In this course you will have the chance to focus on various aspects of individual and group psychology, focusing on how people perceive, interact with, and influence one another. We will deal with the phenomenon of mass psychology and the readiness of people to conform to group norms and obey authorities, which has been impressively demonstrated in the famous Milgram experiment. Additionally, we will address topics such as the processes of social perception (e.g. impression formation and attribution) to better understand how we evaluate others and interpret their actions. The course will also investigate the development of attitudes, stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination, with an emphasis on strategies to overcome and reduce these biases. We will also deal with the topic of love and attractiveness, uncovering the psychological factors that shape relationships and interpersonal connections. Students have the opportunity to choose from a broad range of topics to decide on the final contents of the course.
To enrich our understanding of the topic, we will also attend the lecture “Social Psychology” at the University of Graz and participate in a workshop on strategies for civil courage organized by ARGE Jugend gegen Gewalt und Rassismus.
Learning objectives:
After this course students can…
• understand how we think about and perceive others.
• recognize how attitudes are formed and changed, and understand the causes of stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination, along with strategies to overcome and reduce them.
• understand the impact of social influence, including conformity and obedience, through real-world examples like the Milgram experiment.
• examine psychological factors that influence love, attraction and friendship.
• explain group behaviour by learning about phenomena such as mass psychology, group dynamics like social loafing, and the bystander effect.
Forms of assessment:
participation,
student work (workshop tasks, writing assignments, …),
presentations
