Soc 3000 Social Psychology Marsteller Kowalewski
Weber State University
Department of Sociology and Anthropology
Sociology 3000 Brenda Marsteller Kowalewski
Social Psychology SS 126
TTh 10:30 – 11:45 PM Office hrs 9:30 AM TTH & by appointment
SS 44 801-626-7893
Fall 2009
http://faculty.weber.edu/bkowalewski
Course Objectives
v To understand a variety of social psychological perspectives, the differences between them and their application to real world observations.
v Enable students to learn how reality is socially constructed and entice students to question and challenge the existing realities.
v To learn and apply sociological social psychological knowledge through a joint service-learning project with Mount Ogden Junior High students serving various populations in need at Catholic Community Services.
Ø Learn the group processes framework and use it to analyze the group interaction of the project planning group consisting of WSU and MOJH students.
Ø Understand the social psychology of stratification. In other words, learn how a person's gender, social class, age, ethnic group, family background, position or status in a group affects how they think, feel, act and define their situation.
Ø Learn the processes of the development of self and identity and the role the larger social structure plays within that process. Likewise, understand the influence one’s concept of self and identity has on interactions with others.
Ø Learn, better understand and further develop a sense of social responsibility and prosocial behavior.
Ø Learn how attitudes and values influence our behavior and how the positions and statuses influence our attitudes about people and our interactions with them.
Ø Become aware of and better understand the emotion work involved in doing and receiving service.
v To hone writing and critical thinking skills.
Required Text: Rohall, Milkie and Lucas (2007). Social Psychology: Sociological Perspectives. Pearson Education Inc. - Allyn and Bacon: Boston, MA.
Required Readings
on e-reserve: Chapter 2 Primary Socialization (e-reserve) - Posted August 19 – September 17
Chapter 9 Altruism and Moral Development (e-reserve) Posted September 18
Course Evaluations
The evaluation for this course will be based on four exams and a service-learning project which includes assignments for taking field notes, two papers, an oral presentation and in-class reflection exercises (see full descriptions on subsequent pages). The exams will consist of both multiple choice and short essay questions. All exams are cumulative, (which will cover all readings, lectures, films, guest speakers, etc.). Class attendance and participation will be taken into consideration and will be especially influential when a student has a borderline grade. And finally, the service-learning project is a group project; therefore, each member of the group will have the opportunity to rate the performance of all group members according to the following criteria:
a) an above average contributor, driving force behind the project,
b) an average contributor, or
c) below average, just doing enough to get by.
You are expected to turn in assignments on or prior to the due date. Late assignments will be accepted only if: (1) I am notified in advance (in person, by phone at my office 801-626-7893, or by leaving a message in the main sociology/anthropology office 801-626-6241); and (2) your reason is valid, (i.e., you are sick, in an accident, there was a death in the family, etc.).
Extra Credit
There will be NO extra credit assignments in this class.
Grades
Exam I 35 points
Exam II 35 points
Exam III 35 points
Exam IV 35 points
Service Learning Project
3 in-class reflection exercises 15 points
Reflection Papers (10 points each) 50 points
2 Written S-L Papers 60 points total
Service-Learning Presentation 20 points
Group Contribution Rating 15 points
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Total 300 points
The final grades will be determined as follows:
270 - 300 = A- to A
240 - 269 = B- to B+
210 - 239 = C- to C+
180 - 209 = D- to D+
below 180 = E
Note to Students with Special Needs:
Any student requiring accommodations or services due to a disability must contact Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) in room 181 of the Student Service Center. SSD can also arrange to provide course materials (including this syllabus) in alternative formats if necessary.
Special Note on H1N1 Flu this Fall:
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Utah Public Health Department are anticipating a resurgence of the H1N1 flu this fall. This could result in significant disruption to normal on-campus (and online) classes.
I would like to reinforce the following guidelines for this class:
If you are ill, stay home. If you become ill (fever, chills, cough) while at school, go home. Exposing others to the virus can potentially result in serious complications and even death in high-risk individuals. See the WSU website at http://weber.edu/flu for specific recommendations. While on campus, use the hand sanitizer provided throughout the College of Health Professions. Notify me if you have any concerns or you are sick or have a sick family member you must care for. I am committedto finding mutually acceptable ways for you to complete your coursework. Always wash your hands and cover your mouth if you cough.
In the event of an extended campus closure, I will continue to provide instruction by utilizing the Blackboard online course system (WSU Online). I will provide text-based mini-lectures three times each week andwill expect you to login to the system on a regular basis to keep up with course work if you are able. Assignments will be provided through the onlinesystem with clear due dates and expectations. Discussions will be madeavailable to allow you to interact with other students and me about coursematerial, but participation in these will not be required. I will check emailwithin the Blackboard course on a daily basis should you need to communicatewith me personally. If you are not familiar with the Blackboard system,please review the student orientation available at http://wsuonline.weber.edu/students/orientation.asp.
Please let me know by the end of the first week of the semester if you donot have access to a computer and/or the Internet from your home. I dounderstand that if you are incapacitated by the flu, because either you aresick or you are caring for someone who is sick, that other arrangements willneed to be made for you to complete the class work.
Service-Learning Project
This assignment requires that you commit yourself to:
a) serving at least 25 hours at Catholic Community Services and Mount Ogden Junior High School
b) recording in the CIC the completion of at least 25 hours of service;
c) completing 5 reflection papers (dates listed on the course schedule);
d) completing in-class reflection assignments (dates listed on the course schedule);
e) completing written service-learning group papers designed to guide your group through processes of discovery, integration, and evaluation; and
f) preparing and orally presenting your service-learning experience to the class, MOJH students and CCS staff at the end of the semester.
This project is 53% of your overall grade in this course so you should be very thoughtful about your choice of project and your service-learning assignments. All components of the service-learning project must be typed. The following outlines the requirements for this assignment.
A. Hours and Service-Learning Site and Contract
1. Hours
This assignment requires that you commit yourself to work at least 25 hours at Catholic Community Services and Mount Ogden Junior High School over the course of the semester. Your hours must be spread over the course of the semester. Thus, you can NOT do all 25 hours in just one or two weeks, nor all at one time. Additionally, you must complete the minimum 25 hour requirement to be eligible for full credit on all service-learning related assignments and exercises. If you only complete 50% of the minimum required hours, you are only eligible to achieve 50% of the total 160 points associated with the service-learning assignments for this course.
The 25 hour requirement does not have to be split evenly between the two organizations, CCS and MOJH; however, you must spend a minimum of 10 hours at each organization. The additional five hours needed to meet the requirement of the assignment can be served all at one of the two organizations or distributed between the two. Serving more than a total of 25 hours is always encouraged and welcomed.
2. Service-Learning Site
This project requires you to serve two organizations simultaneously. You will be engaged in a service project for Catholic Community Services with students from Mount Ogden Junior High School. Expect to spend hours at MOJH with the students planning and reflecting on this service project in addition to the hours you will spend at Catholic Community Services learning about their needs, this specific project and serving in that organization. All students are expected to participate in a “joint service day” with the MOJH students on October 24, 2009, our national Make a Difference Day.
3. Service-Learning Contract
Each student is required to complete a service-learning contract with their agency. You can obtain a copy of this document from the course web page by using the service-learning link. This contract will need to be signed by both the student and the site supervisor and must be on file in your professor’s office in order to receive a grade in this course. Signed contracts are due at the same time as the first service-learning paper described below.
B. Register with WSU’s Community Involvement Center and Record Service Hours
First, you must register as a Service-Learning Student with WSU’s Community Involvement Center. Do this by going to: http://weber.edu/CommunityInvolvement and click on “Register” in the bubble labeled “Students.” Once you successfully register, the Center will set up a file for you in their database to track your service hours.
Note: This will be beneficial to you for this class but also for future employment and/or graduate school admission. The center will record your service hours for the duration of your college career and can submit a letter verifying the service you’ve completed in the community to future employers and/or graduate programs upon your request.
Second, you will submit a timesheet signed by your site supervisor verifying the hours worked each month. You can access the time sheet at:
http://weber.edu/CommunityInvolvement/Register_Service_Hours.html
Timesheets must be submitted to the Community Involvement Center located in room 327 of the Shepherd Union building at the end of each month. Your hours of service will be recorded in this WSU office and reported to me at three different times during the semester. If you do not record your hours of service with the Community Involvement Center each month, you will not receive credit for the service-learning project. Due: at the end of each month
C. Reflection Papers 2 – 3 pages each
There are a total of five reflection papers assigned over the course of the semester. These papers are designed to help you apply your sociological social psychology knowledge to the everyday life experiences you are having in the assigned service-learning project. Each paper is worth 10 points. Answer the questions thoroughly and thoughtfully. Each paper should be approximately 2 -3 pages. Do not include in your reflection papers the real names of the people with whom you are interacting. Protecting the anonymity of the agency’s clients is professional and ethical; I am expecting you to be both.
The following are the assigned questions that are required for each paper:
Reflection Paper #1 – Social Psychology of Stratification Due: September 17th
Using what you know about basic stratification processes (pp. 85-90), what role do gender and/or race and ethnicity play in the lives of the individuals served at Catholic Community Services?
Do you think the individuals served at Catholic Community Services experience “stereotype threat” (referred to on page 90 of your text)? If so, why and how? If not, why not?
Reflection Paper #2 – Self and Identity Due: October 1st
Go to page 132 in your textbook. Take the Twenty Statements Test listed there. (If you record your responses by hand in your textbook or elsewhere, please type them for this assignment). Answer the questions at the bottom of the page and record your answers in this reflection paper.
How does knowing this information about yourself help you in the service-learning project this semester? Explain.
Reflection Paper #3 – Altruism Due: October 22nd
What is altruism? (consult p. 243 of Chapter 9: Altruism on e-reserve) What does altruism mean to you?
Are your actions in this service-learning project altruistic? Why or why not? Explain.
Social psychologists argue that one explanation for why people help lies in social norms (p. 261 – 266 of Chapter 9: Altruism on e-reserve). Your assigned reading outlines four norms or principles guiding helping or prosocial behavior. Which of these norms or principles best explain your helping behavior in the assigned service-learning project? Explain.
Reflection Paper #4 – Attitudes and Values Due: November 12th
Using Status Construction Theory (p. 248 – 250), analyze your interaction with the individuals you are serving at Catholic Community Services. Describe your interactions with these individuals. Is it any different than the way you would treat or interact with other individuals in your life? Why or why not? In what ways does your status or the status of the individual influence this interaction process?
Reflection Paper #5 – Emotion Work Due: November 24th
Using the Social Structure and Personality framework, analyze the emotion work (p. 267) involved in your service experiences at Catholic Community Services.
Your Emotion Work
· Are you expected to feel and display certain emotions toward the individuals you are serving at Catholic Community Services? Explain.
· Where do these expectations come from?
· Are the feeling rules associated with this emotion work similar or conflicting with your true feelings? What is the effect of this consistency or inconsistency?
Emotion Work of Those Being Served
· Do you think the people you are serving are doing emotion work? Why or why not?
· Are individuals receiving services expected to feel and display certain emotions toward the people who are serving them? Explain.