Introduction 1
SYLLABUS: to Social Psychology for:
Psychology 261-2002
Call # 27949
Sociology 261-2002 Call # 27796
Professor: Sue Gordon
Meeting Days and Times: Spring 2012 (Mo 01/23/12 We, 05/16/12): 8:00 am 9:20 am
Location: CY 1443
Contact Information: Office: CY Room 1064D (left of bookstore and opposite vending machine)
Phone: [phone] (Please leave a message and phone number.)
Angel E-mail (Preferred)
[e-mail] (as back up to Angel)
Office Time:
Whenever Sue is in the office and the following times:
Mondays:
11:00 am 12 Noon; 2:00 pm 2:30 pm;
5:30 pm 6:00 pm (for this time, HN B204 only)
Tuesdays:
2:00 pm 3:00 pm
Wednesdays: 11:00 am 12 Noon; 2:00 pm 3:00 pm
Thursdays:
2:00 pm 3:00 pm
Fridays:
No Office Hours
Textbook:
REQUIRED
Aronson, E. The Social Animal. (Eleventh Edition). (2012). NY: Worth
Publishers.
Tenth Edition (2008) is OK. Chapter sequence is the same as in
the Eleventh Edition.
Course Catalog
Description:
behavior
Course Objectives:
Discussion of the socialization process and change in attitudes and
1. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the psychologists task of
describing the ways in which social behaviors are learned, expressed and
transmitted. Knowledge of individual behaviors and group behavior will be
demonstrated.
2. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the ways and reasons by
which people socialize. Analysis will be conducted perceptually,
emotionally and behaviorally.
3. Students will be able to demonstrate knowledge of fundamental
human alternatives: conformity versus deviance, violence versus altruism,
competition versus cooperation.
4. Students will be able to demonstrate knowledge of reasons for
friendship, interpersonal attraction, love and attachment.
5. Students will have knowledge of the social processes that take place in
the courtroom: roles, pressures to conform, extra-legal factors, biases.
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Course Objectives (continued)
6. Students will develop a greater knowledge of social distance and
proxemics, primary and secondary territory, and of personalization versus
vandalism.
Attendance Policy:
An attendance sheet will be passed for signature every class. It is your responsibility to
sign it on the day that it is passed out. Should you fail to sign it will be necessary to come
to Prof. Sues office to make a correction and explain your irresponsibility. Repeated late class
arrival or repeatedly leaving early may be considered an absence.
Seven absences will result in administrative withdrawal from class.
Please note that Professor Sues policy is NOT to issue F grades except under
unusual circumstances that adequately document those circumstances from several sources.
This is to avoid issuing a grade to those few students that may receive financial support but do
not intend to make the effort to regularly attend classes and complete assigned work.
If you decide, for any reason, not to continue attending class it is your responsibility to
withdraw in accordance with withdrawal dates shown in CSNs on-line college catalog.
An excused absence is one over which you exert no control, for example, a court
summons, jury duty, funeral service attendance, hospitalization, auto accident, etc. Written
documentation, for example, military orders, emergency room note with your name, other
doctors note or notice to appear in court is required to have an absence changed to an
excused absence. Other absences, due to work, illness or child care are part of the seven
allowable absences.
It is your responsibility, if absent, to review on the Angel system any Announcements,
Chapter Notes (under Content/PowerPoint), Assignments due (under Content/Assignment
Schedule) or Test due dates.
An automatic 20 point penalty will apply for having missed a scheduled test or test
hand-in date. This polity is intended to not give students that miss a test hand-in an unfair
advantage over students that have taken and handed in a test on time.
If you know ahead of a test hand-in date that you will miss it then you must arrange
with Professor Sue to hand in the test in advance of the scheduled date to avoid a point penalty.
A test hand-in date may be postponed for an entire class with no point penalty to students.
Class Cancellation:
In the event of class cancellation, Professor Sue will send out an e-mail to all students
on MyCSN as soon as is possible. Please check your personal e-mail daily, and set up a CSN
e-mail account if you dont already have one.
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Angel: Student Management System:
This course uses Angel for your convenience to post course announcements,
communicate by email, chapter post notes, assignments and essay or test grades (except for
semester course grades).
If you cannot access Angel on your home computer, or dont have a computer, please
use the CSN computer lab to access Angel and download assignments. Assignments are
posted in advance to provide you ample opportunity to complete work on time.
Lack of computer access, incompatibility of computer programs with the CSN
computer network, home printer malfunction or employment schedules will not be
accepted as reasonable excuses for failure to complete work on time. Assignments are
posted well in advance to provide more than adequate time for completion.
Course Assignments:
Completion of midterm and final exam
= 200
(100 points each)
Class participation (spoken and written) as follows:
Reading 4 articles on Angel
=100
and completing an required essay
(25 points each)
Project completion (written)
and spoken sharing in class
(50 points)
(50 points)
=100
Total
=400
To calculate Your Grade at any time during the semester:
(1) Sum the number of points possible up to that date. For example, if class has
completed two essays and the midterm exam then the total number of possible
points = (25+25+100) = 150.
(2) Sum your points. For example, if you earned 25 on one essay, missed the second
essay, and earned 90 points on the midterm, then your sum = 115.
(3) Divide your points (115) by the number of points possible (150).
(4) The result =your grade at that time of the semester (115/150 = .76, or 77%). Please
do not use the percentages shown on Angel. Your grades are recorded on Angel in
absolute points, not percentages.
Other Matters:
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If you have a documented physical or other challenge please make arrangements with
the Disability Resource Center (DRC) for in-classroom or other assistance. The Disability
Resource Center is
Other Matters (continued):
located in the Student Services Area at each of CSNs three main campuses (Cheyenne,
Henderson and West Charleston). The phone numbers are: Cheyenne, 651-4045; Henderson,
651-3086 and West Charleston, 651-6544.
If you are a student who is a veteran or active military please contact Veterans Affairs in
the Student Services Area at the West Charleston Campus for information concerning potential
benefits for yourself and family members (651-5060).
If personal or family circumstances impact your academic performance and you would
like to talk privately with a professional counselor, please contact Counseling and Psychological
Services (Cheyenne, 651-4099; Henderson, 651-5518; or West Charleston, 651-5518) to make
an appointment.
Counseling and Psychological Services does not inform faculty of your contact.
Library Services:
College Library Services offers ongoing research workshops throughout the semester. Bring
your topic or assignment to one of the workshops on the basics of locating and citing quality
information and receive in-depth assistance from a librarian. Check out the schedule at
www.csn.edu/LibraryWorkshops or call 651-5729 for more information.
Student Responsibilities:
A classroom atmosphere that respects diversity of all who come to participate is vital for
learning. Students are expected to:
Behave respectfully toward other students and Professor Sue.
Arrive on time and stay the entire class.
Not hold private conversations during class. You may be asked to reseat yourself
in class or leave the room.
Turn cell phones to vibrate and not text. (Some students must, for reasons of
responsibility, keep their phones turned on.) If texting Professor Sue will hold
your cell until the end of class.
Take class notes, not play games, cruise MySpace, Facebook or other social
networking sites or do homework for courses other than psychology if using a
laptop (You will be asked to turn off your computer and remove your name from
the attendance sheet as you are not present in psychology class if involved in
these activities).
Put forth your best personal and academic effort.
Demonstrate academic honesty. Academic dishonesty, including but not limited
to cheating, plagiarism, falsifying research data or results, or assisting others to do
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the same on the part of students, being incompatible with the purposes of an
academic community, is prohibited and shall constitute cause for discipline and
may lead to the procedures and disciplinary sanctions established in section 6.3 of
the Nevada State Higher Education (NSHE) Code. (See
<http://www.csn.edu/studentacademicintegrity>) This means that academic
dishonesty will be addressed in the strictest possible manner.