Course description
The Social psychology is the scientific study of how people think about, evaluate and respond to their social experiences. Social psychologists are interested in understanding a wide range of phenomena. Some topics of interest that we will explore in this course include: person perception, the self, attitudes, emotions, socialization, groups, influence, interpersonal attraction, close relationships, altruism, cooperation, competition, aggression, prejudice and discrimination. The goal of this course is to provide students with a general introduction to social psychology and an opportunity to apply social psychological theories to your life
Course Content
- What
is Social Psychology
- Historical
trends
- What
is Social Psychology?
- Historical
trends in Social Psychology
- Constructing
the Social World in infancy and early childhood.
- Asking
and answering research questions
- Social
Perception: Stereotypes, Prejudice and self-fulfilling prophecies
- The
Presence of Others
- Interpersonal
Communication
- Attitudes
I: Beliefs, affect and behaviour
- Attitudes
II: Attitude change
- Social
Influence, Conformity and Obedience
- Inter-group
behaviour and Social Identity
Learning Outcome
By the end of the course students will:
- Understand
the origins and development of social psychology.
- Identify
the major theoretical perspectives in social psychology and appreciate its
multi-perspective nature.
- Identify
a range of contemporary topics and concepts within social psychology
and appreciate their practical applications.
- Demonstrate
the ability to evaluate competing explanations for human behaviour and experience
and be aware of the constructed nature of social reality.
- Recognize the appropriateness of the differing methods of enquiry used in social psychology.
Compulsory Reading Materials
- Hogg,M.A.
& Vaughan, G.M. (1998) (2nd edition) Social Psychology: An Introduction.
Prentice-Hall.
- Taylor,
S.E., Peplau, A.L. & Sears, D.O. (2006). Social Psychology, 12 th Edition.
Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
- Hewstone,
M., Stroebe, W., and Stephenson, G.M. (1996) (2nd edition) Introduction to
Social Psychology. Oxford: Blackwell.