Introduction to Social Psychology: Course Syllabus and Weekly Topics

Course Overview: Introduction to Social Psychology

This syllabus outlines the weekly topics, readings, and assignments for a college-level course in Social Psychology. The course explores how individuals think, feel, and behave in social contexts, covering foundational theories, research methods, and key phenomena in the field.

Course Structure and Weekly Topics

• Week 1: Introduction to Social Psychology

  • Definition: Social Psychology is the scientific study of how people's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by the actual, imagined, or implied presence of others.

  • Key Questions: What is social psychology? How does it differ from related fields such as sociology and personality psychology?

  • Readings: Syllabus, Chapter 1

  • Assignments: Syllabus Quiz, Chapter 1 Practice Quiz, Introduce Yourself

• Week 2: Methodology: How Do Social Psychologists Do Research?

  • Overview of research methods in social psychology, including experimental, correlational, and observational designs.

  • Importance of ethical considerations and replication in research.

  • Readings: Chapter 2

  • Assignments: Chapter 2 Practice Quiz, ALD #1

• Week 3: Social Cognition: How We Think about the Social World

  • Definition: Social Cognition refers to how people process, store, and apply information about other people and social situations.

  • Topics: Schemas, heuristics, biases in social thinking.

  • Readings: Chapter 3

  • Assignments: Chapter 3 Practice Quiz

• Week 4: Social Perception: How We Come to Understand Other People

  • Definition: Social Perception involves the processes by which we form impressions and make inferences about other people.

  • Topics: Attribution theory, nonverbal communication, impression formation.

  • Readings: Chapter 4

  • Assignments: Chapter 4 Practice Quiz, Term Project Group Charter

• Week 5: The Self: Understanding Ourselves in a Social Context

  • Explores self-concept, self-esteem, and the role of the self in social interactions.

  • Readings: Chapter 5

  • Assignments: Chapter 5 Practice Quiz

• Week 6: Attitudes and Attitude Change: Influencing Thoughts, Feelings, & Behaviour

  • Definition: Attitude is a psychological tendency expressed by evaluating a particular entity with some degree of favor or disfavor.

  • Topics: Persuasion, cognitive dissonance, attitude-behavior consistency.

  • Readings: Chapter 6

  • Assignments: Chapter 6 Practice Quiz, ALD #2

• Week 7: Conformity: Influencing Others

  • Definition: Conformity is the act of changing one's behavior to match the responses or actions of others.

  • Topics: Classic studies (e.g., Asch, Milgram), factors influencing conformity.

  • Readings: Chapter 7

  • Assignments: Chapter 7 Practice Quiz

• Week 8: Midterm Exam

  • Midterm covers Chapters 1-6 and all related content.

  • Exam is in-person, date and time specified in the syllabus.

• Week 9: Group Processes: Influence in Social Groups

  • Topics: Group dynamics, social facilitation, groupthink, leadership.

  • Readings: Chapter 8

  • Assignments: Chapter 8 Practice Quiz, Term Project Proposal/Outline

• Week 10: Attraction and Relationships: From First Impressions to Close Relationships

  • Topics: Interpersonal attraction, love, relationship development and maintenance.

  • Readings: Chapter 9

  • Assignments: Chapter 9 Practice Quiz, ALD #3

• Week 11: Prosocial Behaviour: Why Do People Help?

  • Definition: Prosocial behaviour refers to voluntary actions intended to benefit others.

  • Topics: Altruism, bystander effect, factors influencing helping behavior.

  • Readings: Chapter 10

  • Assignments: Chapter 10 Practice Quiz

• Week 12: Aggression: Why We Hurt Other People

  • Definition: Aggression is behavior intended to harm another individual.

  • Topics: Types of aggression, causes, and prevention strategies.

  • Readings: Chapter 11

  • Assignments: Chapter 11 Practice Quiz

• Week 13: Prejudice: Causes and Cures

  • Definition: Prejudice is a preconceived negative judgment of a group and its individual members.

  • Topics: Stereotypes, discrimination, reducing prejudice.

  • Readings: Chapter 12

  • Assignments: Chapter 12 Practice Quiz, Term Project Video and Pre-Evaluation of Project Group

• Week 15: Final Exam Period

  • Final exam covers Chapters 7-12 and all related content.

  • Date and time to be determined by Central Scheduling.

Assignments and Evaluation

• Weekly practice quizzes for each chapter

• Application and Learning Development (ALD) assignments

• Term project with group components (charter, proposal, video, pre-evaluation)

• Midterm and final exams

Key Terms and Concepts

• Social Psychology: The scientific study of how individuals think, feel, and behave in social contexts.

• Social Cognition: The processes by which people understand and make sense of others and themselves.

• Attitude: A psychological tendency expressed by evaluating a particular entity with some degree of favor or disfavor.

• Conformity: Adjusting one's behavior or thinking to coincide with a group standard.

• Prosocial Behaviour: Voluntary behavior intended to benefit another.

• Aggression: Behavior intended to harm another person.

• Prejudice: Preconceived negative judgment of a group and its individual members.

Example: Classic Study in Social Psychology

• Asch Conformity Experiments: Solomon Asch's studies demonstrated the power of group pressure on individual judgments, showing that people often conform to group norms even when they are clearly incorrect.

Table: Weekly Topics and Associated Chapters

Week	Topic	Chapter
1	Introduction to Social Psychology	1
2	Methodology: How Do Social Psychologists Do Research?	2
3	Social Cognition: How We Think about the Social World	3
4	Social Perception: How We Come to Understand Other People	4
5	The Self: Understanding Ourselves in a Social Context	5
6	Attitudes and Attitude Change	6
7	Conformity: Influencing Others	7
8	Midterm Exam	1-6
9	Group Processes	8
10	Attraction and Relationships	9
11	Prosocial Behaviour	10
12	Aggression	11
13	Prejudice	12
15	Final Exam	7-12

Additional info: This syllabus provides a structured overview of the main areas of social psychology, including foundational concepts, research methods, and applied topics such as prejudice, aggression, and prosocial behavior. The weekly structure and assignments are typical for an introductory psychology course at the college level.