INDIVIDUAL IN A SOCIETY: A SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY PERSPECTIVE

Charles University, Prague

Institute of Sociological Studies

Mondays s 15:30-17,00

Dr. Lenka Formánková

lformankova@gmail.com

Office hours after class by appointment

Course Description

This social psychology course introduces students to theory, methods of inquiry and empirical findings of how people think, feel and behave in social situations. It builds a contemporary understanding of the field and study of social psychology. Throughout the course, emphasis will be placed on developing critical and integrative ways of thinking about theory and research in social psychology. Topics covered include: the social self, cognition, perception, persuasion, conformity, discrimination, prejudice, intimate relationships and group dynamics. Students cultivate skills to analyze social situations and events encountered every day. In addition, students explore how social psychology informs our understanding of culture and society, with special attention to comparative cultural influences.

Learning Objectives

By completing this course, students will:

- Define Social Psychology and its application to understanding human behavior.

- Draw on current concepts, theory and experimental findings to build a contemporary scientific understanding of how people think, feel and behave in social situations.

- Explain social cognition, attitude formation, decision making, group processes, conformity/obedience.

- Predict and critique outcomes of social situations through application of social psychology principles (e.g. attributions, cognitive dissonance, in-group/out-group behavior, etc.).

- Relate major concepts and methods of the field to understand interpersonal and group relationships.

- Articulate how social psychology informs our understanding of local culture, regional identity, and actions of our global society.

Methods of Instruction

Students will attend interactive lectures, discussions and related excursions. Lectures will emphasize experiential learning, participation and applications. Students will use critical thinking to connect recent literature, historical perspectives, experimental findings and theory. Discussions, presentations and written assignments help develop a personal understanding of Social Psychology. We will apply general psychological terms and theories and use them to explain human behavior. We will also employ the perspective of critical social psychology which enables us to see some psychological issues in a broader societal context.

Course Requirements

1. Group assignments (you will be divided in the groups at the beginning of the course)

1.1. Group seminar presentations

Create a presentation for seminar on chosen phenomena in social psychology based on the topics of the previous classes, a maximum of 15 minutes long presentation (longer will be stopped without excuse) on a topic directly related to the class theme. The schedule of presentations will be listed according to the class themes. You can choose different approaches:

- present and discuss recent phenomena related to the class theme e.g. influence of digitalization, artificial intelligence or social media,

- present and discuss current research on the topic as presented for example on the social psychology blog: https://www.psypost.org/exclusive/social, (Links to an external site.)

- present results of your own research related to the class theme using some research design/methods of social psychology,

- present and discuss the theme in relation to your personal experience of living abroad and in a different cultural and social context.

Please be creative - you can shoot a video, take photos or create other supporting material for your presentation. Also, think how to engage the audience with questions or other tools which facilitate active participation. The presentations must be uploaded in Moodle until Sunday 23:59 pm.

1.2. Group research project

In small groups, students will conduct a participant observation of social norms in a chosen public space in Prague. Relevant topics will be discussed during classes.

1. Midterm Group Assignment – Presentation of research project (due in Midterm Week 7)

In small groups, students will present their topics of interest. The presentations will take 10 minutes in form of a “TEDx talk” using PowerPoint or a similar presentation and will be shared in class with fellow students. The research topics will be discussed in the context of relevant academic literature and statistics.

2. Final Group Assignment

In small groups (2-3), students will conduct a participant observation of behavior in chosen public space in Prague and propose an experimental research design to test their hypothesis. Relevant topics will be discussed during classes. The requirements of the presentation of the assignment, the evaluation criteria are provided in Canvas. The results will be presented in 15 minutes in form of a “TEDx talk” using PowerPoint or a similar presentation and shared in class with fellow students. The findings will be discussed in the context of relevant academic literature.

Preparation for the assignment:

- Choose a public space to conduct your research on: eg. public transport, pub, ATM, and store.

- Observe behavior and the way people relate to each other and make a short video if possible (10 minutes).

- During the observation and when wanting the recorded video focus on answering the following questions:

o What are the differences in the behavior in the Czech Republic in comparison to what you are used to in your countries of origin?

o What was the most surprising behavior for you to watch?

o What is the cultural and social norm around in the Czech Republic in the chosen social context? What is the difference to your country of origin/other country you have lived in?

- Create a general hypothesis about the norm of behavior in that specific context/place/situation.

- Invent an experimental research design in which you could test your hypothesis (consider how realistic, achievable, and ethical you research is).

- Present your project using PowerPoint or Prezi (or similar, the more original, creative, and innovative, the better).

2. Individual assignments

2.1. Reflection Journal Entries (2)

A total of two reflection entries will be required from each student, each between 250 to 350 words long (Times New Roman, Font size 12, double-spaced, referencing is not part of the report). The papers should reflect on the course topics, readings, discussions, etc. pertaining to the content of the class and should examine a theme beyond the reading and/or class discussion. Reflections are based on one’s own application of the knowledge. Students apply social psychology concepts to their own life and experiences. At least two academic resources (books, book chapter, articles) or relevant parts of the course textbook must be quoted in the text. The paper must include a list of references. (Maximum 30 points per RJE)

Reflection Journal Entry no. 1 Reflections on how we present ourselves on social media.

Reflection Journal Entry no. 2 Reflection on personal experiences with obedience and conformity in the context of educational institutions/working places you have attended.

2.2 Short Quizzes (3)

Three times during the course, the students will take a short quiz during the class on the previous course material, including lectures, activities and readings. Quizzes will have True/False and/or Multiple Choice. Quizzes will cover material from previous weeks and will be distributed in online form in class (please bring your computer to class). The best two results will be calculated in the final grade.

2.3 Final test

The course will be taken online during the examination period. You will have one hour to complete the course and the test will consist of open and close questions.

3. Class participation

Regular class attendance (maximum 2 absences can be excused if you inform the