relations, social influence, helping, etc.), as well as to understand the specificity of regional context (Poland, Eastern Europe), its transitional changes, the issues of discrimination, prejudice and tolerance. Students graduating this course will increase knowledge of statistical methods and experimental models (mediation/moderation), will gain knowledge about implicit and unconscious emotional processes that affect human behavior and attitudes. They will be able to apply psychological knowledge to understanding the basic social and political processes (crucial for expertise, policy-making, etc.).
Knowledge
The student:
Knows basic theories related to the behavior of individuals in social setting
Knows methods used in social psychology research
Understands the relationship between self and social cognition
Knows how people explain behavior of others and understands the theory of attributions
Knows how attitudes are related to behavior and how to change the attitudes
Understand the role of social norms in human behavior
Knows why people cooperate and what is the role of trust in cooperative behavior
Understands how people form group identities and what are the implications of identifying with a group
Knows the relationship between stereotypes, prejudice and discrimination
Knows latest trends in morality research
Knows the theory of ambivalent sexism
Skills
The student:
Can critically assess papers presenting socio-psychological research in terms of correctness of methodology
Can plan an anti-discrimination workshop
Recognizes the concepts from social psychology in real-life situations he/she encounters
Can apply the knowledge learned throughout the course to real-life situations
Can explain why certain individuals behave in the way they do in social settings, using the concepts, theories and ideas from social psychology
Attitudes
The student:
Understands that concepts from social psychology can be applied to real-life situations
Can think critically about the findings of social psychology
Understands the consequences of findings from social psychology in regards to human behavior
Assessment criteria
The final grade from the course is based on all parts of the assessment of both lecture and seminar.
Knowledge and competences from the lectures is assessed with a written exam (multiple choice questions). This exam accounts for 50% of the final grade and can be retaken in a retake session.
The assessment of the seminar is drawn from the following components:
15% of the final grade: essay (max 2000 words)
20% of the final grade: 3 reflection papers to be chosen from 13 topics (max. 600 words), 5 points each.
15% of the final grade: Group development of an intervention focused on prejudice reduction. Students will be required to develop in groups of 2 or 3 a prejudice reduction intervention. The description of the intervention (it’s theoretical basis and proposed methods of evaluation) must be provided on paper (max 1500 words).
In order to pass the course all of the tasks of the seminar need to be completed.
NOTE: There is no possibility of retaking parts of the assessment of the seminar – it requires a systematic effort throughout the semester.
Grading criteria:
97% or more = 5!
92-96% = 5
84-91% = 4.5
76-83% = 4
68-75% = 3.5
60-67% = 3
below 60% = 2 (fail)
Attendance is obligatory for both lectures and seminar classes. No more than 2 of each can be missed without valid excuse. Regardless of excuse, for the seminar, missing more than 4 classes overall leads to course failure; for the lectures missing more than 50% leads to course failure.
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: