benchmark 1: course syllabus sample, naomi's

Psychology 3307-DV: Social Psychology Winston Salem State University

Online Course Syllabus—Fall 2008 Instructor: Dr. Naomi Hall Email: Send messages through the Blackboard system Physical Office: Modular Unit East #103 Telephone: (336) 750-8800 Face-to-Face Office Hours: T/Th 5-6pm and Wednesdays 11-1p AND 2-6pm. Online Office Hours: TBD Prerequisite: Psychology 2301 (General Psychology) Required Course Text

♦ Myers, D. G. (2008). Social Psychology (9th edition). New York: McGraw-Hill. Even if you use the 8th edition you will be responsible for all that is included in the 9th edition.

Course Description This 16-week online course provides a study of individual and collective behavior in relation to various social and cultural influences. Social psychology is “the scientific study of the way in which people’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by the real or imagined presence of other people.” Students may earn credit for only one of the following: SOC 3307 or PSY 3307. Rationale Social psychology covers a broad variety of topics from how people choose relationship partners to why some people choose brand X over brand Y. That is, social psychology has a wide variety of both practical and scientific applications. More than any other psychology course, social psychology deals with the “stuff” of real life. This class is designed to encourage students to think about the ideas, concepts, and theories presented and how they relate to your own personal experiences. We will cover topics such as beliefs and judgments, attitudes and persuasion, race and culture, social influence, prejudice and discrimination, and interpersonal attraction. By the end of this course you should be able to apply what is learned to your specific discipline and/or career path. Basic Computer Requirements To successfully complete this course you will need access to a computer and the Internet. To access all of the features of the course you will need to have Microsoft Word 2000, Microsoft PowerPoint 2000, and Adobe Acrobat software. If you have Microsoft Word 2007 or Vista, be sure to save in the 2000 or 2003 format, .rtf, or .doc. Course Teaching Goals This course is designed to:

♦ Provide students with an introduction to various theoretical approaches to social psychology ♦ Increase awareness and appreciation of different views concerning intrapersonal, interpersonal, and

group behavior ♦ Discuss social psychology scientifically and critically

Course Learning Objectives Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to:

♦ Describe the different methods used by social psychologists to study social issues ♦ Comprehend and integrate course material into their everyday lives ♦ Understand how social psychological theory can help understand and address social issues ♦ Identify the process in which beliefs and attitudes are developed and interact to influence behavior

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♦ Enhance their critical thinking skills by participating in individual and group activities that examine ways in which sociocultural and psychosocial factors affect social behavior

Course Structure One of the major advantages to an online course is its flexibility. You have the opportunity to progress through most of the course according to your schedule, since all course materials, assignments, and tests are available to you 24-hours a day. The course has been structured into three parts that include a total of 11 chapters. Each chapter has corresponding assignments, activities, discussion questions, quizzes, and supplemental reading. Additionally, individual and group activities will be assigned to extend your learning and enhance your experience in the course. If you have any questions or comments at any time, feel free to send me a message through Blackboard. I am excited to have your participation in this course and I look forward to your contributions to it! Honor Code/Academic Integrity Winston-Salem State University puts forth every reasonable effort to maintain academic integrity in the instruction program. To compromise integrity through acts of academic dishonest seriously jeopardizes the quality of instruction and the caliber of education we purport to provide our students. Such dishonesty includes:

Cheating- Intentionally and knowingly using unauthorized materials, information, or study aids in any academic exercise or matter Plagiarism-Intentionally and knowingly representing in any academic exercise or matter the words or ideas of another as one's own. Fabrication-Intentionally and knowingly falsifying or inventing information or citation in an academic exercise. Facilitating Academic Dishonesty-Intentionally and knowingly helping or attempting to help another to commit and act of cheating, plagiarism, or fabrication.

From: (Winston-Salem State University 2005-2007 Undergraduate & Graduate Admissions Catalog, Policy and Regulations, p.30) Disability Statement In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Winston-Salem State University will honor requests for reasonable accommodations made by individuals with disabilities. Students must self-disclose their disability to the Office of Disability Services before academic accommodations can be implemented. If you have a documented disability, please contact the Office of Disability Services in room 205 Anderson Center or by telephone at 750-8658. Assessments Assigned Readings and Exercises You are responsible for completing all weekly assigned readings. Quiz and exam questions may be taken from assigned readings and online discussions. Also, various topic-specific handouts may be uploaded on Blackboard throughout the semester. Quizzes and Exams You will have 10 short multiple-choice quizzes. You may drop your two lowest quiz scores. The purpose of the quiz is to provide you with an opportunity to assess your learning and to become familiar with the nature of questions that you will see on each of your four examinations. Each quiz is worth 20 points and you will have 30 minutes to complete each quiz. Quizzes are posted within each unit/module. Once you answer a question, you cannot revisit that question, so check your answer BEFORE moving on to the next question. You may take each quiz TWO times and I will take the highest score. Quizzes will open up on Wednesday mornings at 8:00am and close at 11:59pm on Sunday nights. You have anytime in-between to take the quiz—see specific dates in schedule.

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Four examinations (worth 100 points each) will be given to help determine your progress and success in the class. Exam dates are in the course outline. Exams/quizzes will consist of a mixed format utilizing multiple-choice questions, true/false, matching, and fill in the blank. Short essay questions and/or a case study will appear on most exams. Exams will open up on Wednesday mornings at 8:00am and close at 11:59pm on Sunday nights. You have anytime in-between to take the quiz—see specific dates in schedule. Occasionally, there are technological issues that interfere with the performance of the Blackboard system. If this occurs, you should email me IMMEDIATELY explaining what happened and let me know if the quiz needs to be cleared. I will check into the problem and take the appropriate measures. Taking Sides Discussion Board Contributions Given that this is a web-based course, your only method of interacting with your fellow classmates and your instructor will be via the Internet. In order to enrich your learning in the course beyond the course readings, you will be required to participate in one discussion board topic per week, posting at least two contributions in relation to each topic. After completing the readings for each chapter, you will be required to post to the relevant discussion board question. These are contemporary issues in the field of social psychology, focusing on critical conceptual, empirical, or practical issues that continue to generate significant controversy within the field. Your role will be to respond to six (out of 11) discussion questions and posts with your own thoughts and reactions, based on your readings, opinions and experiences. Additionally, to obtain full credit, you must also comment on at least two other student's response. Please remember to be courteous to your classmates, because there may be topics on which there are differing opinions, state your opinions without demeaning another's thoughts on the topic. One discussion question will be posted per week beginning in the third week. Discussion questions may be found on the ‘Discussion Board.’ Please note that there are NO RIGHT OR WRONG ANSWERS to these discussion board posts; they are designed to give you the opportunity to reflect more deeply, and to develop your own opinions and positions regarding key contemporary issues in the field of social psychology. Your discussion board posts will be evaluated on the following criteria (See rubric under ‘Discussion Board):

1. Critical analysis of the issue 2. Reflection of your opinion based on your experiences AND the readings. Please make sure to cite the readings in your posts. 3. The quality of your comments on other student’s postings

Basic requirements include a minimum length of at least 300 words in length PER discussion for each module. Contributions below this length will receive 0 points automatically---NO EXCEPTIONS. Students should construct their responses in a word processing program and then cut & paste into the Discussion Board. Step-by-step instructions on how to do this are located in the Discussion Board section. Cooperative Activities Cooperative learning is a teaching strategy in which small teams, each with students of different levels of ability, use a variety of learning activities to improve their understanding of a subject. Each member of a team is responsible not only for learning what is taught but also for helping teammates learn, thus creating an atmosphere of achievement. Students work through the assignment until all group members successfully understand and complete it. In addition to assigned readings, students will be able to improve their thinking and writing skills by completing cooperative critical thinking assignments. Students will be assigned to teams. Teams will use their assigned group pages (instructions on Blackboard under ‘Cooperative Activities’) to study material together, ask questions of each other, and to complete several critical thinking research projects together. Teams will submit the final products to the instructor using Google Docs (specific instructions to follow). The entire class will use the Blog Tool in Blackboard to critically evaluate Team products.

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Course Policies Rules of Engagement The purpose of this course, as with any academic course, is learning. To that end, this must be a safe environment for learning and interacting with each other. Two important components of learning are asking questions and making mistakes. To ensure that this will be a safe environment for learning, a safe environment for asking questions, and a safe environment for making the mistakes that are a natural part of the learning process, I created the Rules of Engagement that must be followed for all course participation, and for all communication. The online course environment is to be respectful and you are expected to follow the rules of netiquette (tips found in Course Documents) at all times.

All students will actively engage in this course. Since we are unable to have face-to-face dialogue, much of your learning, retention, and evaluation will depend upon your ability to 1) make your presence known; and 2) interact with your fellow students.

Correction is not the same as criticism. We all make mistakes and they are a natural part of the learning process. Before you post any materials or any response to the discussion board and before you send an email or reply to anything, you should carefully consider your words and/or your posting/reply. Consider how you would feel if someone were to address you in such a manner or if you were to receive such a posting/reply. If you are bothered by the words that you use or by your in-progress posting/reply then you should not make your statement/posting or send your reply: if you offend yourself then you will surely offend others.

Be respectful of each other's time constraints. We all have different schedules. Some of you have full-time or part-time jobs, others may be taking a heavy course load, and still others may do both of these in addition to having a family (having a family is a job by itself). You need to be respectful of each other's time constraints when you work together in groups or in pairs. Don’t wait until the last minute to complete assignments!

Be careful what you put in writing. Even if you are writing an e-mail message to one person, assume that anyone could read it. Though you may send an e-mail to a single person, it is very easy to forward your message to hundreds or thousands of people.

Grammar and spelling matter. Online courses demand the same standard of academic communication and use of grammar as face-to-face courses.

Attendance Policy Since this class takes place totally online, your attendance will be assessed through your participation in class activities, assignments, and assessments. If I do not see any participation for one week I will contact you via message and/or telephone. Makeups or extensions on deadlines will ONLY be considered in cases of serious personal or family illness, death or emergency in your family, or official business for Winston-Salem State University. In such cases, you must follow these procedures: 1) Contact the instructor and discuss the situation as soon as possible; 2) Make plans for a make-up exam or assignment extension; and 3) Provide written documentation (i.e., doctor's note, obituary, letter from University Counseling Center and/or Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs).

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Evaluation/Grading Scheme This course uses a point system to evaluate student progress. The following scheme applies to this class. Please note that I reserve the right to modify this scheme during the course as necessary:

Discussion Board Responses (6) 60 points (6% of final grade) Collaborative Online Activities 100 points (10% of final grade) Individual Online Activities 130 points (13% of final grade) Quizzes (8) 160 points (18 % of final grade) Exams (4) 400 points (40% of final grade) Final Exam 150 points (15% of final grade)

1000 points total (subject to change)

Final Grades: Your final grade will be determined by adding the total number of points you earned and dividing by the total number of points available. You should have a percentage that corresponds with the following:

Grade Criteria A= 100% - 90% Demonstrated a deep understanding and mastery of the subject, presented

work with exceptional clarity and poise. B= 89% - 80% Demonstrated a better than average understanding of material. Projects or

papers were presented neatly and thoroughly but did not have the depth for an 'A'.

C= 79% - 70% Average. The student grasped the essential information; material is complete and presented on time.

D= 69% - 60% Below average. Student missed significant aspects of assignments. Material was not turned in on time; student was unprepared.

F = below 60 % Student was unable to complete assignments on time with at least a 60% understanding and presentation.

It is the student’s responsibility to drop or withdraw from the course by the due date. If you do not, you

will receive an ‘F.’

PSY 3307-DV Dr. Hall Fall 2008

COURSE SCHEDULE (SUBJECT TO CHANGE) WEEK DATE

RANGE TOPICS/READINGS INDIVIDUAL

ACTIVITIES COOPERATIVE

ACTIVITIES ASSESSMENTS DISCUSSSION

BOARDS 1 Aug. 25th

– Aug. 31st

Explore the Blackboard site

Syllabus quiz (required, but not

scored)

Introduce yourself (see worksheet for

details) 2 Sept. 1st –

Sept. 7th Chapter 1: Introducing

Social Psychology Unit 1

Modules 1 & 2 Quiz 1

Opens 9/3 at 8am, closes 9/7 at 11:59pm

Part I: Social Thinking 3 Sept. 8th –

Sept. 14th Chapter 2: The Self in the

Social World

Unit 2 Modules 3 & 4

TBD Quiz 2 Opens 9/10 at 8am,

closes 9/14 at 11:59pm

Discussion Board Issue #1


4 Sept. 15th – Sept.

21st

Review Modules 1-4

TBD Exam 1 Opens 9/17 at 8am,




5 Sept. 22nd – Sept.

28th

Chapter 3: Social Beliefs and Judgments






6 Sept. 29th – Oct. 5th

Chapter 4: Behavior and Attitudes






7 Oct. 6th – Oct. 12th

Review Modules 5-8

Begin working with assigned group on team

project & Group blog reflection

Exam 2 Opens 10/8 at 8am,



Opens 10/6 at 8am, closes 10/12 at

11:59pm Part II: Social Influence

8 Oct. 13th – Oct. 19th

Chapter 5: Genes, Culture, and Gender


Groups continue to work on team project & Group blog reflection

Quiz 5 Opens 10/15 at 8am,




PSY 3307-DV Dr. Hall

7

11:59pm 9 Oct. 20th –

Oct. 26th Chapter 6: Conformity and

Obedience Unit 6

Modules 11 & 12 Groups continue to

work on team project & Group blog reflection





11:59pm 10 Oct. 27th –

Nov. 2nd Review Modules

9-12 Groups continue to

work on team project & Group blog reflection





11 Nov. 3rd – Nov. 9th

Chapter 7: Persuasion







12 Nov. 10th – Nov.

16th

Chapter 8: Group Influence







11:59pm 13 Nov. 17th

– Nov. 23rd

Chapter 9: Prejudice: Disliking Others







11:59pm Part III: Social Relations

14 Nov. 24th – Nov.

30th

Chapter 10: Aggression: Hurting Others


Groups present team project online in a Discussion Board

Forum



15 Dec. 1st – Dec. 7th

Chapter 11: Attraction and Intimacy: Liking & Loving

Others


Students comment on team projects via the

Discussion Board Forum

Quiz 10 Opens 12/3 at 8am, closes 12/7 at 11:59pm

FINAL EXAM (Cumulative): Opens December 8th at 8:00a.m. and closes on December 12th at 11:59p.m.

benchmark 1: course syllabus sample, naomi's

Education