EPSY 5157–The Social Psychology of Education

Official syllabus will be handed out in class

Instructor: David W. Johnson, 60 Peik Hall, 624-7031

Overview of the course

This is an introductory course that will cover broad areas in social psychology with specific emphasis in education. Most topics will be teasers in the sense that entire courses could be developed around many of the areas we will discuss in one hour. Hopefully you will leave this course wanting to delve further into specific topics in social psychology. In this course you will be expected to become acquainted with the major theories, research, and "names" in the field. Class sessions will be spent in lectures, discussions, and experiential exercises.

Textbook

Aronson, E., Wilson, T., & Akert, R. (2004). Social psychology (4th Ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

Course requirements

1. Attend class.
2. Be prepared for and actively involved in class discussions and activities.
3. Read assigned material each week.
4. Write weekly papers.
5. Write a research review paper discussing some aspect of social psychological theory and research and design a relevant research study.
6. Write a perspective-reversal paper on a current social issue.
7. Pass the examinations.
8. Participate in a base group and make sure that all group members pass the tests, write acceptable papers, and generally make satisfactory progress in achieving the academic goals of the course.

Tests

1. The Group Discussion Test consists of a meeting of your base group to discuss the content of the assigned reading. Each group will be expected to provide copies of the questions they discussed, an outline of their answers and procedures, and their subjective evaluation of the learning resulting from the experience. A more detailed handout on the group discussion test will be distributed. The test will take place during the next to last class session.

2. The Basic Concepts Quizzes will be composed of multiple choice or matching items drawn from readings, lectures, and class discussions. Successful performance is considered to be 90 percent of the questions answered correctly. Any group whose members do not answer 90 percent of the questions correctly will be required to indicate competence on incorrect items. These quizzes will take place weekly.

3. The Basic Concepts Final Examination will be given the final day of class. It represents the bottom line of the course. Anyone taking the course has to be able to pass this test at a 90 percent correct level.

Papers

1. Class Preparation Papers: Each week write a one to two page paper on a theory, research study, concept, idea, theorist, or researcher in the reading assignment.

2. Perspective-Reversal Paper: Take a social issue, such as alienation, racism, sexism, pollution, or corruption in government and write a five or six page paper applying social psychological concepts, research, and theory to its solution. In writing the paper, take a viewpoint (perspective, frame of reference) opposite to your own and construct the paper to support that opposite viewpoint.

3. Research Review Paper: Write a (1) research review in an area of interest in social psychology (required of all MA and Ph.D. degree students) or (2) project applying some aspect of social psychology to a practical situation (alternative for non-degree students). This paper should be approximately 12 pages long.

Grading

Grades will be determined on the basis of learning contracts. A certain minimum amount of work is expected of all students in graduate level course. The alternative learning contracts are:

Grade C: Course Requirements 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8.

Grade B: Course Requirements 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8.

Grade A: All Course Requirements (1 - 8).

All work must meet standards for acceptable performance level. On the final day of classes students must submit a written statement of the contract they are working to fulfill along with the required proof of meeting the contract. Although students will be given grades of "I" if necessary, it is highly discouraged. Absolutely no incompletes will be given for uncompleted group tests.

Basic course requirements

The basic assumption of this course is that learning results from a continuing process of rational discourse. Within the course there are both opportunities and responsibilities. Your opportunity is to learn. Your responsibilities are to maximize your learning from the course (i.e., improve your intellectual understanding), maximize the learning of your classmates, and to apply what you learn to your work and personal life. To take advantage of the opportunity and to meet your responsibilities you are to:

1. Master the basic concepts, theories, research studies, and researchers. You are expected to know more after you have finished the course than you did before.

2. Think critically about the course content and topics to achieve understanding and insights.

3. Explain precisely to several classmates your learnings, insights, and conclusions. Your learning is not complete until you teach what you know to someone else and can describe precisely what you have learned.

4. Ask others to share their knowledge, conclusions, and insights with you. When they do so, listen carefully, elaborate by explaining how what you have just learned from them fits in with previous knowledge learned, and thank them.

5. Engage in intellectual controversy by taking positions counter to those of your classmates, developing clear rationales from the material in the texts, challenging their reasoning and conclusions, and arguing the issues until you are logically persuaded. Review the rules for constructive controversy before doing so.

6. Get your work done on time. You cannot deprive classmates of their opportunity and obligations to help you improve your understanding, conclusions, and insights.

7. Plan how to apply what you have learned to improve the quality of your work and personal life. You should be able to describe precisely how you can use what you have learned in this class.