Professor Jeremy Ginges CON.3.04

This course is compulsory on the BSc in Psychological and Behavioural Science. This course is not available as an outside option nor to General Course students.

This course builds core knowledge of Social Psychology, studying the way our thinking and behaviour is influenced by the actual, imagined or implied presence of other people. It aims to understand how thinking and behaviour depends on the connections between individuals, the groups of which they are members and the cultural settings of both. These are all understood in evolutionary context. The lectures and classes will discuss a range of social psychology topics, such as social cognition, self and identity, prejudice, group membership, crowds and collective behaviour, and social exclusion. Each topic will highlight the relations between real world problems, social psychological theory and empirical data, and draw connections to behavioural science. This course will foster a critical evaluation of social psychological science and its relation to other areas of psychological and behavioural science.

By the end of the course you should:

• Be able to present core theories and phenomena in social psychology.
• Be able to demonstrate that social psychology should be understood as both a social science and a natural science.
• Be able to draw connections between social psychology and real-world policy.

This course is delivered through a combination of lectures and classes totalling a minimum of 25 hours across Autumn Term. There is a reading week in Week 6 of Autumn Term.

Students will complete a number of pieces of formative work to cement learning and prepare for summative assessments:

• Group presentation on the topic of the week and its application to social issues.
• Plan for policy proposal.
• Practice executive summary.

• Gilovich, T., Keltner, D., Chen, S., & Nisbett, R.E. (2023) Social Psychology (6th ed.) New York, NY: Norton
• Hewstone, M., Stroebe, W., Jonas, K. (2020).  An Introduction to Social Psychology (7th ed.). Chichester: BPS Wiley.
• Hogg, M.A., & Vaughan, G.M. (2021). Social Psychology (9th ed.). Harlow: Pearson.
• Steg, L., Keizer, K.,  Buunk, A.& Rottengatter, T. (2017) Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and managing social problems (2nd ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Van Lange, P.A.M., Kruglanski, A. W., & Higgins, E.T., (Eds.) (2012) Handbook of theories of social psychology: Volume 1. London: Sage.
• Van Lange, P.A.M., Kruglanski, A. W., & Higgins, E.T., (Eds.) (2012) Handbook of theories of social psychology: Volume 2. London: Sage.

Essay (10%) in the ST.
Proposal (90%) in the AT.

Proposal and Executive Summary (90%) in AT -  Using theories and phenomena from the course you will propose a policy or project for an organisation (e.g. governmental, charity, for profit, non-profit) to address a social issue and produce a short, non-technical, Executive Summary of your proposal.

Essay (10%) in ST - Students following the BSc in Psychological and Behavioural Science will be expected to submit one 3000 word ‘Integration Essay’ in their second year. The integration essay will count towards 10% of the final mark in PB200, PB201, PB202, PB204 and PB205.  The integration essay will discuss a topic investigated in one course and use its approach to integrate and debate approaches from two other courses taken in Year 2. For example, if you choose to base your integration essay in Social Psychology: Individuals, Groups and Culture (this course) you will use a topic from this course as the basis for debating the treatment of that topic by theories from two of Biological Psychology (PB200), Cognitive Psychology (PB201), Developmental Psychology (PB202) or Individual Differences and Why They Matter (PB205).