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Faculty of Health, Department of Psychology, York University

Course: Psychology 2120 3.0 (Section D) - Social Psychology Fall 2024. DRAFT!
Instructor: Dr. James V.P. Check EMAIL: check@yorku.ca
Office: 266 Behavioural Sciences Building (B.S.B.)
Hours: By Appointment Telephone: 736-2100, ext 66136 (but email is best)

TEACHING ASSISTANTS:

1. Jessica Newman OFFICE HOURS: by appointment EMAIL: jenewman@yorku.ca

2. Calista Mortimer OFFICE HOURS: by appointment EMAIL: calistam@yorku.ca

NOTE: Jessica IS YOUR TA IF YOUR LAST NAME STARTS WITH A-L,

and Calista IS YOUR TA IF YOUR LAST NAME STARTS WITH M-Z.

Lectures (Syncronous): WEDNESDAYS 11:30 -2:30 ONLINE via Zoom: see eClass for the links

NOTE: ALL TESTS WILL HE HELD IN-PERSON, ON CAMPUS (NO EXCEPTIONS)

Text: Myers, D., Jordan, C., Smith, S., & Twenge, J., &. (2024) Social Psychology (9th Canadian
Edition). McGraw-Hill Ryerson. (NOTE: DO NOT GET THE 8TH EDITION!)

Prerequisite: Psychology 1010 6.0

Course Credit Exclusions: Please refer to York Courses Website for a listing of any course credit
exclusions.
Course website: eClass: (formerly Moodle) IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT eClass: Make sure you know how
to use York University’s eClass system, because it is an amazing resource. Also, note that I will be posting a
number of important announcements and documents on eClass, and you will be responsible for anything
posted on eClass for this course, so do check it out. All lectures will be on Zoom, but ALL TESTS WILL BE IN-
PERSON. The links for each lecture and test will be posted on eClass.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION:

This course is designed to provide a social issues perspective on Social Psychology, consistent with the
widespread applied emphasis in the field. The traditional topics of attitudes, conformity, social
judgement, interpersonal attraction, aggression, helping, and groups will be covered. In addition,
however, these topics will be applied to various contemporary issues such as rape and pornography,
loneliness, the control and prevention of violence, and marriage and divorce.

Program Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:
1. Demonstrate broad knowledge of social determinants of behaviour.
2. Describe and evaluate current theory and research in social psychology.
3. Understand and interpret principles of social psychology in everyday life.
4. Define causes of social behaviour from different perspectives.

LECTURE SCHEDULE AND TOPICS TO BE COVERED:

Preamble. It is important to note that I will not be simply repeating the textbook material in lectures.
Rather, I will be elaborating, presenting new material, and applying the topics listed below to various
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Faculty of Health, Department of Psychology, York University
real-world social problems. As well, a series of in-class demonstrations and experiences has been
planned for this course, in order to help you “experience” Social Psychology in action.

Grading. The course grade will be calculated as follows. 40% will be based upon Test #1, 30% will be
based upon Test #2, and 30% will be based upon Test #3. For each test, you will only be responsible
for the material covered since the last test, i.e., the tests are NOT cumulative. The format will be
announced soon. (Don’t worry, the first test is not until OCTOBER 2.) The final grade in the course will
be determined according to the regulations governing examinations and academic standards – see the
York University Undergraduate Calendar for further details

Missed tests

There have been increasing problems with missed tests in the past (particularly with respect to the misuse
of the right to write makeup tests), so please read this section carefully. Normally, a student who misses a
test or assignment will be scored 0 unless the student was medically unable to write the test.
Important New Information Regarding Missed Tests
For any missed tests or late assignments, students MUST complete the following online form, which will be
received and reviewed in the Psychology undergraduate office. HH PSYC: Missed Tests/Exams Form.
Failure to complete the form within 48 hours of the original deadline will result in a grade of zero for the
test/assignment.
PLEASE NOTE: ALL MAKEUP TESTS WILL BE SCHEDULED IN ONE BIG MAKEUP SESSION AT
THE END OF THE COURSE (in December or January).
Add/Drop Deadlines

For a list of all important dates please refer to: Fall/Winter 2021-2022 – Important Dates

FALL YEAR WINTER

(F) (Y) (W)
Last date to add a course without permission of
Sept. 18 Sept. 18 Jan. 20
instructor (also see Financial Deadlines)
Last date to add a course with permission of
Oct. 2 Oct. 16 Jan. 31
instructor (also see Financial Deadlines)
Drop deadline: Last date to drop a course without
Nov. 8 Feb. 7 March 14
receiving a grade (also see Financial Deadlines)
Course Withdrawal Period (withdraw from a
Nov. 9 - Feb. 8 - March 15 -
course and receive a grade of “W” on transcript –
Dec. 13 Apr. 4 Apr. 4
see note below)

*Note: You may withdraw from a course using the registration and enrolment system after the drop deadline
until the last day of class for the term associated with the course. When you withdraw from a course, the course
remains on your transcript without a grade and is notated as "W". The withdrawal will not affect your grade
point average or count towards the credits required for your degree.
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Faculty of Health, Department of Psychology, York University

Electronic Device Policy: You may use your laptops to take notes, but there will be no recording of
lectures or pictures allowed. (I will be recording the lectures so you can review them again later.)
Academic Integrity for Students
York University takes academic integrity very seriously; please familiarize yourself with Information about
the Senate Policy on Academic Honesty. The penalties for cheating and other forms of academic dishonesty
are severe. Don't risk your academic career. For more details, see the 2024-2025 York University Calendar
under "Academic Dishonesty". Note that you cannot escape the penalty for cheating by dropping the course.
It is also recommended that you review Academic Integrity by completing the Academic Integrity Tutorial
and Academic Honesty Quiz.

Test Banks
The offering for sale of, buying of, and attempting to sell or buy test banks (banks of test questions and/or
answers), or any course specific test questions/answers is not permitted in the Faculty of Health. Any
student found to be doing this may be considered to have breached the Senate Policy on Academic Honesty.
In particular, buying and attempting to sell banks of test questions and/or answers may be considered as
“Cheating in an attempt to gain an improper advantage in an academic evaluation” (article 2.1.1 from the
Senate Policy) and/or “encouraging, enabling or causing others” (article 2.1.10 from the Senate Policy) to
cheat.

Electronic Devices During a Test/Examination

Lectures will be online and tests will be in-person, so students will be required to have access to a
computer.

Academic Accommodation for Students with Disabilities

While all individuals are expected to satisfy the requirements of their program of study and to aspire to do
so at a level of excellence, the university recognizes that persons with disabilities may require reasonable
accommodation to enable them to do so. The York University Accessibility Hub is your online stop for
accessibility on campus. The Accessibility Hub provides tools, assistance and resources. Policy Statement.

Policy: York University shall make reasonable and appropriate accommodations and adaptations in order to
promote the ability of students with disabilities to fulfill the academic requirements of their programs.

The nature and extent of accommodations shall be consistent with and supportive of the integrity of the
curriculum and of the academic standards of programs or courses. Provided that students have given
sufficient notice about their accommodation needs, instructors shall take reasonable steps to accommodate
these needs in a manner consistent with the guidelines established hereunder.

For Further Information please refer to: York university academic accommodation for students with
disabilities policy.

Course Materials Copyright Information

These course materials are designed for use as part of this PSYCH 2120 course at York University and are
the property of the instructor unless otherwise stated. Third party copyrighted materials (such as book
chapters, journal articles, music, videos, etc.) have either been licensed for use in this course or fall under an
exception or limitation in Canadian Copyright law.
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Faculty of Health, Department of Psychology, York University
Copying this material for distribution (e.g. uploading material to a commercial third-party website) may lead
to a violation of Copyright law. Intellectual Property Rights Statement.

Lecture Schedule and Topics to be Covered:

Topic: Text Chapters: LECTURE DATE:

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Introduction, Research Methods 1 Sept. 4

Behaviour & Attitudes 4 Sept. 11

Persuasion 5 Sept. 18

Conformity 6 Sept.. 25

TEST #1 (40%) IN PERSON! Oct. 2

Attraction & Intimacy 10 Oct. 9

READING WEEK: NO LECTURE Oct. 16

Human Sexuality Assigned Readings Oct. 23

Social Beliefs & Judgements. 3 Oct. 30

TEST #2 (30%). IN PERSON! Nov. 6

Aggression 9 Nov. 13

Altruism: Helping Others 8 Nov 20

Group Influence 7 Nov. 27

TEST # 3 (30%) IN PERSON! SCHEDULED FINAL EXAM PERIOD

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