I am sure the reputation of the course precedes itself (and me). Yes, it is a tough class. I have to try and cover an entire sub-topic of psychology in a semester at the grad-level. However, in Spring of 2015, dissatisfied with the old text and format, I completely revamped the course and now am constantly updating it with readings. Some readings will be journal articles, some will be chapters from either the new assigned text by Susan Fiske or from other Handbooks, others may be blogs, videos, or TED talks. They will center around what are current topics in social psychology. Note, one of the reasons I assign the Fiske text is because if you need a comprehensive, accessible (e.g., not as dense as the Handbooks of Social Psychology), introduction to social psychology, it is a go-to text. Thus, it will prove a useful reference for studying for, say, comps or for looking up information. However, as this is an advanced graduate seminar we really need more to dig into than basic terminology. Hence, the new format with contemporary articles. I want you to be able to go to source articles, digest them, and discuss them.
I'm not doing this alone. It is not my goal to talk at you. I find I learn a lot every semester from the interaction with new students (and their new perspectives). In fact Spring of 2015 was so great I am still in touch with the majority of the students and incorporated three onto a grant inspired by class discussions on rejection which was funded by the National Institute of Justice for $1.6 million for 3 years. So this is no ordinary class.
Thus each week a student or students (depending on class size and topic areas) will lead discussion on their choice of class topics. Discussion leading means making yourself the "expert" on a topic for the week. Meaning you are expected to do all the readings and find some interesting extra resources to share with the class (don't go overboard - tell a story with your presentation rather than engaging in an info-dump so only use the articles that help shape that story. Remember just because you read it doesn't mean you have to tell us about it). For any new material, you should be able to explain the article to the class such that they can comprehend it without having read it, and it needs to contribute to addressing core question of the week. (If you have a co-leader, please check with your co-leader to ensure that they do not choose the same extra reading as you.)
All readings must be from within the last five years and need to be STRONG papers (not the shortest article you can find from the lowest impact journal). These extra readings can be uploaded in the "Your Contribution" forms embedded at the bottom of each topics page. The same is expected of students who do some extra footwork and find extra articles to support the blogs they choose to submit for grading.
I'm not doing this alone. It is not my goal to talk at you. I find I learn a lot every semester from the interaction with new students (and their new perspectives). In fact Spring of 2015 was so great I am still in touch with the majority of the students and incorporated three onto a grant inspired by class discussions on rejection which was funded by the National Institute of Justice for $1.6 million for 3 years. So this is no ordinary class.
Thus each week a student or students (depending on class size and topic areas) will lead discussion on their choice of class topics. Discussion leading means making yourself the "expert" on a topic for the week. Meaning you are expected to do all the readings and find some interesting extra resources to share with the class (don't go overboard - tell a story with your presentation rather than engaging in an info-dump so only use the articles that help shape that story. Remember just because you read it doesn't mean you have to tell us about it). For any new material, you should be able to explain the article to the class such that they can comprehend it without having read it, and it needs to contribute to addressing core question of the week. (If you have a co-leader, please check with your co-leader to ensure that they do not choose the same extra reading as you.)
All readings must be from within the last five years and need to be STRONG papers (not the shortest article you can find from the lowest impact journal). These extra readings can be uploaded in the "Your Contribution" forms embedded at the bottom of each topics page. The same is expected of students who do some extra footwork and find extra articles to support the blogs they choose to submit for grading.