Assignment

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PSYC 499: Senior Capstone The Impact of the Social on the Individual

Class Syllabus Spring/2020

Class Cycle: Monday - Sunday Instructor: Tara West Contact Information: [email protected] Office Hours: Mondays, 2pm – 3pm (or by appointment) NOTE: When emailing, please include your name and class in the subject line Course Materials:

• Lesko, W.A. (2012). Readings in social psychology: General, classic, and contemporary selections (8th ed.). New York, NY: Pearson. ISBN: 978-0-205-17967. (Required)

• American Psychological Association (2019). Concise Rules of APA Style (7th ed.).

Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. ISBN: 978-1433832178. (Recommended)

Type of Course: Required

Field of Study: Psychology

Credits: 3 credits, undergraduate

Pre-requisites: Completion of all required courses (Level 2 and Level 3) and permission. Course Description: All students will complete a senior research project under the direction of a faculty mentor, with a topic within the track in which the student has completed at least three courses. This capstone project will build upon work done in previous courses, allowing students to apply methods of scholarly and/or action research to specific psychological issues. Projects may be completed in small research groups or individually. Course Summary: This capstone project will build upon work completed in previous courses, allowing students to apply methods of scholarly and/or action research to the field of Social Psychology, specifically the impact of the social world on individuals. Course Goals: The objectives for this course include: gaining a theoretical knowledge base about the interplay between individuals and their environments, gaining first-hand experience with the many steps involved with research, the interpretation of research, and the presentation of research, using APA formatting. Likewise, you will increase your familiarity with reading (and finding) primary sources. Although only a few of you may pursue careers as researchers, all of you are consumers of research. As such, a major goal for this course is to develop your capacity to critically think about, evaluate, and critique the scientific evidence that is often presented in journal articles, newspapers, magazines, and on television.

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Learning Objectives/ Outcomes: o Students should be able to:

• Conduct a review of research in a specific area of Psychology. • Understand the strengths and weaknesses of scientific research. • Interpret and generalize appropriately from research results. • Evaluate the appropriateness of conclusions derived from psychological research. • Use the concepts, language, and major theories of the discipline to account for

psychological phenomena in the context of social psychology. • Use reasoning to recognize, develop, defend, and criticize arguments. • Articulate how psychological principles can be used to explain social issues. • Tolerate ambiguity and realize that psychological explanations are often complex and

tentative. • Read and accurately summarize the general scientific literature of a chosen topic related to

the course theme. • Demonstrate effective writing skills in various formats and for various purposes (e.g.,

informing, defending, explaining, persuading, arguing, teaching). Program Learning Outcomes

• Demonstrate familiarity with the major concepts, theoretical perspectives, empirical findings and historical trends in psychology.

• Understand and apply basic research methods in psychology, including research design, data analysis, and interpretation.

• Respect and use critical and creative thinking, skeptical inquiry, and, when possible, the scientific approach to solve problems related to behavior and mental processes.

• Understand and apply psychological principles to personal, social and organizational issues. • Weigh evidence, tolerate ambiguity, act ethically, and reflect other values that are the

underpinnings of psychology as a discipline. • Demonstrate information competence and the ability to use computers and other

technology for many purposes. • Communicate effectively in a variety of formats. • Recognize, understand and respect the complexity of sociocultural and international

diversity. • Develop insight into their own and others' behavior and mental processes and apply

effective strategies for self-management and self-improvement. • Emerge from the major with realistic ideas about how to implement their psychological

knowledge, skills and values in occupational pursuits in a variety of settings.

Final Grading (Total = 160 pts.): Ø Discussions: 8 @ 10 = 80 pts. Ø Senior Capstone Project Assignments: 80 pts.

§ Project Idea = 10 pts. § Outline & Reference List = 20 pts. § First Draft = 20 pts. § Final Drafts = 30 pts.

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Grading Chart of the SPS Psychology Department:

Letter Grade Ranges % GPA

A 93 – 100 4

A- 90 - 92.9 3.7

B+ 87 - 89.9 3.3

B 83 - 86.9 3

B- 80 - 82.9 2.7

C+ 77 - 79.9 2.3

C 73 - 76.9 2

C- 70 - 72.9 1.7

D 60 - 69.9 1

F < 60 0

ASSIGNMENTS

Discussions: During the first eight weeks of the course, you will be reading select articles from the assigned text, Readings in Social Psychology. Through class discussions, you will wrestle with concepts and issues that you encounter in the assigned readings and increase your own, and your classmates’, understanding of the interplay between individuals and their environments. Each week, you will be asked to post a reaction to a question (or questions), posed by me, about the readings that week and to comment on one another’s reactions. Your initial reaction (your “original entry/post”) should be between 300-500 words and must contain your own original thoughts. Specific guidelines for the Discussions can be found in the Discussion Board Instructions/Criteria area of the “Getting Started” section course site. Please note that you must utilize ALL resources for that week, and you must cite each of the individual sources, specifically (not simply the book). You’ll also be commenting on four other students’ original entries. Your responses to one another’s original entries will be in the form of comments or questions that demonstrate original thinking and move the conversation forward. Each comment should be at least a few sentences long (100 – 200 words). Brief responses or responses that are not substantive (meaning that they do not move the conversation forward) will not be awarded points. Unless otherwise noted, your reaction to the reading (original entry) is due each week by Due Date 1, usually Thursday (11:59p.m. EST) unless otherwise noted, and your comments on the other students’ original entries are due each week by Due Date 2, usually Sunday (11:59p.m. EST) unless otherwise noted. Please remember to respond to others’ comments/questions for your original entry. Do NOT wait until late in the week to post your reactions, and make sure you

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participate at least three times per week. It is ideal to post responses to others’ original posts no later than Saturday evening and all other responses (such as others' responses to your post) by Sunday afternoon/evening. Your grade for each Discussion will be assessed based on timeliness (all deadlines are met), the extent to which you followed the directions detailed in the Discussion Board Criteria, and the quality of the posts themselves (e.g., thoughtfully and respectfully engaged in the conversation; showed independent and critical thinking). Also, please post early; adding your comments to others' posts (or answering their questions for you), right before the DB closes, is akin to throwing your two cents into a conversation at the very end. These are discussion boards, hence, they are meant to be a back and forth exchange of ideas. If you post at the very end of the week, or all on one day, you will not receive full points for the discussion board, despite how great the post content. Likewise, if you do not post an original post on time, you also will not get credit for responding to others' posts. Senior Capstone Project Assignments: The culmination of your work throughout the semester will be a Final Project. Your project will be a 20-minute (maximum) audio-visual presentation (18 minutes minimum). Project Guidelines will be provided by Week 6. The exact topic, or focus, of your presentation will be determined through consultation with me, beginning in Week 7, and will be inspired by your readings and discussions of the text, and any readings that you complete independently (e.g., scholarly research articles referenced in the text or discovered through independent searches). To make the project more manageable and to give you the opportunity to learn from your classmates, you’ll be completing your final project in steps over the course of Weeks 8-14. Prior to submitting your Final Project, you will be drafting and submitting 1) your project idea; 2) an outline of your project with a reference list and 3) a first draft of the project. For each piece of the project, you will provide feedback to two other students (the points for your assignment include points for providing that feedback). The grade for each of your drafts will be based on the level of development appropriate to the stage of the project.

ADDITIONAL COURSE INFORMATION Late Final Project Assignments:

Ø All Project assignments/drafts (and feedback on other students’ drafts) are due by 11:59pm EST on the due date stated in the syllabus. Please plan ahead as there are no extensions or exceptions made, even in the case of computer problems/glitches. Therefore, you should not wait until the last minute to upload your assignments.

Ø The policy of strict due dates applies to all pieces of the project because other students are counting on your timely submissions in order to do their parts (review your drafts, provide feedback, and receive your feedback in time to make use of it).

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Ø Should you have ANY trouble with the upload links or DB posting of your assignments, you

should immediately email me a copy of the assignment and screenshot of the issue, and then reach out to tech support (Blackboard help). Once the issue has been solved, you will upload/post the assignment (the version that was emailed to me, unless you are still within the grace period [see below], in which case you can upload any version you like) to the appropriate place.

Ø Assignments turned in late (after the grace period has expired), will be assessed a 20% penalty (point deduction) and there will also an additional 10% point deduction for every day thereafter (including weekends). I will assess your point total and then subtract the penalty. Therefore, it’s VERY important to turn in assignments on time.

Late Discussion Boards:

Ø There are no points given to late Discussion Board posts. Additionally, in order to receive any points for that week’s discussion, the original post must be made on time. The reason that I cannot give credit for late submissions to Discussions is that these assignments are meant to provide an experience similar to “brick-and-mortar” class discussions, where students interact with and learn from each other. In order for students to have the back-and-forth discussion that can be such a valuable learning tool, there needs to be a defined period of time in which the conversation takes place. That way, everyone can participate together. It is my hope and belief that you will find the Discussions to be both educational and enjoyable!

24-Hour Grace Period for Discussions and Project Drafts/Feedback There will be a 24-hour grace period for all assignments (i.e., discussion posts, drafts of the project) to account for last-minute personal emergencies and technical difficulties. That is, if the deadline is Thursday at 11:59 pm, your assignment will not be considered late if it is posted by Friday at 11:59 pm. If it is posted on Saturday at 12:00 am, it will be considered late and will not be graded (will earn zero points or a point reduction, depending on the nature of the assignment). PLEASE NOTE: If you choose to treat the end of the grace period as the new deadline, you will be doing so at your own risk. That is, even an emergency-related hospitalization or Blackboard outage that occurs during the grace period (after the posted due date has passed) will not be accommodated. Therefore, I HIGHLY recommend that you use the grace period only as a last resort. Communication: I will respond to questions emailed or posted to the “Q & A” section of the discussion board within 24 hours (but please allow up to 48 hours for questions emailed/posted over the weekend or holidays). You can expect grades for all assignments (except your Final Project grade) to be posted within one week of the due date for the assignment. Please plan accordingly. I will be posting announcements in the Announcements section of the course site approximately 2-3 times a week, and I may sometimes email the announcements to the email address associated with your Blackboard account, but it is up to students to check BB regularly (at least 3-4 times per week). I may also email you individually. Please check the announcements section of the

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course site and your email account on a regular basis so that you don’t miss any important communications.

Tips & Other Etiquette:

In addition to all of the tangible products, this process should also help you develop self-insight, learn to creatively deal with hurdles to a project, manage your time, synthesize and gather information, and clearly communicate what you do/do not know about your topic. All of these are valuable skills, no matter where you end up working. Now, it's a rigorous course, so here's the fair warning part:

• Read beforehand. Come to the discussions having read the assigned reading(s) and really give thought to the prompt for that week’s discussion. When reading, add comments/questions to the margins; engage with the material. (Note: Sometimes that means reading it more than once.)

• You may feel overwhelmed at points. Plan ahead. You will be especially challenged if you typically procrastinate or only put in 1-2 hours a week for a class. You have been given several deadlines (see the Course Schedule section) to help keep your work on track.

• Get help early. If you are unsure of where we are, confused about the class or an assignment, let me know right away (please post to the Q&A DB forum so others can benefit from the response). I’m here to help in any way that I can! You may also want to reach out to your advisor for help or suggestions.

• Send professional emails that include: a greeting/opening, your name, course, the issue/question, and a closing.

Incomplete Grading Policy: Incomplete grades are to be issued only in the case of absence from classes due to unexpected and unavoidable circumstances such as severe illness, accident or death in the immediate family (verified through documentation), which have made it impossible for the student to complete all course requirements as scheduled. The student must have been in good standing the entire semester. A grade of incomplete is not to be issued for unsatisfactory work, failure to submit work through negligence or for simply not taking the final exam. Please see the SPS Bulletin for further details. Academic Integrity: Academic dishonesty is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. Cheating, forgery, plagiarism and collusion in dishonest acts undermine the educational mission of the City University of New York and the students' personal and intellectual growth. Please see: https://sps.cuny.edu/about/policies/academic-and-student-policies/academic-integrity In short, areas of academic dishonesty include:

Ø Cheating: Using or attempting to use unauthorized material, information or study aids.

Ø Plagiarism: (Re) presenting the writings, words, or ideas of another as one’s own, or copying material from a resource without proper acknowledgement. Using the idea or work of another is permissible only when the original author is identified. Paraphrasing and summarizing, as well as direct quoting (which requires quotation marks; in most cases,

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omitting quotation marks around a direct quote constitutes plagiarism), require citations to the original source. Plagiarism may be intentional or unintentional. Lack of dishonest intent does not absolve a student of responsibility for plagiarism. • Plagiarism is something I take very seriously. I do check for plagiarism

and verify the validity of sources. As such, you should use only reputable sources and cite properly.

• If you plagiarize, even a small section of an assignment, you will receive zero points for that assignment. I will also report the incident to Student Services, which handles these issues.

• Papers will be submitted to services that verify whether the paper has been plagiarized (i.e. SafeAssign).

Ø Sabotage: Willfully damaging or impeding the academic work of another person.

Ø Fabrication/falsification: Altering or inventing any information or data.

Ø Aiding and abetting: Helping or attempting to help another commit an act of academic

dishonesty.

The above list was for your convenience only; for more on academic dishonesty, please see https://sps.cuny.edu/about/policies/academic-and-student-policies/academic-integrity. ACCESSIBILITY AND ACCOMMODATIONS: The CUNY School of Professional Studies is firmly committed to making higher education accessible to students with disabilities by removing architectural barriers and providing programs and support services necessary for them to benefit from the instruction and resources of the University. Early planning is essential for many of the resources and accommodations provided. Please see: https://sps.cuny.edu/student-services/disability-services ONLINE ETIQUETTE AND ANTI-HARASSMENT POLICY: The University strictly prohibits the use of University online resources or facilities, including Blackboard, for the purpose of harassment of any individual or for the posting of any material that is scandalous, libelous, offensive or otherwise against the University’s policies. Please see: http://catalog.sps.cuny.edu/content.php?catoid=2&navoid=205 STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES: If you need any additional help, please visit Student Support Services: http://sps.cuny.edu/student-services

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COURSE SCHEDULE

NOTE: Please note that videos are not noted in the ‘Readings’ section and the Course Schedule does not have a ‘Video’ section, but you are expected to view any videos located in the weekly folders.

Week Dates Topic(s) Readings Assignments Due Date 1*

Due Date 2**

1 1/27 – 2/2 Introduction to Social Psychology

Course Syllabus Chapter 1 Overview Articles 1,2,3

DB 1 Attestation DB

1/30 2/2

2 2/3 – 2/9 Social Perception

Chapter 2 Overview Articles 4,5,6

DB 2 2/6 2/9

3*** 2/10 – 2/16 (short week)

Attitudes & Beliefs

Chapter 4 Overview Articles 9,10,11,12

DB 3 2/13 2/16

4*** 2/18 – 2/23 (short week)

Bias, Prejudice, and Discrimination

Articles 7,16,17,18 Chapter 6 Overview

DB 4 2/20 2/23

5 2/24 – 3/1 Attraction & Relationships

Articles 20,21,23,24

DB 5 2/27 3/1

6 3/2 – 3/8 Social Influence

Chapter 9 Overview Articles 25,26,27,34,36

DB 6 Read through the Capstone Project Guidelines and think about potential project ideas. Schedule call w/ me for Week 7

3/5 3/8

7 3/9 – 3/15 Prosocial Behavior & Aggression

Articles 29,30,31,33

DB 7 Phone call w/me Begin Thinking About Project Idea

3/12 3/15

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8 3/16 – 3/22 Applied Social Psychology Project Idea

Articles 39,40,42,45 DB 8 Project Idea DB (Submitted & Feedback) Schedule call w/ me for Week 9

3/19 3/22

9 3/23 – 3/29 Independent Research - Outline & References List

Independent Research

Work on Outline & Reference List Phone call w/me

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10 3/30 – 4/7 (long week)

Independent Research - Outline & References List (Continued)

Independent Research

Outline & Reference List DB (Submitted & Feedback)

4/2 4/5

11 4/17 – 4/26 (long week)

Independent Research - First Draft

Independent Research

Work on First Draft

-- --

12 4/27 – 5/3 Independent Research – First Draft (Continued)

Independent Research

First Draft DB (Submitted & Feedback)

4/30 5/3

13 5/4 – 5/10 Independent Research – Final Project

Independent Research

Work on Final Project

-- --

14 5/11 – 5/22 Finals Week (long week)

Independent Research – Final Project (Continued)

Independent Research

Final Draft DB (Submitted)

5/20 (WED)

Submit

Final Project

5/22 (FRI)

Last day to

submit project for credit (10% reduction)

* Unless otherwise noted, Due Date 1 will fall on a Thursday. Your Discussion “Original Entries,” your Outline, Project Idea, and First Draft will all be due on Due Date 1 of the applicable week. ** Unless otherwise noted, Due Date 2 will fall on a Sunday. Your Discussion Comments/Questions, and your feedback on your classmates’ Project Ideas, Outlines and First Drafts will all be due on Due Date 2 of the applicable week.

*** Because Weeks 3 and 4 are short weeks, only two (instead of four) comments/questions in response to your classmates’ original entries are expected (although more are welcome!).

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POLICY ON LATE SUBMISSIONS

As discussed above, all discussion posts must be submitted by the applicable due date to receive credit, and the original entry must be submitted on time for any posts in the discussion to earn credit. Assignments related to the Final Project can earn partial credit if late. If deadlines are not strictly enforced, it is unfair to the students who relied on them when making decisions about how to manage their time. However, there are possible accommodations for documented serious illnesses and emergencies, as follows: What if I have a serious illness (requiring hospitalization) or emergency (e.g., death or serious illness of immediate family member)? If you experience a serious illness or emergency that prevents you from submitting an assignment by the due date, and have documentation of such, please email me about your situation as soon as possible. We will together determine whether or not an accommodation can be made for you for that short-term occasion. You must make the request prior to the official due date (not the end of the grace period); at least 24 hours is recommended. All requests must include 1) documentation (a hospital admission statement [omitting details in terms of the reason for the admission, to protect your privacy] is fine; if you do not currently have access to the documentation, please provide an indication of when the documentation can be expected), and 2) an indication of when you anticipate being able to complete the assignment (that is, how long of an extension are you requesting?). Requests made after the due date will not be considered unless the documented illness/emergency prevented you from making the request earlier. What if I have an undocumented, or non-serious, illness or emergency, or another reason for missing a deadline, such as a technical difficulty1? Unfortunately, to be fair to all students in the course, I cannot make accommodations for missed deadlines without supporting documentation of a serious illness or emergency. As a general good practice, I encourage you to begin your work early in the week, and to post each assignment well before the deadline; this way, last-minute difficulties will not cause you to lose any points. To address the occasional illness or emergency without documentation, I offer grace periods and extra credit opportunities to all students (see above).

1 Please note: a computer breakdown or internet malfunction, even if it is documented, is not an emergency. I will be able to make accommodations for any system-wide outages that occur prior to the official deadline (confirmed by the I.T. folks), of course.