C-ID Descriptor
Introduction to Social Psychology

English, one level below transfer (i.e., eligibility for English composition) and reading (a course with an exiting skill of ability to read a college level text)

The course includes the following topics:

1. self-concept
2. aggression
3. prejudice (and stigma) and stereotypes
4. prosocial behavior
5. interpersonal relationships, including attraction
6. attitudes, attitude formation, and attitude change
7. group processes and decision-making
8. gender roles
9. multiculturalism
10. cultural norms
11. person perception (e.g., attribution theory)
12. social cognition
13. social emotion
14. obedience to authority
15. social and physical environments

All topics will be covered from the perspective of a scientific analysis of human behavior.  Of necessity this will require an overview of ethics and research methods.

N/A

At the conclusion of this course, the student should be able to:

1. Analyze elements of a scientific approach to understanding human behavior in a psycho-social context
2. Identify biological and cultural influences on social behavior
3. Discriminate between individual differences and sociocultural influences
4. Explain the major scientific studies which form the basis for current theories of social psychology
5. Describe the ways in which principles gleaned from social psychological research apply to real world problems and issues
6. Apply models of intervention into social behavior designed to address social problems (e.g., those based on gender, ethnic, racial, or cultural differences and those based on disability)
7. Compare basic concepts and theories across the areas of social psychology

Written assignments

Examinations

Other assignments (student projects, video, observational reports, etc.)

Myers: Social Psychology (current edition)

Aronson: Social Psychology (current edition)

Publisher (and other) supported web-sites providing direct experiential content re: social psychology (e.g., implicit attitudes scale).