Sociology | Society and the Individual
S230 | 21009 | Harger

The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the broad
subject of sociological social (society) psychology (the individual).
Social psychology takes a closer look at the ways that various social
contexts influence human behavior, seeking to answer questions such
as:  What causes conflict between groups?  Why do some people conform
to norms and laws while others violate them?  What causes harmful or
aggressive behavior?  Why do stereotypes persist even when our
experiences contradict them?  In attempting to answer questions such
as these, we will make use of concepts such as self, role, and
identity as well as theoretical perspectives such as role theory,
cognitive theory, and symbolic interaction theory.  Students in this
class will learn to apply these concepts and theories to movies, TV
shows, and their own social worlds.