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Syllabus |
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Dr. Hal S. Bertilson |
Old Main, Room 324-E University of Wisconsin-Superior Belknap & Catlin, PO Box 2000 Superior, Wisconsin 54880-4500 |
| Homepage: The syllabus and all assignments may be found at http://frontpage.uwsuper.edu/psychology/ | |
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Professor Bertilson emphasizes the opportunity to relate psychological concepts to personal experience. Theory and application are more meaningful and useful that way and remembered better. Brief writing and discussion assignments assist in meeting this goal.
Dr. Bertilson received a teaching award at Weber State University and professional service awards at Weber State University and the University of Wisconsin-Superior. Professor Bertilson's research has been recognized by Saint Joseph's University, the University of Nebraska Graduate School, and the International Society for Research on Aggression. Dr. Bertilson has held faculty appointments at Eastern Montana College, Concordia College, Weber State University, and St. Joseph's University. He served as a college dean at the University of Nebraska-Kearney and Vice Chancellor/Provost at UW-Superior. He is a Professor of Psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Superior. |
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| Community Work. Dr. B. is coordinator for the Amnesty International local group #642, serves on the Unitarian Universalist Peace and Justice Committee, and serves as a co-advisor for the UW-Superior Amnesty International student club and the UW-Superior International Peace Studies Association. | |
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Tentative Office Hours. The following are Dr. Bertilson's tentative office hours. Exceptions for faculty committee meetings, symposia, workshops, and research are inevitable. Dr. B. will make a special effort to be available at the office hours listed below. Dr. B's full schedule of classes, meetings, and office hours for the next five days may be found on the web at http://frontpage.uwsuper.edu/psychology/ To be certain that he will be in his office, you are advised to sign up on his office door for an appointment or make an appointment via email. Of course you are always welcome to stop by and visit. |
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| Mondays | 10:00 AM - 10:50 AM | Dr. Bertilson will usually be on campus from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM | |
| Tuesdays | 3:00 PM - 3:50 PM | Other times by appointment | |
| Wednesdays | 10:00 AM - 10:50 AM | Dr. Bertilson will usually be on campus from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM | |
| Thursdays | 3:00 PM - 3:50 PM | Other times by appointment | |
| Fridays | 10:00 AM - 10:50 AM | Dr. Bertilson will usually be on campus from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM | |
| Comment on Availability of Dr. B. It is important that I be available to answer your questions and visit with you about your academic and future professional careers. Please do not hesitate to ask to meet with Dr. B. at times other than those listed above. Office space in Old Main is far too restricted to permit Dr. B. to do his studying, classroom participation, and research on campus. He has moved his books and files to his home office and works there. This allows him to have all of his resources in one place. But if you need to meet Dr. B. at a different time than the hours listed above send Dr. B. and email and we will find a time that is convenient to both of us. | |||
| Course Description. Violence and aggression abounds in our world. How are we to understand it's causes, control, and prevention? Psychology 317 is intended to suggest answers to these questions. The issues to be included are both practical and theoretical. The practical includes such concerns as wife abuse, rape, murder, criminally violent behavior, the effects of alcohol on aggression, frustration and aggression, anger and aggression, attack-instigated aggression, impulsive aggression, violence prone men and women, psychopaths, gender differences in aggression, prejudice and interracial aggression, destructive obedience, the effects of television on aggression, pornography and aggression, and the prevention of violence. Global issues of violence will also be discussed including such contemporary problems as terrorism, hostage taking, rioting, war, and genocide. The theory will assist students in extracting the psychological features of the world that stimulate and inhibit aggression. (Cross-listed as CJUS 317.) | |
| Master Course Objectives: By the end of this course the student should: | |
| 1. | Be able to engage in informed reading, writing, and discussion of key concepts of interpersonal, community, and global violence. The inducements for meeting this objective are writing/discussion assignments and the term project. |
| 2. | Be literate in interpersonal, community, and global violence. Know the key concepts and applications of knowledge. This objective will be measured by tests. |
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Instructional Materials for Fall 2010: One copy of textbooks listed below are on 4-hour reserve or will be on 4-hour reserve very soon. That should be helpful to students who cannot afford to buy a textbook Aronson, E. (2000). Nobody left to hate: Teaching compassion after Columbine. Worth. (Required; Paper). [A copy of Aronson is available on two-hour reserve at the library]. Pilisuk, M. (2208). Who benefits from global violence and war: Uncovering a destructive system (with Jennifer Achord Rountree). Wesport, CT: Greenwood/Praeger. Zimbardo, P. (2007). The lucifer effect: Understanding how good people turn evil. Random House. |
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| Additional Resources: Several additional resources may be of interest to students. The American Psychological Association web page (http://www.apa.org/students/) has links to sections on mapping out your college career, graduate school, code of ethics, code of fair testing, free on-line products, and career options in psychology. Psychology: Careers for the twenty-first century (1988) by the American Psychological Association may be ordered through the UW-Superior Bookstore. | |
| Attendance, Class Accommodations, Safe Learning Environments, and Support Services. For information on incomplete grades, important dates, helpful phone numbers, statement of academic honesty, and other policies that may affect you see UW-Superior Policies | |
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Course Requirements and Grading |
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| Components of the Grade. Your final grade will be based on your performance in three grading categories. The following table shows how much each category counts toward your grade. Following that is a description of each category: | ||
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Percent of |
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| Unit exams (4) and a final exam | 50% | |
| Daily writing and discussion assignments | 25% | |
| Attendance | 10% | |
| Term project (Decision on whether there will be a term project has not been made as of 7-30-10) | 15% | |
| Total | 100% | |
| Exams. Each unit exam will cover material from one section only. Exams will contain explain, define, and short-answer essay questions from the textbook and lectures. Questions for the Final Exam may be found at Final Exam. | |||
| Grading | A | 92-100 | |
| A- | 90-92 | ||
| B+ | 88-90 | ||
| B | 83-88 | ||
| B- | 81-83 | ||
| C+ | 79-81 | ||
| C | 74-79 | ||
| C- | 72-74 | ||
| D+ | 70-72 | ||
| D | 65-70 | ||
| D- | 63-65 | ||
| F | >63 | ||
| Daily Writing and Discussion Assignments. Read the assignment. Write a short, informal writing assignment to prepare you for the discussion. Participate in small group discussion where you will deepen your understanding of the assignment. Further information will be provided in a separate document and explained in class (Writing/Discussion Assignment) | |||
| Term Project. The term project is designed to be an opportunity for students to study concepts and theories in more depth than the brief presentation in the textbook and to relate them to their lives. Further information will be provided in a separate document and explained in class (Term Project-link to be added) | |||
| Course Reading and Test Schedule | ||
| The following is a tentative reading and test schedule. Changes may be made to accommodate various opportunities and needs. Actual assignments will be specified in the writing and discussion assignments. | ||
| Class time each day will include videos, small group discussions, and lectures on research methodology, theories of aggression, genocide, terrorism, and war. | ||
| Reading Assignments | ||
| Friday, September 3 | ||
| --- | Introduction to the course | |
| Wednesday, September 8 | ||
| Aronson Preface (ix-xi) Aronsn Chapter 1. What happened at Columbine? (1-20) |
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| Friday, September 10 | ||
| Aronson Chapter 2. Some things you need to know about humans as social animals (21-44) | ||
| Monday, September 13 | ||
| Aronson Chapter 3. Dealing with disasters, Part 1: Pump-handle interventions. (45-67) Pilisuk Introduction (ix-xii) |
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| Wednesday, September 15 | ||
| Aronson Chapter 4. Dealing with disasters: Part 2: The importance of root cause interventions (69-88) Pilisuk Chapter 1 the costs of modern war (1-6) |
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| Friday, September 17 | ||
| Aronson Chapter 5. Root cause interventions, Part 1: Can't we all just get along? (89-124) Pilisuk Chapter 1 continued (6-12) |
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| Monday, September 20 | ||
| Aronson Chapter 6. Root cause interventions, Part 2: Building cooperation, empathy, and compassion in the classroom. (125-146) | ||
| Wednesday, September 22 | ||
| Test 1 | ||
| Friday, September 24 | ||
| Aronson Chapter 6 continued (147-168) Aronson Chapter 7. Summary and conclusions: It ain't what we say that counts, it's what we do (169-178) |
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| Monday, September 27 | ||
| Zimbardo Preface pages ix-xiv Zimbardo Chapter 1 The psychology of evil: Situated character transformations pages 3-11 Pilisuk Chapter 1 continued (12-18) |
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| Wednesday, September 29 | ||
| Zimbardo Chapter 1 continued pp. 12-22 Pilisuk Chapter 1 continued (19-24) |
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| Friday, October 1 | ||
| Zimbardo Chapter 2 Sunday's surprise arrests pages 23-39 Pilisuk Chapter 1 continued (24-28) |
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| Monday, October 4 | ||
| Zimbardo Chapter 3 Let Sunday's degradation rituals begin pages 40-56 Pilisuk Chapter 2. Killing: War and the minds of men (29-34) |
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| Wednesday, October 6 | ||
| Zimbardo Chapter 4 Monday's prisoner rebellion pages 57-79 |
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| Friday, October 8 | ||
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Test 2 |
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| Monday, October 11 | ||
| Zimbardo Chapter 5 Tuesday's double trouble: Visitors and rioters pages 80-99 Pilisuk chapter 2 continued (34-40) |
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| Wednesday, October 13 | ||
| Zimbardo Chapter 6 Wednesday is spiraling out of control pages 100-129 Pilisuk Chapter 2 continued (40-47) |
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| Friday, October 15 | ||
| Zimbardo Chapter 7. The power to parole pages130-153 Pilisuk Chapter 3. The hidden structure of violence (48-54) |
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| Monday, October 18 | ||
| Zimbardo Chapter 8 Thursday's reality confrontations pages 154-173 Pilisuk Chapter 3 continued (54-59) |
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| Wednesday, October 20 | ||
| Zimbardo Chapter 9 Friday's fade to black pages 174-194 Pilisuk Chapter 3 continued (59-66) |
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| Friday, October 22 | ||
| Zimbardo Chapter 10 The SPE's meaning and messages: The alchemy of character transformations pages 195-218 Pilisuk Chapter 3 continued (66-71) |
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| Monday, October 25 | ||
| Zimbardo Chapter 10 continued 218-228 Pilisuk Chapter 4. People, farmland, and narcotics (72-80) |
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| Wednesday, October 27 | ||
| Zimbardo Chapter 11 The SPE: Ethics and extensions pages 229-257 Pilisuk Chapter 4 continued (80-87) |
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| Friday, October 29 | ||
| Zimbardo Chapter 12 Investigating social dynamics: Power, conformity, and obedience pages 258-281 Pilisuk Chapter 4 continued (87-94) |
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| Monday, November 1 | ||
| Test 3 | ||
| Wednesday, November 3 | ||
| Zimbardo Chapter 12 continued 281-296 | ||
| Friday, November 5 | ||
| Zimbardo Chapter 13 Investigating social dynamics: Deindividuation, dehumanization, and the evil of inaction pages 297-323 | ||
| Monday, November 8 | ||
| Zimbardo Chapter 14 Abu Ghraib's abuses and tortures: Understanding and personalizing its horrors pages 324-350 | ||
| Wednesday, November 10 | ||
| Zimbardo Chapter 14 continued (350-379) | ||
| Friday, November 12 | ||
| Zimbardo Chapter 15 Putting the system on trial: Command complicity (380-408) | ||
| Monday, November 15 | ||
| Zimbardo Chapter 15 continued (408-443 | ||
| Wednesday, November 17 | ||
| Zimbardo Chapter 16 Resisting situational influences and celebrating heroism pages 444-460 | ||
| Friday, November 19 | ||
| Zimbardo Chapter 16 continued 460-489 | ||
| Monday, November 22 | ||
| Test 4 | ||
| Friday, November 24 | ||
| Pilisuk Chapter 5. Networks of power (95-115) | ||
| Monday, November 29 | ||
| Pilisuk Chapter 5. continued (115-129) |
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| Wednesday, December 1 | ||
| Pilisuk Chapter 6 RealPolitik strategies and tactics for winning (130-147) | ||
| Friday, December 3 | ||
| Pilisuk Chapter 6 continued (147-162) |
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| Monday, December 6 | ||
| Pilisuk chapter 7 Disinformation (163-180) | ||
| Wednesday, December 8 | ||
| Pilisuk Chapter 7 continued (180-198) | ||
| Friday, December 10 | ||
| Pilisuk Chapter 8. Values and habits that maintain a violent system (199-212) | ||
| Monday, December 13 | ||
| Pilisuk Chapter 8 continued (212-225) | ||
| Wednesday, December 15 | ||
| Test 5 | ||
| Friday, December 17 | ||
| 3:00 PM - 5:00 Final exam Don't take chances in wintery conditions. If the roads are dangerous today, the final exam can be taken at a different time. | ||
| Tuesday, December 22 | ||
| 4:30 PM Deadline for accepting late papers and late tests. If that is a hardship, Dr. B. is open to giving students incompletes and allowing them to complete the work in 2010. | ||