Course Detail :

Examination of scientific literature involving individual behavior in relation to social contexts. Topics include attribution, social perception, socialization, attitude formation/change, group dynamics, prosocial behavior, aggression, social influence, and applications.

For information regarding prerequisites for this course, please refer to the Academic Course Catalog.

Rationale :

Many individuals go through their daily routines with little thought as to what influences their own behavior and the behavior of those around them. They seem unaware of how other people influence their thoughts and behavior. Still, others attempt to understand and explain their behavior, but their explanations are inaccurate. This course will seek to explain how the student’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by the actual or imagined presence of others so that the student can better understand himself/herself, and those around him/her.

This course will put major emphasis on the theory, research, and scientific evidence supporting the above claims, and is designed to provide the student with psychological evidence that is relevant in every area of psychological inquiry.

Measurable Learning Outcomes :

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:

1. Articulate, in writing, the main concepts pertaining to the social psychological phenomenon as discussed in the textbook, theory, and research articles.
2. Apply specific principles related to the text, theory, and articles that directly address both contents related to the social psychological phenomena, as well as biblical integration.
3. Summarize and explain empirical research that can be used as evidence to support a social psychological argument.
4. Integrate knowledge from class discussions, individual readings, and required readings to address key social psychological concepts and ideas in order to demonstrate an understanding of the principles and ideas associated with social psychology.

Course Assignment :

Textbook readings and lecture presentations :

Course Requirements Checklist :

After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Discussions (5) :

Students will complete 5 discussions in the course. Students will answer two questions for each prompt and reply to two classmates. Students are required to include two academic sources for the main thread along with two Bible verses. They should include a minimum of 200 words for the thread and 100 words for the replies.

Content Summary Assignments (6) :

The student is required to read and become comfortable/familiar with all the required reading material. Each summary will include an integration of the Kassin et al. text chapters, Chadee theory chapters, and two journal articles related to each module. The summary should include an intro paragraph, 1–2 paragraphs each for 3–5 major themes supported by at least two of the sources each, and a closing paragraph. Each content summary should be 1.5–2 pages.

Article Review Assignments (5) :

For five of the modules, the student will submit one journal article summary that will be used to understand both the topic and research related to the topic of interest each week. The article summary should follow the article summary handout. Each summary must be at least 350 words.

Quiz: Midterm :

The Quiz: Midterm will cover all content from modules 1–4, will consist of 5 short answer/essay questions, and has a time limit of 3 hours. The student can answer the quiz as many times as he/she wants throughout the week.

Quiz: Final :

The Quiz: Final will be comprehensive. It will cover all the material covered in this course and will consist of 5 short answer/essay questions. The quiz has a time limit of 3 hours. The student can answer the quiz as many times as he/she wants throughout the week.