After having followed this course, students understand how interpersonal situations influence social interaction. Students will be able to critically evaluate research in this field. They will learn how structural aspects of mutual dependence influences cognitions, motivations, affect and behavior. Insights from game theory (an influential approach in psychology, sociology, economics, and behavioral biology) are applied to everyday behaviors in professional and private settings. Specific topics addressed are: (1) social identity, exclusion and the need to belong, (2) conflict and cooperation, (3) distributive and procedural justice, (4) fairness and self-interest, (5) negotiation, (6) social exchange and (7) social influence.
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The course consists of 14 meetings, twice a week for seven weeks. The meetings are run as a seminar in which scientific literature is discussed in detail. Active participation is vital for the success of the course and attendance is therefore obligatory. Each meeting will start with a presentation of a student. The goal of the presentation is to be creative and make a novel contribution to the literature. This can be an applied but also a theoretical contribution. We will then continue with an in-depth discussion of the literature and also relate this more general to how interpersonal situations influence social interactions. To facilitate the discussion all students will send in 2 questions by e-mail to the teacher of the class. The questions should be related to the actual readings of the topic of the class. The deadline of sending in the questions is 7 a.m at the day of the class.
Type of exams
The final grade of the course is based on the quality of the questions that are handed in and the individual presentation (10%), participation (10%), and a final exam (80%). To assess the quality of the questions and the presentation I will look for the ability to add something novel to the discussion. The participation grade is based on the (1) ability to give and receive critical feedback, (2) ability to speak and write proper academic English. The final exam consists of essay questions that test for insight and critical reflection on the topics discussed.
Students can only resit the entire course. What constitutes a resit of the written questions and presentation, and participation is decided by the teacher of the course. The deadline of this aspect of the final grade is the actual deadline of the resist of the final exam.
Compulsory Reading
To prepare for the first meeting students are required to read:
- Ellemers, N., & Haslam, A.S. (2012). Social identity theory. In P.A.M. van Lange, A.W. Kruglanski, & E. T. Higgins (Eds) Handbook of Theories of Social Psychology (Vol. 2, pp. 379-398). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
To prepare for the second meeting students are required to read:
- Danziger, K. (2000) Making social psychology experimental: a conceptual history, 1920-1970. Journal of the History of the Behavioral Sciences, 36, 329-347
- Baumeister, R. F., Vohs, K.D, & Funder D. C. (2007). Psychology as the science of self-reports and finger movements: Whatever happened to actual behavior? Perspectives on Psychological Science, 2, 396-403.
A list of the literature that will be discussed in remaining seminars will be announced at the first meeting.
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