PSYC2001 Social Psychology Assignment 1 Due Date: Friday 26 March, 3 pm
Assignment Objective
Relate social psychology to everyday events as reported in media.
A Step-by-Step Guide
- Search two recent (within the last 5 years) events reported in media that are relevant to some specific topics in social psychology. Before the search, I recommend browsing through the textbook to get some idea for the topics in social psychology. You are welcome to consult your tutor for advice. Media reports can include newspaper and magazine articles, TV programs (e.g., news, documentaries), reputable online media, etc. It can be reporting a local, national or international event. The two media reports can not be about the same event and can not be about the same social psychology topic.
- Summarise the media report. The summary should capture the key details but should be brief. In most cases, 1-2 well-crafted sentences are sufficient. With your summary, your reader should be able to see the gist of the report without actually reading it through.
- Discuss how the reported event is relevant to social psychology. First, briefly describe in your own words a specific topic in social psychology that is relevant to the report. Then, discuss WHY you think the topic is relevant (e.g., “I think topic X is relevant because
…”).
- Read a section in Textbook Chapter 1 that discusses how social psychology differs from other fields within psychology (e.g., clinical, personality, etc) and other fields (e.g., sociology, medicine). Discuss how the reported event may relate to the field you selected. For example, imagine how a personality psychologist or sociologist may explain the news event you selected. Select different fields for each media report.
- Read a section in Textbook Chapter 1 that discusses how social psychology differs common sense. Select one of the two media reports you discussed and answer the following questions. “In relation to the reported event, do you think social psychology provides an explanation that is different from common sense? Justify your answer.”
Possible Social Psychology topics
You should have a good understanding of the topics covered in the first few weeks of the unit. Topics covered later in the term and could be useful include: persuasion, deindividuation, groupthink, prejudice, discrimination, fundamental attribution error, self-esteem, social identity, aggression, altruism. Other topics in social psychology are fine too. I recommend browsing through the textbook (e.g., table of contents, definitions of key terms, chapter summaries).
Examples
The textbook and lectures use a number of news events to illustrate topics in social psychology, so they are good models for this assignment. A few recent news events that you may find relevant for this assignment are: COVID, U.S. presidential election.
Structuring Your Report
Introduction is not needed for this assignment. You can directly start with your first summary (Step 2). Afterwards, introduce your topic and demonstrate its relevance to the reported event (Step 3). Discuss how the reported even is relevant to another field of study (Step 4). Next, introduce your second media report and repeat the process. End your paper with Step 5.
Attach the two media reports, just the first part for each, to your paper. We may check these to ensure the accuracy of your summary.
References (there won’t be many of them in this assignment) should be listed following the APA style. You don’t need to cite the news reports using the APA style and they do not need to appear in the References. You can simply refer them as “my first report,” “my second report” within your paper.
Formatting Requirements
- Maximum of 3 pages––page 4 onward will not be read. Title page, references, and media reports to be attached do not count towards the 3 pages.
- Title page should list your name and student ID.
- Please DON’T append assignment cover sheet and DON’T add the student declaration statement (“I declare that this assignment is …”) as these will affect the Turnitin originality report.
- Font: Times New Roman, 12 point
- 2.5cm borders (top, bottom, & sides)
- Double-spaced lines
- Follow APA 7th ed. guidelines for referencing.
Submitting Your Report
Submit through the Turnitin portal on the unit Blackboard page by the due date. There is a penalty for late submission as detailed in the unit outline.
Frequently Asked Questions
- If the news report can be linked to many different topics in social psychology do we discuss all of them or just pick one?
- Please just pick one.
- Are obedience and compliance the same topic because they are both covered under social influence?
- They are two different topics for the purpose of this assignment.
- Is it ok to cite the textbook?
- Yes
- Can we cite lectures notes?
- I’d discourage this. Original sources are usually mentioned in the lecture notes, and please cite these sources.
- Do the media reports we choose have to be related to a significant news event?
- It does not have to be a significant news event. For example, something mundane is fine if you see some relevance to social psychology.
- How do I append the media reports?
- Please attach a screenshot of your two media reports at the end of your paper. Only the first page is needed.
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