Advanced Social Psychology
Social psychology is the study of the way people think and behave and how their thoughts and behaviors are influenced by the social context--other people and objects in the environment. In this graduate-level course we will first survey the theory and research in the major areas of social psychology. We will then focus on some new ways of thinking about social psychology with a focus on the topic of gender. I hope to accomplish the following objectives:
Ross, L., & Nisbett, R. E. (1991). The Person and the Situation: Perspectives of Social Psychology. New York: McGraw Hill.
Packet of reprints available from Warren Hall Copy Center.
Other readings may be assigned during the semester.
Traditional Social Psychology
9/2-4 Ross & Nisbett, Chapter 1
9/7-9 Ross & Nisbett, Chapter 2
9/11-14 Ross & Nisbett, Chapter 3
9/16-18 Ross & Nisbett, Chapter 4
9/21-23 Ross & Nisbett, Chapter 5
9/25-28 Ross & Nisbett, Chapter 6
9/30-10/2Ross & Nisbett, Chapter 7
10/5-7 Ross & Nisbett, Chapter 8
10/9 Discussion of Ross & Nisbett
10/14 Exam over Ross & Nisbett
Social Construction, Postmodern Psychology, and Critical Social Psychology
Sampson, E. E. (1979). Scientific paradigms and social values: Wanted-a scientific revolution. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 36, 1332-1343.
Unger, R. K. (1983). Through the looking glass: No wonderland yet! Psychology of Women Quarterly, 8, 9-32.
Hare-Mustin, R. T. & Marecek, J. (1988). The meaning of difference: Gender theory, postmodernism, and psychology. American Psychologist, 43, 455-464.
Kahn, A. S. & Yoder, J. D. (1989). The psychology of women and conservatism: Rediscovering social change. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 13, 417-432.
Riger, S. (1992). Epistemological debates, feminist voices: Science, social values, and the study of women. American Psychologist, 47, 730-740.
Smith, M. B. (1994). Selfhood at risk: Postmodern perils and the perils of postmodernism. American Psychologist, 49, 405-411.
Gergen, K. J. (1994). Exploring the postmodern: Perils or potentials? American Psychologist, 49, 412-416.
Bevan, W. & Kessel, F. (1994). Plain truths and home cooking: Thoughts on the making and remaking of psychology. American Psychologist, 49, 505-509.
Prilleltensky, I., & Fox, D. (1997). Introducing critical psychology: Values, assumptions and the status quo. In D. Fox & I Prilleltensky (Eds.), Critical Psychology: An Introduction (3-15). London: Sage.
Richardson, F. C., & Fowers, B. L. (1997). Critical theory, postmodernism, and hermeneutics: Insights for critical psychology. In D. Fox & I Prilleltensky (Eds.), Critical Psychology: An Introduction (pp. 265-283). London: Sage.
Parker, I. (1997). Discursive psychology. In D. Fox & I Prilleltensky (Eds.), Critical Psychology: An Introduction (pp. 284-298). London: Sage.
Hare-Mustin, R. T. (1991). Sex, lies, and headaches: The problem is power. In T. J. Goodrich (Ed.), Women and power: Perspectives for therapy (pp. 63-85). New York: W. W. Norton.
The Social Construction of Gender and Androgyny
Crawford, M., & Marecek, J. (1989). Psychology reconstructs the female: 1968-1988. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 13, 147-165.
Deaux, K. & Major, B. (1987). Putting gender into context: An interactive model of gender-related behavior. Psychological Review, 94, 369-389.
Morawski, J. G. (1987). The troubled quest for masculinity, femininity, and androgyny. In P. Shaver & C. Hendrick (Eds.), Sex and gender. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications.
Doing Gender (and Differences)
West, C. & Zimmerman, D. H. (1987). Doing gender. Gender and Society, 1, 125-151.
West, C. & Fenstermaker, S. (1995). Doing difference. Gender and Society, 9, 8-37.
Mason-Schrock, D. (1996). Transsexuals' narrative construction of the "True Self." Social Psychology Quarterly, 59, 176-192.
Gender Differences - The Debate Continues
Eagly, A. H. (1995). The science and politics of comparing women and men. American Psychologist, 50, 145-158.
Hyde, J. S., & Plant, E. A. (1995). Magnitude of psychological gender differences: Another side of the story. American Psychologist, 50, 159-161.
Marecek, J. (1995). Gender, politics, and psychologys ways of knowing. American Psychologist, 50, 161-163
Buss, D. M. 1995). Psychological sex differences: Origins through sexual selection. American Psychologist, 50, 164-168.
Lott, B. (1994, October). The question of gender sameness/difference serves status suo politics more than it serves scientific psychology. In A. Eagly (Chair), Women and men: Sameness or Difference? Symposium conducted at the meeting of the Society for Experimental Social Psychology, Lake Tahoe, NV.
Eagly, A. H. (1995). Reflections on the commentors views. American Psychologist, 50, 169-171.
Rape Acknowledgment - Different Approaches to the Topic
Koss, M. P. (1985). The hidden rape victim: Personality, attitudinal, and situational characteristics. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 9, 193-212
Kahn, A. S., Mathie, V. A., & Torgler, C. (1994). Rape scripts and rape acknowledgment. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 18, 53-66.
Phillips, L. M. (1996, August). Constructing meaning in hetero-relations: Young women's experiences of power and desire. In R. Unger & A. Kahn (Chairs), The social construction of gender. Symposium presented at the XXVI International Congress of Psychology, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Kahn, A. S., & Andreoli Mathie, V. (in press). Understanding the unacknowledged rape victim. In C. B. Travis & J. W. White (Eds.), Sexuality, Society, and Feminism: Psychological Perspectives on Women. American Psychological Association: Washington, D.C.
Back to Traditional Social Psychology - Recent Advances
Weiner, B. (1995). Inferences of responsibility and social motivation. In M. Zanna (Ed.), Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 27, 1-47.
Roberts, T., & Pennebaker, J. W. (1995). Gender differencesin perceiving internal state: Toward a his-and-hers model of perceptual cue use. In M. Zanna (Ed.), Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 27, 143-175.
Prentice, D. A. & Miller, D. T. (1996). Pluralistic ignorance and the perpetuation of social norms by unwitting actors. In M. Zanna (Ed.), Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 28 161-209.
Jussim, L., Eccles, J., & Madon, S. (1996). Social perception, social stereotypes, and teacher expectations: Accuracy and the quest for the powerful self-fulfilling prophecy. In M. Zanna (Ed.), Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 28 281-388.
Ross, L., & Ward, A. (1995). Psychological barriers to dispute resolution. In M. Zanna (Ed.), Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 27, 255-304.