The main objective of this course is to develop in students an appreciation for 
the ways in which social factors influence and shape human behavior and 
self-concept.  Students will exercise their  sociological imaginations by 
examining the ways in which social and historical forces affect human beings and,
in turn, are affected by them. One of the basic lessons to be learned from this
course is that human behavior cannot be understood as simply a matter of 
personality or other internalized aspects of the individual.  Human beings are
social animals, which means that we are influenced by the world around us.  This
external world includes both the aspects of the immediate situation we find
ourselves in – such as whether other people are present and the role relationships
we have with these other people – but also more “structural” forces such as our
economic situation and the culture of the social groups with which we identify. 
So, in sum, our goal is to examine these interesting linkages between our “selves”
and the society to which we belong. Specifically, this course aims to (1) to gain
an understanding of three distinctive approaches to social psychology, namely,
psychological social psychology, symbolic interactionism, and the personality and 
social structure approach; (2) to recognize human identity as a social construct 
that is made coherent through the individual’s ongoing story, or narrative, of his
or her life; and (3)to analyze some of the major human emotions (prejudice, love, 
and fear) through a personality and social structure approach.

A.  The Three Faces of Social Psychology 
    1.  The origins of contemporary social psychology 
    2.  The main differences between psychological and sociological social 
psychology 
    3.  PSP’s twin pillars: Behaviorism and the Cognitive Tradition 
    4.  The political spectrum of sociological social psychology: From conservative
exchange theory to left-radical critical theory. 

B.  The Social Sources of Identity 
    1.  The social construction of identity. 
    2.  Why are groups essential to identity? 
    3.  Is the nature of group life changing, that is, are secondary groups becoming
more significant in our daily lives than primary groups? 

C.  Is the Self “Real?” 
    1.  Socialization, Social Roles, and the Construction of the Self. 
    2.  The Dramaturgical approach to social life 
    3.  Sincerity and authenticity. 
    4.  Does the concept of “self” refer to something real or is it merely a label 
for human self-consciousness? 

D.  Strong Emotions: Hatred, Prejudice, and Love. 
    1.  Why do people hate?  Is hatred a psychological malfunction or a socially 
induced attitude? 
    2.  How could war crimes, atrocities, and genocides take place?  Are they 
possible today? 
    3.  What are the social functions of love? 
    4.  Is love inexplicable or can it be explained sociologically? 

E.  Secularization, Rituals, and Collective Solidarity 
    1.  Are cultural traditions and rituals taken seriously these days? 
    2.  Is there a difference between the Nike Swoosh and the American flag? 
    3.  Do we live in a secular culture and, if so, why do we still attend religious 
services? 
    4.  Is religiosity a social variable?  That is, does religiosity vary by age, 
generation, gender, social class, ethnicity, and region? 

F.  Life Course Issues:  Apathy, Boredom, and Human Development. 
    1.  What is flow and is the experience limited to autotelic personalities? 
    2.  What are the two moments of self-realization? 
    3.  Does self-realization have social bases?  That is, does it vary across time,
place, and social groups? 
    4.  Is apathy an increasing characteristic of our time?

All students must be familiar with university policy on cheating. See