Fall 2008

SOC 330P • Sociology and Social Psychology

Course Description

Social psychologists ask questions about how people perceive, construct, and respond to the social world. This course focuses on the how very small changes in people's immediate environment - for example, adding more people to a group, the presence of an authority figure, taking small steps to convince you to buy a product, or having someone encourage you to think of yourself in a different light - can produce quite dramatic changes in behavior. Social psychology within sociology approaches such questions in multiple ways, including through laboratory experiments, surveys, observation, and interviews. This course reviews topics in social psychology by considering, whenever possible, a variety of perspectives. Topics to be explored include: views of the self and impressions of others; attitudes and attitude change; prejudice; social influence; and behavior in groups. In addition, the class will study several areas in which principles of social psychology are applied to real-world problems.

Grading Policy

Final grades are based on three exams, two short papers, and some in-class exercises.

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