Psychology of Stereotyping
PSY 400-162g
Section 01
Spring 2005
Dr. Kim MacLin
Class Time: MW 12:30pm-1:50pm
Class Location: Lang 243
This Syllabus is Subject to Change. Last Updated 2/10/05
Course Description:
This course is about stereotypes, what they are and why and how we use them. You will learn the methodological and theoretical underpinnings of the scientific study of stereotyping from a social psychological perspective. Further, you will learn to apply these principles in real world contexts to capitalize on the benefits of stereotyping and minimize or eliminate the downfalls of stereotyping.
Course Style:
This course will be taught in seminar style, with students acting as discussion leaders. There will be some lectures given by me, and group presentation days where groups report to the class their solution/explanation to a real world problem. Active participation in class sessions is required. This course requires you to have an open mind, have (or develop) a bit of a thick skin (because likely some of the stereotypes will be about categories of which you represent), be courteous and respectful of others people's opinions and experiences, and, in some instances, keep what is said in class private, as we will be discussing politically or personally sensitive issues.
Course Objectives:
You will learn about the theoretical and methodological issues surrounding the study of stereotyping, from a social psychological perspective
You will gain (or hone) teaching skills
You will gain (or hone) your skills of working with other people to accomplish some goal
You will likely achieve insight into your own stereotypes and behavior as well as others
Contacting Me:
Not that I don’t want to talk to you in person (!) but email is the most efficient and reliable way to reach me. When you do contact me (by email or phone message) please include your first and last name and which class you are in (I teach other courses).
Email: kim.maclin@uni.edu
Phone: 273-2302
Office: Baker Hall 344
Office Hours: Fridays 12-2 and by appointment
Class Communication: I often will communicate with you through an email listserv. Your UNI email address is the one these messages go to. Announcements made over email are typically extremely important. It is YOUR responsibility to make sure you are receiving these emails. Click here to add yourself to the email listerv if you are not receiving class emails so far.
Readings:
Schneider, D. J. (2004). The psychology of stereotyping. New York, NY: Guilford Press.
Course Grades: An electronic gradebook is available in WebCT. Your grades will be posted there.
http://webct.uni.edu (WebCT)
Class Attendance:
Class attendance is critical. No one can hide in a class of this size! NO LATE WORK IS ACCEPTED. If you cannot attend class on a particular day, your best bet is to send me an email, or to leave a phone message at my office PRIOR TO YOUR ABSENCE. Talking to me after the fact does not ensure that I will be sympathetic or helpful in any way! Do not miss your presentation date. This is far too problematic to make up.
Presentation/Discussion Leading:
When you are presenting your chapter, you also are the leader of discussion for that day. You should be able to facilitate a meaningful discussion and be prepared enough so that students can ask you questions and take notes about the chapter for which you are presenting. You should practice your presentation, you should NOT read a prepared presentation or statement. Using notes, an outline or PowerPoint is acceptable, but they should be used only as a way to organize your thoughts, not as the heart of the presentation. You should not think of the presentation as a stand alone event where you present, we clap, and you say, 'any questions.' Rather, you are the instructor for the day and you are expected to fill the class time with your presentation, discussion, examples, exercises, etc. You will be required to submit an outline to me, prior to starting your presentation (this will be worth 10 points and will count in place of the summary that you ordinarily would have written had you not been leader). You will be graded on your ability to communicate the concepts in the chapter, provide examples not in the chapter, and field questions from the class. It is worth 50 points.
Class Participation:
Your responsibilities as a member of the audience are to read the chapter prior to coming to class. Pay attention! Ask questions or make comments that are designed to answer something you do not know, clarify a position, or further discussion. The goal is not to "trip up" the presenter. For every day that there is a presenter (Wednesdays), you are to write a 2 page summary of the chapter (typed, double spaced).
Project Presentations:
At the end of some class days, you will be assigned to a group and you will be given a task to complete. This will usually be in the form of a real world problem that you need to solve using information from the book. On the project presentation days (see course calendar), each group will present their solution to the class (approximately 15-20 minutes). Each group will also be responsible for figuring out why they were assigned together as a group (what is the common category). These are worth 30 points each.
Hot Topics:
On class discussion/activity days we will as a group discuss some hot topic. The people who had the chapters before and after this day will be responsible for bringing the hot topic for this day (see course calendar). Some ideas for hot topics might be: current events (in the form of a newspaper, magazine or web article), video, real circumstance you've encountered, or even a journal article (Jen this is for you). The person or people charged with bringing the hot topic for the day need only bring the article/video/website and/or introduce the topic or question to get us going. These are worth 10 points for the people who introduce the hot topic.
Take Home Quizzes:
You may opt to take up to 2 take home quizzes worth 30 points each, in place of your participation in up to 2 group projects. Please let me know in at least a week in advance of giving out the group project that you would prefer to do a quiz for that week.
Final:
The final will be similar to the group exercises, except that they will be individual reports. More details to come.
Grading Scale: (plusses or minuses will be given at my discretion)
A=90% and above of possible points
B=80-89% of possible points
C=70-79% of possible points
D=60-69% of possible points
F=less than 60% of possible points
Leading Discussion Day-60 pts
Summaries-10 pts (x 15)= 150 pts
Project Presentations-30 pts (x 6)=180 pts
Hot Topic-10 pts
Final-100 pts
_________________________________
Total= 500 pts
Cheating & Plagiarism:
DON’T CHEAT! Cheating is any sort of activity that results in you turning in or presenting work where you are not the SOLE contributor and developer of the ideas (unless you cite appropriately). You are bound to the University's ethics policies.
If you have a disability that could affect your performance in this class:
UNI is committed to equal opportunity in education for all students, including those with documented physical disabilities or documented learning disabilities. It is the responsibility of students to contact the Office of Disability Services (213 Student Services Center-273-2676) to arrange for documentation and accommodation.
If you have University sponsored obligations that require you to miss class:
It is your responsibility to contact me during the first week of class to let me know of your obligations throughout the semester. As soon as you receive your paperwork detailing out the days you will miss class, please provide me with a copy for my files. It is STILL your responsibility, however, to remind me by email at least a day before you are going to miss a class due to your approved obligations, so that we can arrange for any work you might miss. It is your responsibility to ensure that you get makeup assignments from me immediately upon your return. You will need to get class notes from a fellow student.