Fall 2018  |  SOC 8721 Section 001: Social Psychology: Micro-Sociological Approaches to Inequalities and Identities (33499)

Instructor(s)
Class Component:
Lecture
Credits:
3 Credits
Grading Basis:
Student Option
Instructor Consent:
No Special Consent Required
Instruction Mode:
In Person Term Based
Times and Locations:
Regular Academic Session
 
09/04/2018 - 12/12/2018
Wed 11:45AM - 02:15PM
UMTC, West Bank
Social Sciences Building 1114
Enrollment Status:
Open (11 of 15 seats filled)
Also Offered:
Course Catalog Description:
Social psychology is basic to an understanding of contemporary social life. This subfield of sociology focuses on social phenomena at the micro-level. Small group dynamics, social interactions, and individual experiences are importantly structured by the macro-structural context, e.g., by socioeconomic status, race, gender, sexuality, and other dimensions of social inequality. At the same time, these and other micro-sociological processes reflect individual-level identities, perceptions, motivations and cognitions. This seminar examines a wide range of social psychological phenomena linked to inequality (e.g., the effects of class, minority status, and gender on disparities in identity, self-concept, and health; the development of status hierarchies in small group interaction; intergroup relations, prejudice, and discrimination). We begin with a consideration of "personal structure," emphasizing the cultural and structural variability of self-conceptions and identities, cognitive processes, and motivation, as well as the biosocial bases of action. These may be considered individual-level "building blocks" of social psychological theories (along with emotions, attitudes, values, and ideologies). We then address prominent theoretical perspectives in social psychology that illuminate the linkages between micro-social contexts of inequality and identity, including symbolic interactionism, exchange theory, structural social psychology ("social structure and personality") and the social psychology of the life course. Social psychological theory and research are foundational to many specialty fields in sociology, including the sociology of the family, education, health, deviance, work, social mobility, social movements, emotions, and the sociology of childhood, youth, and aging. Social psychology is also central to prominent theoretical debates in sociology surrounding the relationship between social structure and agency; individual-level identities, perceptions, moti
Class Notes:
2 seats reserved for Soc PhD Click this link for more detailed course information: http://classinfo.umn.edu/?morti002+SOC8721+Fall2018
Class Description:
Social psychology is basic to an understanding of social life. It includes social phenomena at both the macro and micro-levels, and the connections between them. Social psychology is central to an understanding of the interrelations of structure and agency: individual-level identities, cognitions, goals, and strategies, as they affect, and are influenced by, diverse and unequal social contexts. This seminar starts with a consideration of personal structure, emphasizing the cultural variability of self-conceptions and identities, cognitive processes, emotion and motivation. These may be considered individual-level building blocks of social psychological theories. Prominent theoretical perspectives in social psychology, i.e., symbolic interactionism, exchange theory, and structural social psychology (social structure and personality) illuminate the content of many specialty fields in sociology. This seminar examines interpersonal relationships, networks, small group dynamics, and a wide range of social psychological phenomena linked to inequality (e.g., the effects of class, race/ethnicity, and gender on disparities in self-concept, identity, and health; the development of status hierarchies in small group interaction; social mobility; work conditions; intergroup relations; prejudice and discrimination). Social psychological perspectives on deviance, the life course, and social movements are also examined.
Grading:
20% Leadership of student discusson
20% Other class Participation
60% Term paper
Class Format:
33% Lecture
67% Student-led class discussion
Workload:
50-100 Pages Reading Per Week
25-30 Pages Writing Per Term
2 Presentation(s)
Textbooks:
https://bookstores.umn.edu/course-lookup/33499/1189
Instructor Supplied Information Last Updated:
23 March 2018

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