Assignments
PSY 240: Social Psychology
Misinformation Paper (60 points)
With a partner, you will submit a paper via Blackboard which analyzes the dissemination of and response to misinformation and disinformation around Covid-19. You can select a particular aspect of the pandemic to focus on such as masking or vaccination. Using course concepts,1) describe, in some detail, a couple strategies that have been used or are being used to misinform the public about your topic (e.g., vaccination), 2) explain why those strategies have been effective on some people, and 3) describe, in some detail, two strategies for helping to overcome some of the misinformation related to your topic.
Paper Partners
Systemic Racism Behavior (60 points)
With a partner, you will submit a paper via Blackboard which answers the question of whether or not systemic racism currently exists in one of the United States' institutions. Using course concepts, 1) describe, in some detail, the evidence that supports or refutes the idea that systemic racism exists within the institution you selected, 2) explain why that racism does or no longer does exist in the institution, and 3) describe, in some detail, two strategies for helping to reduce the systemic racism in that institution (if you said it still exists) OR two strategies to help prevent systemic racism from reappearing in that institution (if you concluded it no longer exists).
Journal (60 points)
What should you write about in your journal? Social psychology deals with a number of phenomena that occur frequently in your life and around you. The more you look for these phenomena the more you will see them and see how they affect your life. Moreover, the more you identify them the better understanding you will have of the concepts we are discussing in class or that are mentioned in the text. Thus, the primary focus of your journal should be identifying examples of the phenomena we discuss in class. Additionally, I would like you to reflect upon some of these observations. For example, what does it say about how you (or people) interact with others? What does it suggest about our motives? How does it relate to other observations you have made, either in the journal or prior to it? Do you see patterns emerging? Can you see more than one concept in a single example?
Because of the nature of the journal, I will not require it to be as well organized a presentation as your other writing assignments. Rather, a stream of consciousness may be more appropriate. Some of you may record observations as they occur. Others may take brief notes along the way and reflect on them after a couple of days. Although I will not evaluate the overall organization of the paragraphs, I will look within each paragraph for good writing skills. Because it may take a while to get a feel for what to write about and some weeks you may just make more observations, unevenness in quantity is understandable. On the first day the journal is due you will hand in everything you have written in your journal during the semester so far. I will return those pages as soon as possible. The journal does not have to be typed, but must be neat and legible. Write or type on only one side of the paper. I will not assign a grade to the journal until it is complete, but I will give you plenty of feedback along the way. On the average, you should write one page a week (approximately 200 words) for a total of 15 pages for the semester (approximately 3000 words). There is not a specific number of journal entries you need to complete, just a number of pages/words. The journal will be worth 60 points.
Homework Assignments (40 points)
Exams (100 points each)