Social Psychology Syllabus Psyc 2319.50
Cisco College - 2012 - Professor: Robert C. Gates
Abilene Center Office Number: 30
Office hours: Monday & Wednesday: 10:00 to 11:00 am.
Tuesday & Thursday: 12:45 to 2:15 pm.
Work Phone: 325 794 4400 extension 4427 during office hours only! Please do not leave voice mail.
Use e-mail. - rcgates@rcgates.com
Web Page: www.rcgates.com
Course Description: Study of individual behavior within the social environment. May include topics such
as the social-psychological process, attitude formation and change, interpersonal relations, and group
processes. Credit: 3 Semester Hours - Prerequisite: none - Transferability: Yes
Course Structure: This course will meet for 1.5 hours twice a week or for 3 hours once a week for
16 weeks in a standard semester.
Required Textbooks & Materials: Social Psychology 10th edition, David G. Myers
Recommended Optional Materials & Library Resources: Internet search for current concepts
Purpose & Goal of the course as related to the College Mission: To offer a transferable comprehensive course
in the social sciences which helps the student to form the basis of an understanding of individual human behavior.
Learning Objectives: Psychology courses will meet the following expected educational outcomes:
The student should be able to:
• employ the appropriate methods, technologies, & data that social & behavioral scientists use to
investigate the human condition.
• use & critique alternative explanatory systems or theories.
• develop & communicate alternative explanations or solutions for contemporary social issues.
• identify & understand differences & commonalities within diverse cultures.
• use modern computer technology & techniques in the analysis of behavior & the presentation of the
results of that analysis.
• know & can explain rules that must be followed as well as the study techniques necessary for the successful
completion of the course.
Methods of Assessment / Grading Policy
- Average of major tests - 70% - note: NO grades are dropped.
Test format: 50 question multiple choice - Time limit: 30 minutes
- Student Project - 10%
- Final comprehensive exam - 20% - All tests must be completed before a student can take the final.
- Doing the self testing on the textbook support web site & the instructor's web site is an integral part of this
course! Always take the self tests provided for you, it will enhance your chance of doing well on course tests.
- There is not, nor will there be made any provision for extra credit work in my classes.
Attendance Policy
• Prompt & regular class attendance is considered necessary for satisfactory work. It is the responsibility of the
professor to keep an accurate & comprehensive record of attendance.
• Cisco College recognizes that absence from class may occur due to illness, death or illness in the
immediate family, observance of a religious holiday, or participation in a college-sponsored activity. (Absences
due to participation in a college-sponsored activity must be authorized by the Vice President of Instruction.) When
absences occur due to the above-stated reasons, the student is allowed to make up work missed; the professor
may require the work to be made up within two weeks from its original due date.
• During a regular Fall or Spring semester, the following requirements apply for face to-face classes. For a class
that meets three times per week, a student is allowed six absences. For a class that meets two times per week, a
student is allowed four absences. For a class that meets one time per week, a student is allowed two absences. If
a student misses one more than the allowed number of absences, he/she may be dropped from the class if the
professor deems the student to be failing due to excessive absences and/or failure to make up work due to absences.
• Any student who ceases to attend class without officially withdrawing through the Admissions Office is subject
to a grade of F.
• The student will receive a grade of W for the course if withdrawn before the last day to drop with a W, and an F if
withdrawn after the last day to drop with a W. Three tardies may constitute an absence. Absences immediately before
or after a holiday may be counted as double absences.
Ψ IF you leave class without prior permission while it is in session, you will receive an unexcused absence!
Policy on make-ups, re-tests & extra credit work:
If a student has an absence on a test day, the student will make up the test before the next test is given or
receive a zero for that test grade. No makeup will be allowed during final test week! Make up tests will
be taken in the instructor’s office, by appointment only! A Doctor’s written excuse for the class day
of the scheduled exam must be presented in order to take the make-up test.
Note: Makeup tests will always be alternate versions of the test given to the class.
There is not, nor will there be made any provision for re-tests in this class.
There is not, nor will there be made any provision for extra credit work in this class.
Major Units of Study:
Social Thinking: The Self in a Social World - Social Beliefs & Judgments - Behavior & Attitudes
Social Influence: Genes, Culture, & Gender - Conformity & Obedience - Persuasion - Group influence
Social Relations: Prejudice - Aggression - Attraction & Intimacy - Helping - Conflict & Peacemaking -
Sustainability.
Notices
Course Content: College-level courses may include controversial, sensitive, and/or adult material. Students
are expected to have the readiness for college-level rigor and content.
Academic Integrity: It is the intent of Cisco College to foster a spirit of complete honesty & a high
standard of integrity. The attempt of students to present as their own any work they have not honestly performed is
regarded by the faculty & administration as a serious offense & renders the offender liable to serious consequences,
possibly suspension. All student conduct will support academic honesty. Any student who is cheating on an
exam or uses thoughts or words or works of others without proper citation will receive an F or zero for that
work & may fail the course. The instructional goal is that each student completes his or her own work in order
to master the skills needed to compete in the job market.
Student Conduct: Students are expected to take responsibility in helping to maintain a classroom environment that is conductive
to learning. In order to assure that all students have the opportunity to gain from the time spent in class, students are prohibited from
making offensive remarks, reading material not related to the class, sleeping, or engaging in any kind of distracting behavior. Inappropriate
behavior in the classroom shall result, at a minimum, in a request to leave class. A more detailed list of inappropriate behaviors is found
in the current student hand book.
Students should silence all communication devices, which include but are not limited to phones, pagers, recorders, palm devices, and laptops.
No communications devices should be visible on desks during class unless otherwise directed by the instructor as part of a class activity or
approved by the instructor for note-taking. An exception to this policy may occur due to college-wide emergency notification. If a pressing situation
requires communication during class, notify the instructor before class begins, sit near the door and quietly exit the classroom before answering
any communication. In testing situations, use of any communication, electronic, or data storage device for a reason other than college emergencies
or a use specified by the instructor, may lead to a charge of academic dishonesty.
Changes to the Syllabus The schedule and procedures in this syllabus are subject to change if deemed
appropriate by the instructor.
Students with Special Needs Students who qualify for specific accommodations under the Americans With
Disabilities Act (ADA) should notify their instructor the first week of class. It is the student's responsibility to provide the
necessary documentation to the Special Populations Coordinator.