PSY-251-B01 · Social Psychology — Syllabus

Course & Instructor Information

Course Description

An analysis of the processes of social interaction and their effects upon the behavior and attitudes of individuals and groups.

Social Psychology is the scientific study of the way people think, feel, and behave in social situations. It involves understanding how people influence, and are influenced by, the others around them. A primary goal of this course is to introduce you to the perspectives, research methods, and empirical findings of social psychology. Equally important is the goal of cultivating your critical thinking skills for analyzing the social situations and events that you encounter in your everyday lives. Finally, throughout the course, emphasis will be placed on developing critical and integrative ways of thinking about theory and research in social psychology. We will also discuss the current issues and debates within the field and look at current research.

Course Objectives

• To provide students, who have already had an introduction to psychology, with a more advanced course that focuses on social influence.
• To help students gain a greater understanding of how their own and others' thoughts and behaviors are profoundly impacted by the power of the situation.
• To confidently understand the rationale underlying basic research designs and techniques.
• To develop a sincere appreciation for research ethics and scientific literacy skills.

Assessments & Grading

Your final grade is based on the following weights:

• 15% Canvas Quizzes (lowest grade dropped)
• 60% Three In-Class Exams (average)
• 25% Greater Good in Action Project (plan 5% + weekly journal drops 45% + memorized presentation 50% of the project grade)

Canvas Quizzes (15% — lowest grade dropped)

After we complete the material for each chapter or section, you will take a short, timed, multiple-choice quiz on Canvas. The idea is to get you reviewing the material so that you ace your exams. You may have 3 attempts at each quiz (if you do take it more than once, your score will be the average of all the scores). You must also wait 30 minutes between attempts — this is to discourage you from completing them just before class. Please do not take quizzes from your phone; it will likely glitch out. Please do not take the quizzes with another student; evidence of this will result in zeroes for all parties. Please work with integrity.

Exams (60% — the average of 3 exams)

There will be three non-cumulative exams, given in class, on paper, closed-book. You will record your answers on a machine-scored answer sheet provided with the exam. The exams will cover all assigned readings, lectures, class exercises, discussions, and the companion website since the last exam (or the start of the course, in the case of our first exam), and may include multiple-choice, True/False, matching, or short-answer questions. The exam is timed to the class period, so fluency matters: you must internalize the concepts, not just recognize them. The specific exam dates are listed on the class schedule.

Greater Good in Action Project (25%)

Psychology you can feel. You will complete at least 12 sessions of at least 3 evidence-based practices curated from Berkeley's Greater Good in Action project, keep a handwritten journal of every session, and turn your experience into a polished, fully memorized 5–7-minute presentation with image-only slides. The project has a check-in every single week: your Practice Plan (5% of the project grade), six weekly journal photo drops to Canvas (45%, credit/no-credit, lowest week dropped), and the memorized presentation in our last two sessions (50%, graded on depth of memorization and polish). There is no essay. The full assignment sheet with the milestone calendar lives on Canvas — read it in Week 1. Practice handouts: coolpsychology.com/psy251/ggia.

Lectures on video

There are recorded lectures (though somewhat dated now). If you miss a class, or you want to review part of a lecture, you can always check out the recorded lecture on Canvas.

Grading scheme

Penalty point deductions: percentage points will be deducted from assignments or final grades for violations of class policies, especially the digital-device policy, at the discretion of your professor.

Class Policies

No Digital Devices

This class maintains a strict no-digital-devices policy to protect your focus and foster an environment conducive to deep, meaningful learning. You may not use laptops or tablets to take notes — research shows longhand note-taking leads to better comprehension than typing. You may not have a phone or smartwatch on your person; these go in your assigned number in the phone cubby upon entering the classroom. This policy is grounded in robust empirical evidence on the distraction effect, lower academic performance, and "brain drain" — please read the summary of the science behind this policy. You are required to read that page and submit its signature form before our second class meeting. Violations result in a loss of points. Exceptions are made only for students with an approved accommodation specifically for device use. (The one exception: when we use PollEverywhere for in-class polls, you will be invited to take your phone out — and only then.)

Recording of Lectures

You are not allowed to film or record my lectures without my explicit permission. Unauthorized video or audio recording is prohibited and will be reported to the St. Joseph's University administration. Also: creepy.

Email & Canvas Expectations

Check your SJNY email frequently — it is my main method of communication, and email is a formal channel: put the course name and section in the subject line and sign with your full name. Canvas is used exclusively for announcements, materials, quizzes, and assignment submissions, so configure it properly: go to Account → Notifications and make sure Canvas emails you immediately whenever an announcement is made. There is no excuse for "not seeing" something posted to Canvas.

A note on reaching me. I read and answer email, and I want to be responsive to you — but expecting a response instantly is not reasonable. Please allow at least 24 hours on weekdays for a reply before following up; and know that an email sent Friday evening may not get an answer until Monday. Also…I go offline at 9:00 PM each evening (because I get up at 5:45 AM!), so anything sent after that I will not see until the next day. If you write me at 10 PM the night before something is due, my answer will arrive too late to help you. This is not me ignoring you — it is how I stay rested enough to teach you well. Ask early and you will always hear back.

Classroom Conduct

Please do not eat during class; a drink in a spill-proof container is fine. Please do not put your head down on your desk — if you are too tired to keep your head up, please do not come to class; it will negatively impact your grade.

Scanning Handwritten Work

Your GGIA journal drops (and the occasional handwritten assignment) are submitted to Canvas as PDFs. This is very easy with an iPhone or Android — it takes about a minute.

Absences, Lateness & Missed Work

Absences are absences — you are present or you are absent, just like in real life. There are technically no "excused absences," and nothing is accepted late. There are no make-up quizzes and no make-up exams. Meeting deadlines is a life skill that needs developing like any other: miss the deadline, miss the points. If you are absent, please do not email me to ask what you missed — get contact information from a few classmates. Students who need an extension must reach out before the deadline. Exceptions may be made for serious documented medical emergencies that take a student out of class for a significant amount of time. You are permitted 3 absences; each additional absence reduces your final grade by 2%. Perfect attendance (no absences, no lates) earns 2% extra credit toward your final grade.

Academic Integrity

The University expects students to observe academic integrity in all aspects of their academic life. Plagiarism (the act of copying, stealing, or representing the ideas or words of another as one's own without giving credit to the source), cheating on examinations, and all forms of academic dishonesty are forbidden. Students found guilty of such behavior are subject to disciplinary action, which will include a reduction in grade and possible failure of the course, suspension, or expulsion.

AI Tool Usage

Since a central goal of this course is to help you become an independent and critical thinker, you are forbidden from using AI tools to create any text, video, audio, or images that end up in your work for this class. Any work crafted by AI tools in unauthorized ways — even in part — will be treated as plagiarism under SJNY academic integrity policies: a report to the Academic Dean and a zero for the assignment; a repeat infraction means failure of the course. If any part of this is confusing or uncertain, please reach out for a conversation before submitting your work.

Student Accessibility Services

St. Joseph's University, in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), provides assistance and resources to students with disabilities. If you have a documented physical, psychological, cognitive, and/or medical disability and require accommodations, please contact the Office of Student Accessibility Services, McEntegart Hall Room 300A: Coordinator Hannah Singer, 718.940.5859, hsinger@sjny.edu. It is the student's responsibility to communicate with faculty members; all information is kept confidential.

Wellness

All of us benefit from support during times of struggle, and an important part of the college experience is learning how to ask for help — sooner rather than later. If you or anyone you know experiences academic stress, difficult life events, or feelings like anxiety or depression, the Office of Counseling and Wellness is here to help: 718.940.5853, bkwellness@sjny.edu, or start the intake process at the BK Path to Wellness appointment page. Consider also reaching out to a friend, faculty, or family member you trust.

Course Schedule

The meeting-by-meeting schedule lives on its own page: PSY 251 Class Schedule — Fall 2026. While every effort will be made to adhere to the schedule, it is subject to change; changes will be communicated in class and via Canvas announcements, and the schedule page carries a "last updated" badge.

Registrar dates: Sep 9–15 — Late registration and program changes; Sep 30 — Last day to opt for Pass/No Credit; Oct 29 — Last day to withdraw with a WD (midpoint of semester); Dec 15 — Last day of classes; finals Dec 16–22.

← Back Home