Courses, Online Information Systems Degree | Northwestern University School of Professional Studies - Northwestern School of Professional Studies

PSYCH 213-DL : Social Psychology

Description

The purpose of this course is to introduce students to important theory, research, and methodologies in social psychology. Social psychologists examine how people interpret the social world and investigate the influence of the social environment on individuals’ thoughts and behaviors. We will examine classic topics in social psychology: social cognition, social influence, conformity, group processes, helping, and prejudice. There will be a strong emphasis on methodology and the ways in which study design affects both the research questions one can answer and the conclusions one might draw. Because social psychologists sometimes investigate “everyday” behavior, students often believe that they can rely on intuition or common sense to learn about social psychology. Unfortunately, one core finding in social psychology is that common sense can be misleading at best and seriously biased at worst. Thus, this course will focus on how the scientific method helps to provide empirical answers to questions about humans and their social world. May not be audited. Carries social science credit.

The course is conducted completely online. A technology fee will be added to tuition.

Note: This course is limited to School of Professional Studies students only. Undergraduate students in other schools at Northwestern are not permitted to enroll in this course.

Additional Information:

Social Sciences distribution course.