Dr. Andreas Schneider

 

4311 Sociology and the Person

Spring 2007 2:00- 3:20 PM

My Office hours

Teaching Assistant:

Course Description:

This course presents theories and research findings about the nature of social relations and the cultural bases of individual experience. Readings are drawn from

Franzoi, Stephen. 2006. "Social Psychology." Forth Edition. New York: McGraw-Hill.  Some additional readings about current research will be made available on the teaching homepage on the Internet. Lectures give particular consideration to research concerning symbolic interactionism, self, affect, and sexuality. I will further add a cross-cultural perspective. More details will become available on the World Wide Web at: http://www2.tltc.ttu.edu/Schneider.

A general reminder: We will be dealing with diverse theoretical approaches and some emotional and controversial issues, and you might surf the Internet without a parental censoring program. Students who are not prepared to be exposed to alternative opinions and materials should reconsider their enrollment in the course.

One section of this syllabus contains the administrative "laws" of the course. The other section with the course outline is to a certain degree variable. We shall proceed through the material at our own pace and take advantage of interesting current events. In the following the outline of topics and their corresponding readings are listed according to their anticipated sequence. This section of the electronic form of this syllabus will be continuously updated. Links to overheads and other materials will be provided briefly before and/or after each class session.

Flexible Part of this Syllabus: Content

For your convenience, I left the links to my class notes and overheads open.  These texts reflect the current state of preparation of the course and will be updated right before the specific class session. 

Participation is an important aspect of our class. I welcome feedback from students and try to incorporate it into the class session. For that reason we will proceed at our own pace as much as possible. In each class session I will provide you with a brief preview of our next session. Some of the sessions described below have a fixed date, others are listed in their sequential order. In the electronic syllabus I left the links to overheads and other information open. This is for your convenience. These posted notes should be considered a draft. Notes for each session will be updated and authoritative before each session.

 

Basic Perspectives and Methods

Perspectives in Social Psychology (chapter 1)

Assignments:

Internet session

Methods in Social Psychology (chapter 2)

Research Ethics

Study Sheet for our First Exam

 

Perceiving People and Events

Nature and construction of the Self (chapter 3)

Self and socialization

Feb 13 PRESENTATION Jane Mackenzie Harrell: Chapter 3 “Nature and construction of the Self.” In Social Relationships, Self –Esteem is Maintained Through Social Reflection and Social Comparison. This topic describes the Self-Evaluation Model, which explains how people draw close to or away from successful people that they have relationships with due to the desire to maintain a good self-esteem. It talks about how self-esteem is maintained by two social psychological processes, which are social reflection and social comparison. Social reflection is when we identify ourselves with the outstanding accomplishments of those close to us. Social comparison is when we compare our accomplishments with those close to us, and our self-esteem is lowered if we don’t out perform them.
(pgs. 86-87 of text)

 

Socialization over the live course

Feb 15 PRESENTATION Rasmussen, Kaylin. Culture frame switching (ch.3): This type of behavior occurs mostly in individuals who have two strong cultural ties. The person will often choose which cultural behavior is appropriate according to the situation and environment he/she is in. I feel like I have experienced this before even after living in another country for only a year.

 

Self-Presentation as Management of Identities (chapter 4)

The social nature of self  

Feb 20 PRESENTATION Miller, Courtney: "The Self For this subject I will discuss how our self evaluation is developed. I will also like to pass out a handout of pg. 63 so the students can evaluate themselves. I will then show the different ways that a person can develop their self identities." [I suggest a two-session presentation. In the second you can report the results from the questionnaires].

Feb 20 PRESENTATION Franks, Brittany: [How do we use culture to see ourselves as beautiful (or ugly)? The cultural construction of beauty] "Beauty: Mirror Mirror on the Wall Who’s the Fairest of Them All? A question still left unanswered. The idea of what is beautiful is a very fluid concept. Yet it is a concept in which we base our society on. All ages of people from infants to the elderly are affected by their looks. Typical images of beauty have never stayed popular more than a decade or so, and today’s culture is in the midst of a change in beauty again."

Feb 22 PRESENTATION Joshua Griffin: Social Anxiety is the emotion we experience when our perception of self is a negative one. This feeling of anxiousness often causes people to avoid social interaction which then leads to social isolation. This isolation induced by the fear of social interaction often leads to loneliness. In this presentation I will thoroughly explain the different aspects of social anxiety and the possible outcome of this experience.

 

Study Sheet for our Second Exam

 

Attributions

Cognition, Prejudice, and Discrimination

Burnett, Lyndsey "Prejudice and Discrimination. For this topic I will discuss how social cognition helps to form and reinforce stereotypes. I will also talk about how stereotypes are learned and how they can lead to prejudices and discrimination. I also hope to address why we as a society are so willing to stereotype and categorize the individual."

Combining Chapter 5 and 8

March 20 PRESENTATION Rebekah Purswel: "Self-Fulfilling Prophecies: What are the different thought processes behind self-fulfilling prophecies? How do we turn our expectations and thoughts into self-fulfilling prophecies?"

March 20 PRESENTATION Smith, Timothy: Taking a look at biological sex discrimination. [An Application of Discrimination] While the world seems to focus on the discrimination against women, the reverse actually occurs when there is discrimination against men. Most of the discrimination occurs against straight men.

 

Attitudes

Attitudes and behavior (chapter 6)

1. Reasoned Action Model

2. Balance and Cognitive Dissonance Theory

3. Bem's Self Perception Theory

March 22 PRESENTATION  Timothy Benoit: "Self-Perception Theory: Can behaviors help infer attitudes? – This theory only seems to work if one has poorly defined attitudes pertaining to a certain subject. I wonder how, or rather, why attitudes can’t be inferred as easily from external sources as internal sources. Would this not just be attitude being overlooked till hindsight could kick in?"

 

4. Affect Control Theory

March 27 PRESENTATION Cammie Quinn: "Affect Control Theory- as a waitress, I experience many differing types of people. I have always found it interesting the different characters each table plays, and my 'role' as their server."

 

Group Behavior, Power and Conformity

Social power: Behavior and attitude change (chapter 9)

March 29 PRESENTATION  White, Ursha: How do we exercise power, that is, to obtain conformity, compliance and obedience of other people?

Performance, conformity, and cooperation (chapter 9)

March 29  PRESENTATION  Kari Brown: "What Factors Influence Conformity? This section will cover situational factors that influence conformity such as, group size and social support as well as personal factors that influence conformity such as self awareness and gender. Another interesting aspect of this section is the conditions in which the minority can influence the majority. One of the most important factors covered is that conformity is often influenced by an automatic thinking process. This last factor seems to hold my most interest."

April 3 PRESENTATION  Casey Lamar: "Behavioral Consequences of Social Influence. In this topic I will discuss topics such as Conformity, Independence, Compliance, and Obedience among college students in the social setting. I believe that conformity and obedience are two of the more difficult social areas in which college students suffer to deal with, among other things. It may be because of friends, family, or maybe the students are looking for something to cling to so they can be recognized among their peers. I want to do some research and find out just why college students do what they do. I will use information from chapter 9 as the backbone for my presentation."

Social relationships and groups (chapter 10)

April 3 PRESENTATION Danielle Wicker Group Membership: Group membership is a temporal process, which means that it changes over time. There are five phases to group membership, which include the investigation phase, the socialization phase, the maintenance phase, the resocialization phase, and the remembrance phase. Many people are in different groups and in different phases with each group.

 

April 5 Aggression

Aggression and conflict (chapter 13)

April 5 PRESENTATION  Emily Shamblin "Aggression- Aggression and Conflict- From Chapter 13, I would like to focus on this topic. Most specifically, I would like to focus on learning aggression. The Bandura, Ross, & Ross experiment interests me, and I would like to present it to the class."

April 5 PRESENTATION Clifton Farmer: Chapter 13 Aggression, What is aggression? Aggression is defined as doing intentional harm or injuring a person, oneself or and object. Aggression is growing in school due to all the gun violence that we have seen in the past few years. The text also defines aggression to have two differences. One being instrumental aggression- the intentional use of harmful behavior to achieve a goal, and hostile aggression- is triggered by anger and the goal of the intentionally harmful behavior is simply to cause injury or death.

 

April 10 Exam #3

Study Sheet for our Third Exam

April 12: no class

 

April 17&19 Sexuality, Attraction and Intimacy

Close relationships: Interpersonal attraction (chapter 11) and intimacy (chapter 12)

Interpersonal Attraction

April 17 PRESENTATION Angela Garcia: Social anxiety can cause us from not partaking in many events. We each experience social anxiety at times, for instance getting nervous and scared before going to a job fair for the first time. However, most of us try to relax and talk ourselves out of the anxiety, but others are not as lucky because they deal with chronic social anxiety (p.430-431).

What is special about a friend?

What is Love?

Sexuality, Attraction and Intimacy

April 17 PRESENTATION  Vanessa Taylor: "What is love? There are so many types of love from a parental love to a romantic one. There are also many factors that affect love such as our self esteem. Love is a very important thing in everyone’s life, as well as impacting. Babies need love if they do not receive it they do not develop properly or have emotional instability." [This should concern approaches to define and measure love -- others than Sternberg's]

April 19 PRESENTATION Ruiz, Jm: Sternberg’s Triangular Theory of Love and How it Applies to College Students in Relationships. I would like to examine Sternberg’s Triangular Theory of Love and how it applies to college students. I will garner research and look into how it plays a role into their relationships. By doing this, perhaps more information could shed light on how love influences the lives of college students.

Norms vary by gender

April 19 PRESENTATION Kristin Chomik: "the avoidance of intimacy in male friendships. I would like to present research studies done to explain why intimacy is so important in women friendships, yet nearly completely absent in male friendships. [I suggest to present supporting and non-supporting evidence for this argument] Also, I would like to discuss the influence culture has on this aspect and how not every culture has a lack of male intimacy."

Norms vary by culture

 

April 24 Exam #4

 

April 26 Helping

Social Exchange Theory: Another Theory of Action (Chapter 14)

April 26 PRESENTATION Allison Korenek: "Helping - Dependence, trust and norms in exchange relationships. I'd like to address these areas within kin selection (specifically helping in families across different cultures) and reciprocal helping. I'd also like to touch on gender influences in helping, and this idea of "true altruism."

April 26 PRESENTATION Rainer Schuhsler "Discuss Social Exchange Theory and how it relates to helping others. Social exchange theory states that individuals choose relationships that benefit the most at the lowest cost, but on the surface appears weak to explain altruistic relationships. I plan to explore this theory more and try to explain why social exchange theory could still apply to helping".

 

May 1 Movie

Zimbardo, Philip G. 1993. The Stanford Prison experiment.  For this movie I assign a flexible date.

Inflexible Part of this Syllabus: Laws, Rules, and Administration

Required Readings

Textbook:

Some others will be made available via our www site

 

Learning Outcomes

At the end of the course students should be able to

Assessment of Learning Outcomes

Multiple choice exams are used to test the knowledge of theories, methods and problems in the sociology of the person / social psychology. Some of these questions will be geared to assess the ability of the student to compare methodological and theoretical approaches and their application to problems in sociology.

The presentation investigates the engagement of the student, his/her critical thinking, the ability to work independently, and his or her communication skills.  

Grades are based on the student's performance on  four scheduled exams, an unscheduled small (pop) exam, a presentation proposal, one presentation, and their attendance. Assigned readings have a specific due date. I consider it as a requirement that the literature listed in this syllabus is read before it is covered in class. 

Grading

One pop exam 5% before the first exam (no time scheduled)

Presentation Proposal 5% Jan 23

Presentation 15% at the time the topic is covered

First exam 15 %, Feb 6

Second exam 15% Mar 6

Third Exam 15% Apr 10

Fourth exam (comprehensive) 20 %  April 24

Attendance 10%

----------------------

100% = 100 points

If the student stands "between" grades, outstanding constructive class participation might be used for further rounding in the conversion to the final grade.

Grading Keys

Grading key to convert number grades in letter grades: 0-59 F, 60-62 D-, 63-66 D, 67-68 D+, 69-72 C-, 73-76 C, 77-78 C+, 79-82 B-, 83-86 B, 87-88 B+, 89-92 A-, 93-96 A, 97-100 A+

For your paper you receive letter grades. If you are interested, here the key to convert the letter grades into number grades: A+ 100, A 93, A- 90, B+ 88, B 83, B -80, C+ 78, C 73, C- 70, D+ 68, D 63, D-60, F 60.-->

 

Exams

All exams will be multiple choice.  Please bring your orange "bubble sheets." Not only do you need to have a basic understanding of the material, you also should be able to take what you have learned and apply it. While the first three exams will be cumulative, their focus will be on the recent topics. The fourth exam will be comprehensive.

How to prepare for the exams:

1. Read the assigned material before class
2. Attend class and raise questions
3. Reread you notes and the notes I posted on the WWW after class.
4. If something is still unclear: (a) selectively reread the assigned material
(b) present your question  when I ask about your questions at the beginning of each class section.
5. If this fails to make you understand the material, please (a)  meet our assistant in her office hours or 
(b) meet with me in my office hours.

 

Presentation

This will be a 15 minute presentation on a topic covered in a class session listed in the syllabus.

How to get a presentation:  Presentation Proposal

How to prepare the presentation?

How do I grade?

Please classify your presentation as theoretical, methodological or issue related. I will use the following criteria in my evaluation of your presentation.

Presentations on theories (behaviorism, cognitive dissonance etc.)

Presentations on methods (experiments etc.)

Presentations on issues (conformity, self esteem etc.)

When do you present?

Attendance

Attendance is a logical prerequisite of participation. At the end of the course I will count the sessions you were absent. Grading key for absences: 0 to 4 unexcused absences 100 points, 5 to 6 absences 50 points, 7 or more absences 0 points.

With all respect, there are more efficient ways for me to serve students than conveying their current standing on the attendance list. For that reason I will stay with the strict policy not to reply to any requests of information about your attendance standing. My assistant will count the attendances at the end of the course. You are completely responsible for signing up the attendance sheet. If you wish, you can keep your own attendance statistics. My assistant will only accept written excuses, signed by a third official party. Missing exams or pop exams will not count against your participation.

Missed Assignment Regulations

Exams: Students who are absent will receive "0" points. Make up exams will be scheduled for students who have an authoritative excuse for missing the exams. These makeup exams with open end questions or multiple choice exams.

The nature of our self paced course only allows approximate presentation dates. Since class participation is mandatory this is not a problem. Failure to give presentation can only be excused by a doctor's note. Unexcused missing of a presentation will be counted as a missed assignment (0 points). 

Authoritative excuses I accepted in the past were: physician's statements, copies of invitations for job interviews or funerals, and dated trophies. Concerning an absence due to officially approved trips – in accordance with the Texas Tech University Catalog (p.48), the person responsible for a student missing class (e.g. coach) due to a trip should notify the instructors of the departure and return schedule in advance of the trip. The student may not be penalized and is responsible for the material missed. The Texas Tech University Catalog also states that a student who is absent from classes for the observance of a religious holy day will be allowed to take an examination or complete an assignment scheduled for that day within a reasonable time after the absence. (p.49) ( prior notification to the instructor is appreciated)

Withdrawal

A clarifying reminder of our Dean: "Please make sure that the student knows that it is her/his responsibility to withdraw from the class in person in the Office of the Registrar. Often, students, as well as some instructors, are under the impression that the instructor of the course can withdraw the student from the class by assigning a grade of “W” on the final grade report. A “W” cannot be assigned to a student unless the student has officially withdrawn from the class by the withdrawal deadline".

Class Management

Disabilities Accommodation: Any student who because of a disability may require special arrangements in order to meet course requirements should contact the instructor as soon as possible to make necessary accommodations.  Students should present appropriate verification from AccessTECH in the Student Counseling Center.  No requirement exists that accommodations be made prior to the completion of this approved university process.

Academic Integrity: Keep in mind that I have to enforce the strict rules of academic behavior. Any student found cheating on the exam or plagiarizing a paper will receive an "F" for the exam or paper and may receive an "F" for the entire course. “It is the aim of the faculty of Texas Tech University to foster a spirit of complete honesty and high standard of integrity. The attempt of students to present as their own any work not honestly performed is regarded by the faculty and administration as a most serious offense and renders the offenders liable to serious consequences, possibly suspension. a.  Dishonesty of any kind on examinations and quizzes or on written assignments, illegal possession of examinations, the use of unauthorized notes during an examination or quiz, obtaining information during an examination from the examination paper or otherwise from another student, assisting others to cheat, alteration of grade records, illegal entry or unauthorized presence in an office are instances of cheating. b.  Complete honesty is required of students in the presentation of any and all phases of course work as their own. This applies to quizzes of whatever length as well as to final examinations, daily reports, and term papers. c.  Plagiarism is offering the work of another as one's own without proper acknowledgement; therefore, any student who fails to give credit for quotations or essentially identical expressions of material taken from books, encyclopedias, magazines, internet sources, and other reference works, or from the themes, reports, or other writings of a fellow student, is guilty of plagiarism.(TTU OP 34.12)”

Civility in the Classroom: Please be referred to the University's policy posted at http://www.studentaffairs.ttu.edu/vpsa/publications/civility2002.pdf. While I have no problem with you eating in the classroom (see description), I ask you to shut off your cellular phones.

Back to the homepage of Dr. Andreas Schneider http://www2.tltc.ttu.edu/Schneider/

Disclaimer: The documents linked to other sources on the WWW, others than http://www2.tltc.ttu.edu/Schneider2/ and its subdirectories, do not necessarily express the views of Texas Tech University or Dr. Andreas Schneider. @Copyright 2007 Andreas Schneider