Social psychology examines how individuals' thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by the social context. The United States is a highly individualistic culture. American society teaches that individual outcomes are the product of what each person has wanted, worked for, and deserved. This course will provide a framework for questioning these assumptions--examining how characteristics of the individual person and the social environment jointly influence human behavior. Through lectures, readings, discussions, and experiments, we will learn about major research areas in the field including attitudes and persuasion, interpersonal attraction, sterotyping and prejudice, and prosocial behavior. We will consider how research informs social and policy issues related to education, healthcare, and the environment.

Units: 1

Max Enrollment: 30

Prerequisites: PSYC 101, a score of 5 on the Psychology AP exam, or a score of 5, 6, or 7 on the Higher Level IB exam, or permission of the instructor.

Instructor: Akert, Bahns

Distribution Requirements: SBA - Social and Behavioral Analysis

Typical Periods Offered: Spring; Fall

Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Fall; Spring

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