Social Psychology Module Outline FNBE Sept 2015

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SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE, BUILDING & DESIGN
Center for Modern Architecture Studies in Southeast Asia
Foundation in Natural and Built Environments
Subject Name: Social Psychology (PSYC0103)
Credit hours: 3
Prerequisite: None
L ectu rer : Mr. T.Shankar
Module Synopsis
The module provides a broad introduction to the field of social psychology. It examines the processes that
underlie social behaviour and discusses solutions and approaches to a variety of problems and issues. As
the human family stands on the brink of a new beginning, the condition of our present lives suggests that we
should address issues that have confronted mankind in the previous millennium. It should also equip
students with the necessary knowledge and skills to address contemporary issues, thus enabling them to
focus attention on the future without losing sight of the present. The module begins at the micro level and
moves through human interaction to the macro level. The underlying premise is that the individual needs to
empower him/herself first before he/she interacts effectively with others. As such, students are introduced to
their self, the processing of social information processing and attitudes is explored within the specific
framework of prejudice and stereotypes. From this focus on their self, the module moves into the realm of
interpersonal relations, beginning with attraction and altruism and then on to the darker side to explore
aggression. It also addresses the arena of social interactions by examining group behaviour and the
influence within social settings. The journey ends by examining how social behaviour is affected by the culture
in which it takes place. Indeed, the end of the course heralds the beginning of a richer and fuller life for
many of us.
Module Teaching Objectives
 Provide a clear, informative, challenging, exciting and personal introduction to Social Psychology.
 Enable students to gain an increased awareness and sharpened sensitivity to human behaviour to
enable them to relate meaningfully with others.
 Enable students become aware that human thoughts, feelings and actions do not originate solely within
ourselves but also the products of social situations.
 Gain a new vision of the human experience and emerge as active and critical participants in an ever-
changing world.
Modes of Delivery
This is a 3 credit hour module conducted over a period of 18 weeks. The modes of delivery will be in the form
or lectures. The breakdown of the contact hours for the module is as follows:
Lecture: 3 hours/week
Tutorial: 0 hour/week
Self-Study: 2 hours/week
Office Hours
You areencouragedtovisit the instructor/lecturer/tutorconcernedfor assistance during office hours. If the office
hours do not meet your schedule, notifythe instructor and set appointment times as needed.

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Taylor’s Graduate Capabilities(TGC)
The teaching and learning approach at Taylor’s University is focused on developing the Taylor’s Graduate
Capabilitiesinits students; capabilitiesthatencompasstheknowledge,cognitivecapabilitiesandsoftskills of our
graduates.
Discipline Specific Knowledge
TGCs Acquired
Through Module
Learning Outcomes
1.0 DisciplineSpecificKnowledge
1.1 Solidfoundationalknowledge inrelevantsubjects 1-3
1.2 Understand ethicalissuesinthe contextof the fieldof study
Cognitive Capabilities
2.0 LifelongLearning
2.1 Locateandextractinformationeffectively
2.2 Relatelearnedknowledge toeveryday life
3.0 ThinkingandProblemSolvingSkills
3.1 Learnto thinkcriticallyandcreatively 1,2
3.2 Defineand analyse problemsto arrive at effective solutions 3
Soft Skills
4.0 CommunicationSkills
4.1 Communicateappropriatelyinvarious setting and modes 1,3
5.0 InterpersonalSkills
5.1 Understandteam dynamicsandworkwith others ina team
6.0 IntrapersonalSkills
6.1 Manageoneselfand beself-reliant -
6.2 Reflecton one’sactionsandlearning. -
6.3 EmbodyTaylor's corevalues. -
7.0 Citizenshipand GlobalPerspectives
7.1 Be awareand form opinionsfrom diverse perspectives. -
7.2 Understandthe value of civic responsibilityandcommunityengagement. -
8.0 DigitalLiteracy
8.1
Effective useof informationandcommunication(ICT)andrelated
technologies.
-

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General Rules and Regulations (Refer to programme guide and student handbook 2012)
Late Submission Penalty
The School imposes a late submission penalty for work submitted late without a valid reason e.g. a medical
certificate. Any work submitted after the deadline (which may have been extended) shall have the
percentage grade assigned to the work on face value reduced by 10% for the first day and 5% for each
subsequent day late. A weekend counts as 1 day.
Individual members of staff shall be permitted to grant extensions for assessed work that they have set if they
are satisfied that a student has given good reasons.
The Board of Examiners may overrule any penalty imposed and allow the actual mark achieved to be used if
the late submission was for a good reason.
Absenteeism at intermediate or final presentations will result in zero mark for that presentation.
Attendance and Participation
Attendance is compulsory. Any student who arrives late after the first half-hour of class will be considered as
absent. A minimum of 80% attendance is required to pass this module and/or be eligible for the final
examination. You are expected to attend and participate actively in class. The lectures and tutorials will
assist you in expanding your ideas and your research progression.
Your work will be graded based on your performance throughout the semester. Your class participation is as
important as the end product.
It is compulsory for the student to attempt and submit all assessment components including Portfolio.
Failing to do so will result in failing the module irrespective of the marks earned.
It is also compulsory for the student to submit the final group assignment. Groups who do not submit final
group assignments will result in failing the module even though the student has achieved more than 50% in
the overall assessment.
Plagiarism (TU Student Handbook 2011)
Plagiarism, which is an attempt to present another person’s work as your own by not acknowledging the
source, is a serious case of misconduct which is deemed unacceptable by the University. "Work" includes
written materials such as books, journals and magazine articles or other papers and also includes films and
computer programs. The two most common types of plagiarism are from published materials and other
students’ works
a. Published Materials
In general, whenever anything from someone else’s work is used, whether it is an idea, an opinion or the
results of a study or review, a standard system of referencing should be used. Examples of plagiarism may
include a sentence or two, or a table or a diagram from a book or an article used without acknowledgement.
Serious cases of plagiarism can be seen in cases where the entire paper presented by the student is copied
from another book, with an addition of only a sentence or two by the student. While the former can be
treated as a simple failure to cite references, the latter is likely to be viewed as cheating in an examination.
Though most assignments require the need for reference to other peoples’ works, in order to avoid
plagiarism, students should keep a detailed record of the sources of ideas and findings and ensure that
these sources are clearly quoted in their assignment. Note that plagiarism refers to materials obtained from the
Internet too.
b. Other Students’ Work
Circulating relevant articles and discussing ideas before writing an assignment is a common practice.
However, with the exception of group assignments, students should write their own papers. Plagiarising the
work of other students into assignments includes using identical or very similar sentences, paragraphs or
sections. When two students submit papers which are very similar in tone and content, both are likely to be
penalised.

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Student-Centered Learning Approach
This module uses the Student-centered Learning (SCL) approach. Utilization of this method embodies most of
the principles known to improve learning and to encourage student’s participation. SCL requires students to
be active, RESPONSIBLE participants in their own learning and the teachers are to facilitate the students
learning process. Various teaching and learning strategies such as experiential learning, problem-based
learning, site visits, group discussions, presentations, working in group and etc. will be employed to facilitate
the learning process for this module.
In SCL students are to be:
 active in their own learning
 self-directed to be responsible to enhance their learning abilities
 able to cultivate skills that are useful in today’s workplace
 active knowledge seekers
 active players in a teamwork
TIMeS
TIMeS will be used as a communication tool and information portal for students to access module materials,
project briefs, assignments and announcements.
Contact
Lecturer: Mr. T. Shankar Email shankar@themindfaculty.com
Office Hours
Students are encouraged to visit the lecturer concerned for assistance. Please email the lecturer to
schedule an appointment.
Types of Assessment and Feedback
Each student will be graded in the form of formative and summative assessments that will be provided in class
sessions. Formative assessments will guide the student in the assignments. This form of assessment will be
conducted through discussions in tutorial sessions. Summative assessment will inform the student about the
level of understanding and performance capabilities achieved at the end of each assessment. Portfolio is used
as a reflection of the acquisition of learning outcomes.

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Assessment Plan
Type Learning outcomes Submission Marks
Assignment 1: Journal Individual 1-3 Week 4 and Week 12 20%
Assignment 2: Comic
Strip
Group 1-3 Week 5 10%
Project:
Report + Group
Presentation
Group
2,3,4
Week 16 (report) and
Week 17/18 (presentation) 30%
Test 1 & 2 Individual 1, 4 Week 5 and Week 10 30%
E-Portfolio Individual Week 18 10%
Total 100%
Coursework
This module will be graded in the form of coursework and one mid-term test. It consists of 3 projects, a
presentation, in class assignment and a test.
Assignment 1: Journal (20%)
The first assignment requires student to write a journal by incorporating the concepts learned in lectures. The
journal is designed to assess students’ ability in applying theories and concepts to their personal lives and
that of others.
Assignment 2: Comic Strip (10%)
The second project requires student to draw a comic. On the day of submission, there will be an oral examination
whereby you will need to briefly explain your mind map/comic and I will ask you questions on the chapter
Project: Video Clip, Report, Presentation. (30%)
The third project consisted of 3 components which include making up a video clip by incorporating the
concepts learned in class, written report of the clip and presenting the clip to the class. This project allows
students to recognize and identify the connections among concepts and perspectives within psychology and
with other disciplines. This project allows students to engage in psychological inquiry and become self-
regulated learners.
Test (30%)
The test is designed to assess the ability of the students in defining and explain psychological content such
as concepts, facts, terms, and theories and remember them. The format of the assessment will be multiple
choice questions.
Taylor’s Graduate’s Capability Portfolio (10%)
The portfolio is an edited document to include all the work produced in this module Students will compile
their assignments and selected work digitally with a reflection on what they have learned from each
assignment this semester. The portfolio is used to as a record of students’ progress and reflections of the
acquisition of Learning Outcomes.
Please refer to the assignment briefs for more information.

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Student Input
Student participation is encouraged through various means. In this module, students have the opportunity to
participate in the following ways:
 Students’ ideas and questions are welcomed, valued and encouraged.
 Student input is sought to understand their perspectives, ideas and needs in planning module revision.
 Students are offered opportunities to give feedback with the assurance that issues will be addressed in
response to that feedback.
 Student evaluation allows their views and experiences about the sessions are actively sought and used
as an integral part of improvement in teaching and continuous improvement.
Marks and Grading Table
Assessments and grades will be returned within 2 weeks of your submission. You will be given
the grades and necessary feedback for each submission. The grading system is shown below:
Grade Marks
Grade
Points
Definition Description
A 80 – 100 4.00 Excellent
Evidence of original thinking; demonstrated outstanding
capacity to analyze and synthesize; outstanding grasp of
module matter; evidence of extensive knowledge base
A- 75 – 79 3.67 Very Good
Evidence of good grasp of module matter; critical capacity
and analytical ability; understanding of relevant issues;
evidence of familiarity with the literature
B+ 70 – 74 3.33
Good
Evidence of grasp of module matter; critical capacity and
analytical ability, reasonable understanding of relevant
issues; evidence of familiarity with the literatureB 65 – 69 3.00
B- 60 – 64 2.67
Pass
Evidence of some understanding of the module matter;
ability to develop solutions to simple problems; benefitting
from his/her university experience
C+ 55 – 59 2.33
C 50 – 54 2.00
D+ 47 – 49 1.67
Marginal
Pass
Evidence of minimally acceptable familiarity with module
matter, critical and analytical skills
D 44 – 46 1.33
D- 40 – 43 1.00
F 0 – 39 0.00 Fail
Insufficient evidence of understanding of the module matter;
weakness in critical and analytical skills; limited or irrelevant
use of the literature
WD - - Withdrawn
Withdrawn from a module before census date, typically mid
semester
F(W) 0 0.00 Fail Withdrawn after census date, typically mid semester
IN - - Incomplete
An interim notation given for a module where a student has
not completed certain requirements with valid reason or it is
not possible to finalise the grade by the published deadline
P - - Pass Given for satisfactory completion of practicum
AU - - Audit
Given for a module where attendance is for information only
without earning academic credit