Social Psychology in Film

PSY433/954

Semester 1 2004

Instructor: Professor Kipling Williams

Readings:

Assigned readings can be acquired from library or might be downloadable from this site.

Aims:

In this course, we will be examining current cutting-edge theory and research in experimental social psychology. Each week, readings (journal articles, chapters) will be assigned. On Thursdays, we will see a film that has some conceptual relation to the reading topic. Your thought paper, due Monday evening no later than 4pm, should support a thesis of your choice (see Advice For Papers on next page). These papers can be no longer than 500 words in length. Late papers will not be accepted. The papers will be marked by class time on Tuesday, and we will discuss the papers and the film during the Tuesday class session. New readings will be assigned on Thursday, another film will be shown, and so on. Although ten papers and films will be assigned, you are only required to write five of them. If you write six or more papers, the five papers with the highest marks will be counted. You will be expected to read the assigned paper(s), view the film, and take part in the discussion, whether you write the paper or not.

Marks from 1 to 10 will be given for each paper. I recently received a special rubber stamp for papers near the 1-2 range…please don’t make me use it. Course marks will be based on the five papers (80%), and class participation (20%).

These papers are not the sort of assignments you are used to. They are thought-papers, with a special emphasis on the word thought. Don’t be tempted to read only a portion of the assigned reading and think you can write a good thought-paper. It is easy for me to spot these when they happen.

If you cannot attend a film viewing on Thursday, you will need to contact Wendy Palmer (x7551) in the library to view the film there. Let her know ahead of time or else the film might be sent back before you have a chance to see it.

Schedule:

Week 1:
2 Mar, Tuesday: Organizational meeting.
4 Mar, Thursday:
Film: AN ANGEL AT MY TABLE
(1990) C-158m. D: Jane Campion. A: Kerry Fox, Alexia Keogh
Readings: MacDonald, G., & Leary, M. (2004). Why does social exclusion hurt? The relationship between social and somatic pain. Under review in Psychological Review.
Eisenberg, N. I., Lieberman, M. D., & Williams, K. D. (2003). Does rejection hurt? An fMRI study of social exclusion. Science, 302, 290-292.

Week 2:
9 Mar, Tuesday: Feedback and discussion.
11 Mar, Thursday:
Film: LOVE AND DEATH
(1975) C-82m. D: Woody Allen. A: Woody Allen, Diane Keaton
Readings: Florian, V., Mikulincer, M., & Hirschberger, G. (2002). The anxiety-buffering function of close relationships: Evidence that relationship commitment acts as a terror management mechanism. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 82, 527-542.

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Week 3:
16 Mar, Tuesday: NO CLASS—Sydney Symposium of Social Psychology
18 Mar, Thursday: NO CLASS—Sydney Symposium of Social Psychology
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Week 4:
23 Mar, Tuesday: Feedback and discussion.
25 Mar, Thursday:
Film: BEING THERE
(1979) C-130m. D: Hal Ashby. A: Peter Sellers, Shirley MacLaine, Melvyn Douglas, Jack Warden
Readings: Snyder, M., & Stukas, A. A. (1999). Interpersonal processes: The interplay of cognitive, motivational, and behavioral activities in social interaction. Annual Review of Psychology, 50, 273-303.

Week 5:
30 Mar, Tuesday: Feedback and discussion.
1 Apr, Thursday:
Film: LITTLE BIG MAN
(1970) C-139m. D: Arthur Penn. A: Dustin Hoffman, Faye Dunaway, Martin Balsam
Readings: Ellemers, N., Spears, R., & Doosje, B. (2002). Self and social identity. Annual Review of Psychology, 53, 161-186.

Week 6:
6 Apr, Tuesday: Feedback and discussion.
8 Apr, Thursday:
Film: RASHOMON
(1950) B/W-85m. D: Akira Kurosawa. A: Toshiro Mifune, Machiko Kyo, Masayuki Mori, Takashi Shimura
Readings: Greenwald, A. G. (1980). The totalitarian ego. American Psychologist, 35, 603-618. (paper due 26 Apr)

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12-28 SPRING BREAK
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Week 7:
27 Apr, Tuesday: Feedback and discussion.
29 Apr, Thursday:
Film: ALL ABOUT EVE
(1950) B&W-138m. D: Joseph L. Mankiewicz. A: Bette Davis, Ann Baxter, George Sanders
Readings: Langlois, J. H., Kalakanis, L., Rubenstein, A. J., Larson, A., Hallam, M., & Smoot, M. Maxims or myths of beauty? Meta-analytic and theoretical review. Psychological Bulletin, 126, 390-423.

Week 8:
4 May, Tuesday: Feedback and discussion, led by Andrew Jones.
6 May, Thursday:
Film: BOWLING FOR COLUMBINE
(1975) C-125m. D: Michael Moore. (Documentary) A. Charlton Heston, Marilyn Manson, Matt Stone
Readings: Anderson, C. A., & Bushman, B. J. (2002). Human aggression. Annual Review of Psychology, 53, 27-51.

Week 9:
11 May, Tuesday: Feedback and discussion.
13 May, Thursday:
Film: THE BELIEVER
(1975) C-98m. D: Henry Bean. A: Ryan Gosling, Summer Phoenix, Billy Zane, Theresa Russell
Readings: Steele, C. M. (1997). A threat is in the air: How stereotypes shape intellectual identity and performance. American Psychologist, 52, 613-629. and...

Steele, C. M., & Aronson, J. (1995). Stereotype threat and the intellectual test performance of African Americans. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 69, 797-811.

Week 10:
18 May, Tuesday: Feedback and discussion.
20 May, Thursday: Film: AUSTRALIAN RULES
(2002) C-95m. D: Paul Goldman. A: Nathan Phillips, Luke Carroll, Lisa Flanagan, Tom Budge
Readings: Hewstone, M., Rubin, M., & Willis, H. (2002). Intergroup bias. Annual Review of Psychology, 53, 575-604.

Week 11:
25 May, Tuesday: Feedback and discussion.
27 May, Thursday:
Film: LANTANA
(2001) C/B&W-121m. *** D: Ray Lawrence. A: Anthony LaPaglia, Geoffrey Rush, Barbara Hershey, Kerry Armstrong
Readings: Fitness, J. (2001). Betrayal, rejection, revenge, and forgiveness. In M. R. Leary (Ed.), Interpersonal rejection (pp. 73-104). New York: Oxford Press.

Week 12:
1 June, Tuesday: Feedback and discussion.

Week 13?

How to Write Your 2-Page Thought Papers

I realize that 500 words may seem unreasonably restricting to you, preventing you from adequately expressing your ideas. In scientific journals, psychology included, writing is necessarily concise. Specific page restrictions are enforced. Redundancy, flowery writing, and ambiguity are to be edited out. This is a difficult exercise. Your first draft for each paper will probably be 3-4 pages long. (if, on the other hand, you’re having a difficult time coming up with 500 words, then you may not be putting enough thought into your ‘thought’ papers).

You will then go through a thorough editing stage. Ask yourself these questions: Is this sentence necessary? Is this word necessary? Can I combine these two sentences? Am I straying from my main thesis?

1. State your thesis early and explicitly. Underline it, so I know where it is (or put it in ALL CAPS).

2. Do not settle for a wishy-washy thesis. Be brave enough to take a stance and argue for it. Avoid the obvious (i.e., this movie is a perfect example of this phenomenon). I am looking for clever insights.

3. Select a thesis with a narrow focus. It should be in some way an extention of the reading (not the movie). Critically analyze the reading. Take issue with the theory, the generalizations, or the way the idea was tested. Use the movie to help come up with your idea or to help illustrate your point.

4. Do not necessarily select a thesis that is the central focus of the movie or the reading. It could be a tangential issue that piqued your interest.

5. Support your thesis with persuasive arguments based upon examples from the reading and the movie.

6. Use each paragraph to make a point that will provide strength to your thesis. The point should be clear and the paragraph should be organized around it.

7. Avoid quotes, especially long ones.

8. Define important or esoteric terms. Do not assume I know what you are talking about.

9. Remember that spelling, grammar, sentence structure and organization ARE important and figure into the grading.

10. Do not end your paper with a platitude.

Generic Skills:

• Communication and Information Technology Skills (i.e., using a word processor to produce an assignment; using email to obtain and send information)
• Self-awareness (i.e., identifying and setting targets; planning how to manage my time)
• Interpersonal skills and working with others (i.e., acting as a leader in group or class activities)
• Communication skills—written and oral (i.e., taking part in discussions in small groups; writing essays)
• Information skills (i.e., knowing what questions to ask when researching a topic; judging the relevance and accuracy of information; comparing different points of view; giving my own view; bringing the information together to tell a story; finding creative ways to represent ideas)
• Problem solving (i.e., comparing alternative solutions to the same problem; reviewing progress towards solving the problem; reviewing the problem-solving approach I took; thinking creatively to identify new ideas and approaches)
• Other (i.e., critical thinking; consideration of ethics)