Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

Welcome to PSY 216 Social Psychology!

**This is a fully online, asynchronous class that doesn't meet "synchronously" (together at the same time) using Zoom or Google Hangouts, etc.  

This is a great class for psychology majors and counts as social science credit. :-)

This course surveys the scientific study of how individuals think about, influence, and relate to one another with respect to social beliefs, persuasion, attraction, conformity, obedience, prejudice, aggression, and pro-social behaviors. Prerequisites: (WR 115 and RD 115) or IRW 115 and MTH 20 or equivalent placement.

Social Psychology is the “…scientific study of the influence of the real, imagined, or implied presence of others upon our thoughts, emotions, beliefs, and behavior-and of how we influence others…” (Aronson and Aronson, 2018).  Aronson, E., with Aronson, J. (2018). The social animal (12th ed.). New York: Worth. 

Particularly, the influences that groups (family, culture, society, etc.) have on individuals will be examined; however, individual and small group influences on larger groups will also be discussed.  Specifically, we will look at how the power of the situation (cultural and social context) interacts with the individual person (personality and individual experiences).  

If you took PSY 214 Intro to Personality from me, we’ll revisit the person-situation debate. Social psychology can seem like the 'opposing' view from personality psychology, however, they are two different lenses to consider behavior in situations.  Social psychology focuses on situationism or how situational variables influence people's behavior more than personality traits. And, personality psychology focuses on interactionism or how personality traits and situations interact with each other to influence behavior.

There are applications to our everyday situations in business, politics, environment, health, the legal system, and human relations. :-)

I look forward to having you in the course! :-)
Tani McBeth

Required Textbook
See the information at the “Textbooks” link on the class schedule online.

Waitlist
There are often questions about how the waitlist works and whether you're likely to get into the class from the waitlist. I can tell you that typically I'm only able to let in the top 3-5 from the waitlist, but it depends upon whether students who are already registered in the course drop before the class starts. Not many students tend to drop once they've registered, but it can vary from term to term. I always let a few students in from the waitlist the first few days of the term. You will know if you've been added to the class from the waitlist as I will email you once I've submitted the permission for you.

Students must log into D2L Brightspace at some point on day 1, Monday, 4.1.24, and complete the required orientation items and get started on week 1 work no later than day 3, Wednesday 4.3.24 by 11:59 PM, for Spring 2024 so that students on the waitlist can be added. Those not logging in to participate in the course or not submitting the orientation items by the deadline will be dropped as no show. Also, dive into the week 1 assignments as there is a lot going on to get started on a successful footing! :-)

Log into D2L Brightspace
This course will be using D2L as our online classroom.

To login to your course, please go to https://my.pcc.edu and click on the D2L login on the left side.

You can also log directly into D2L at online.pcc.edu and using your MyPCC log in information.

Once in D2L, click on 'Content' on the top navigation menu to access the weekly learning modules, quizzes, discussions, and assignments. There you will find the Introduction to Online Learning and Course Information modules, which include the Syllabus and Assignment schedule/Calendar to print or save for your reference! :-)

Course Organization
The main structure of this course will be the following:

1. Actively read 1-2 chapters and watch relevant videos per week.  (Note: It's a much faster pace during summer in only 8 weeks so make sure you're prepared for this if it’s summer term!). This is the foundation for our application with the discussion and journals.
2. Quiz on each chapter (not cumulative).  These are multiple attempt and intended to help us practice the "spacing effect" and "testing effect" for the learning process.  Use them to self-assess your understanding from the chapters to apply with the discussions and homework. There is no midterm or final test.  
3. Respond to questions relating to the chapter via the discussion forums. You will be expected to contribute your own ideas as well as respond to the ideas of others in class. This acts as our 'classroom.'
4. Journal assignments each week applying the course information in specific ways to our lives. :-)
5. Participation is monitored by the amount of time you are logged into the class and your participation in the discussion forums. Your success in the course will depend upon how much time you devote to study and your ability to manage time. In an online class, you are in control of the learning process and you have to be very motivated to keep up with the material and assignments. You will get out of the course what you put in so approach the class as a serious endeavor. If you are interested in the class because you think you will not have to work hard, this course is not for you. Online classes are structured so you may actually have to devote more time to the course than a traditional on-campus class, however, your hard work will be rewarded with a deeper understanding of psychological concepts.

All communication for this course is through D2L. This class moves along at a fairly good clip through the term. There are aspects of the course that are flexible within the deadlines, however, regular student-to-student interaction via the discussion forums is a large part of how we explore and apply the material.

You will need access to the following hardware and software for this course:
1. A computer with reliable internet access at least several times per week. Make sure you have a backup plan for potential computer/internet problems or outages. (e.g., the library, computer lab, friend, neighbor, work, or relative, etc.)
2. A word processing program.  Save everything as .docx or .doc prior to submission online. Note that you have FREE access to Microsoft Office 365 (which includes Word) through PCC! :-)
Link to Microsoft Office 365

PCC library checkout information for laptops, webcams, and headset microphones:
PCC library equipment for checkout