PSK 569 History & Theories of Social PsycH.

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Who in the world am I? Ah that’s the great puzzle.

- Alice in the Wonderland

PSK 569 History and Theories of Social Psychology

PSK569

Course Overview
This course will provide an overview of major historical and theoretical perspectives in social psychology. Fundamental social psychological theories and historical developments in such topics as the self and identity, socialization, social inequality, deviance and conformity, mental health and illness, freedom and authoritarianism, collective behavior, and social movements will be reviewed. Through lectures, discussions, readings, and reflections, students will acquire a thorough grounding in classical and contemporary approaches to social psychology, which will prepare them for more specialized research and study.

There would be a total of 6 main topics to be discussed in the course:
Part 01: THE PROBLEM OF THEORY (2 Weeks)
Part 02: BIOLOGICAL/EVOLUTIONARY LEVEL OF ANALYSIS (2 Weeks)
Part 03: COGNITIVE LEVEL OF ANALYSIS (2 Weeks)
Part 04: MOTIVATIONAL/AFFECTIVE LEVEL OF ANALYSIS (2 Weeks)
Part 05: INTERPERSONAL LEVEL OF ANALYSIS (2 Weeks)
Part 06: GROUP AND CULTURAL LEVEL OF ANALYSIS (2 Weeks)

Course Format
Students are expected to read each week's reading(s), watch an assigned movie(s) before class, and contribute to class discussion. Each student is expected to come to class prepared to summarize the critical points of the readings and movie(s) to participate in the debate regarding it. Each week, you must upload your written work before the class meetings via OYS.

Each student is expected to come to class prepared to summarize the readings' key points and participate in their discussion. To summarize, each week, students will lead discussions about, write and submit reaction papers to and critique readings from scientific research journals, chapters, books, and movies. Contributing to group discussion is essential.

Grading
I. Reaction Papers (20% of your total grade): Students will submit a brief reaction paper (2-3 pages with 1.5 line space) describing their reactions to the week’s readings almost every week. They must be typed, but they need not conform to APA style. This assignment is very open-ended and subject to great freedom in interpretation. The primary purpose of the reaction papers is to make sure that students come to class with the readings read and come to sessions having thought into the implications of and interconnections among the assignments.

II. The Proposals (50% of your total grade):
Students are expected to submit 5 short research proposals (one for each subtopic). This is a group project in which you are allowed to be studied in 2-person-group, but for each proposal you have to study with another student in the class.

III. Final Exam (30% of your total grade):
A classic, comprehensive, open-book final exam includes all topics discussed in class sessions. Exam date will be announced later.

Main Reading Materials
Students will be asked to read and comment on some articles about each week’s topic. For related articles, please check out the course’s website. Other main reading materials are listed below.

Van Lange, P. A. M., Kruglanski, A. W., & Higgins, E. T. (2012). Handbook of theories of social psychology (vol. 1-2). Los Angeles: Sage.
Mikulincer, M., & Shaver, P. R. (2015). APA handbook of personality and social psychology (vol. 1-4). Boston: APA.
Jahoda, G. (2007/2011). Sosyal psikoloji tarihi. (Çev. Ş. Başlı). İstanbul: Türkiye İş Bankası Kültür Yayınları.
Fiske, S. T., & Taylor, S. E. (2017). Social cognition: From brains to culture (3rd Ed.). Los Angeles: Sage.
Eldoğan, D., Korkmaz, L., Yeniçeri, Z. & Kökdemir, D. (2017). Akademik yazım kuralları kitapçığı. Ankara: Başkent Üniversitesi.

Suggested Journals
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
Journal of Experimental Social Psychology
Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin
Psychological Bulletin
Psychological Review
Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes
Social Cognition
Behavioral Neuroscience
Decision
European Psychologist
Journal of Neuroscience, Psychology, and Economics