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Psychology 280
Intro to Social Psychology
Discussion Section Syllabus
Fall 2014
Section 008: Wednesday 12:00pm-1:00pm (269 Dennison)
Section 009: Wednesday 3:00pm-4:00pm (1372 East Hall)
Section 011: Wednesday 6:00pm-7:00pm (130 Dennison)
Contacting Me
GSI: Steven Tompson
Email: [email protected]
Office: 3232 East Hall and 5239 ISR
Mailbox: 3242 East Hall

Office Hours: 11am-12pm on Mondays

EMAIL: Please put PSYCH 280 as the subject. This will ensure that I prioritize and can
easily find any course-related emails. I will make every effort to respond within 24-48 hours of
receiving your email, but there may be times when my response is delayedfor instance I may
not be able to reply quickly if you email me immediately before an exam or a deadline. Email
may also be slower on weekends and holidays.
OFFICE HOURS: I enjoy meeting students during office hours! I am happy to answer questions
about lectures/readings/assignments or to just have an informal chat. Email me to set up an
appointment if you cannot meet during my office hours.
DATES AND READINGS: Please see the course syllabus (found on CTools) for all pertinent
dates, topics, readings, etc.
Discussion Section Objectives
This course reviews the field of social psychology. As your GSI, I believe that the discussion
section should serve three main purposes:
1) Help guide you to a deeper understanding of the topics drawn upon in all course material
(especially to clarify topics that may be particularly difficult or complex)
2) Make connections between each weeks topic and other things you have learned (both
in this class and other classes)
3) Foster an appreciation for how the psychological phenomena that we will discuss impact
issues in your every-day lives (this is social psychology, after all!).
To achieve this, I will facilitate discussions, present film clips and demonstrations, and organize
group activities designed to help you better comprehend and engage with the course material.
These will all provide chances to work through what you are learning in creative and thoughtprovoking ways. Therefore, discussion section will not simply be a reiteration of lecture,
although I will review and clarify anything you need.
The quality of this section is up to you! As a student in this class, you will be responsible for
regular attendance, active participation in activities and discussions, and bringing your own
ideas and questions to section each week, as well as in writing assignments. With these goals
in mind, PLEASE COME TO EACH DISCUSSION SECTION PREPARED TO DISCUSS THE
WEEKS TOPIC!
Discussion Guidelines and Tips
1. Be prepared. Read the material, attend lecture, take notes, and come to discussion with
questions and ideas. Let the class benefit from your presence.
2. Listen carefully to others ideas. Your responses should take others viewpoints into
consideration. Dont be afraid to ask questions!
3. Respect others rights to hold opinions different from yours. Challenge yourself to see
things from others points of view, regardless of how you and they may differ in terms of
race/ethnicity, gender, nationality, religion, or otherwise. Challenge the idea, not the person.
4. Allow everyone a chance to talk and ask if others have something to add. Be courteous by
not interrupting others or having private conversations while others are speaking.
Attendance and Grading

Attendance and Participation: 20 points out of the 300 total points in this course are based on
attendance and participation in discussion section (thats almost 7% of your final grade). I will
allocate the 20 points based on the following criteria:
1) Attendance (10 points): Half of your participation grade will be based on attendance in
discussion section. I will track attendance using sign-in sheets, so if you dont sign in,
you cant receive attendance points for that week! You will get two free unexcused
absences, but after that any unexcused absence will result in the loss of 1 attendance
point (see note below about what constitutes an excused absence).
2) Office Hours (5 points): Each discussion section has 25+ students and I am teaching 3
discussion sections this semester. Due to the large class sizes and overall number of
students, I am making 25% of your participation grade based on attending office hours at
least once during the first month of class. If you are unable to attend office hours due to
another conflict, you should contact me to set up an alternate meeting time.
3) Participation (5 points): The remaining 5 points of your participation grade will be
assigned based on the quality of your participation during the semester. Participation
includes actively speaking up in large group discussions, being engaged during small
group activities, and being an active listener. Participation is the expectation, and is for
your benefit. If you feel that participation or speaking up in class is difficult for you, you
are shy/uncomfortable with public speaking, please come see me. Participation and
expressing your ideas in a group context is a valuable skill that most of you will need in
the real world and you should use this time as an opportunity to develop that skill.
Note About Absences: Discussion section absences due to required attendance at religious
holiday activities, university performing arts, university scientific and artistic endeavors, or
intercollegiate athletics may be excused. For non-emergencies, you must discuss the absence
with me at least 24 hours in advance AND provide written notification (email is acceptable) of
the date and reason for all anticipated excused absences. For medical absences, a doctors
note is required. For absences related to university-sponsored events, a note from the
coach/advisor is required. Emergencies may also be excused, but students must notify me
within 24 hours of the emergency, provide written documentation of the emergency and meet
with me during office hours to discuss any missed material.
Special Circumstances: Please contact me by e-mail within the first two weeks of class if you
have any special circumstances that might affect your attendance for discussion section (e.g.
involvement in upcoming religious observances or sports team obligations).
Should you have any circumstances that may affect your participation and/or comfort in class
(e.g. having a certified disability, speaking English as a second language, or otherwise feeling
uncomfortable), please also let me know within the first two weeks of class either by e-mail or in
person so we can discuss an alternative.
Turning in Assignments and Late Policy: You must submit each writing assignment on
CTools in the Assignments tab prior to the start of the section for the week they are due (e.g.
you must submit the first writing assignment before 12:10pm, 3:10pm or 6:10pm on Wednesday,
September 17). Be aware: CTools identifies which assignments are turned in late, and anything
turned in after 12:10pm or 5:10pm (according to CTools) will not be accepted. Since you are
allowed to drop one writing assignment, no late work will be accepted.
Grading appeals: If you feel that your grade on a writing assignment or test question is unfair,

you must complete the Request to Review an Assignment sheet on CTools. After completing
this form, you should schedule a meeting with me to discuss the grade. Please note that you
have 1 week from receipt of the grade to submit the Re-Grade Request Form. After that time,
the window of opportunity to request a grading appeal closes. Please also note that if a re-grade
is granted, it is final. This is the case even if the re-grade is lower than the original grade. You
should keep this in mind when requesting an appeal.
General Policies
Discussion laptop policy. Laptops may be used only for legitimate classroom purposes.
Inappropriate laptop use is distracting to those seated around you and detracts from the overall
discussion. If you get caught using your laptop inappropriately, you will lose all
participation points for that day.
Accommodations. If you think you need an accommodation for a disability, please let me
know at your earliest convenience. Some aspects of this course, the assignments, the inclass activities, and the way the course is usually taught may be modified to facilitate your
participation and progress. As soon as you make me aware of your needs, we can work with the
Office of Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) to help us determine appropriate
academic accommodations. SSD (734-763-3000; http://www.umich.edu/sswd) typically
recommends accommodations through a Verified Individualized Services and Accommodations
(VISA) form. Any information you provide is private and confidential and will be treated as such.
Academic Dishonesty. Dont do it. Any evidence of cheating or attempts at cheating are
absolutely forbidden and will be dealt with severely. At the very least, cheating will result in
a score of 0 on the exam or assignment for everyone involved, and may include a failing grade
in the course and an appearance before the university Assistant Dean for Student Academic
Affairs. It is your responsibility to know the behaviors that constitute academic dishonesty, but
some examples include displaying an exam for others to see, looking at another students
exam, communicating with other students during an exam, lying about illness or other details
related to missed assignments or exams, and plagiarism. Even the suspicion of academic
dishonesty is enough to proceed with formal charges. If you have any questions please contact
me or see LS&As official policy at http://www.lsa.umich.edu/academicintegrity/index.html .
*Please note that information on this syllabus is subject to change.