University of Maryland University College - Europe
SOCY434	DIST-ED_EUROPE_UNDERGRAD	Term 2004/2

SOCY 434 - Sociology of Personality

Warren Johnson

Course Title:
Sociology of Personality

Faculty Contact Information:
29 August - 17 December 2005 Warren Johnson Collegiate Associate Professor  Office hours: 24/7  Email: wjohnson@faculty.ed.umuc.edu

Course Materials:
Michener, H.A., DeLamater, J.D., & Myers, D.J.(2004). Social Psychology (5th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning.

Course Description:
SOCY 434 Sociology of Personality (3) Prerequisite: SOCY 100 or SOCY 105. A study of the development of human nature and personality in contemporary social life. Topics include processes of socialization, attitudes, individual differences, and social behavior. Students may receive credit only once under this course title.

Course Goals/Objectives:
By the end of the course, the student should be able to:
* Describe how personality develops from the perspective of sociology.
* Analyze and apply the major theories and perspectives dominant in the field of sociology of personality.
* Distinguish between psychoanalytic, behavioristic, and symbolic interactionist approaches.
* Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of personality theories.
* Determine the applicability of various research styles.
* Ascertain the relationship between social roles and socialization.
* Express social psychological personality information formally in essays and tests.

Course Introduction:
Sociologists study the patterns (or routines) that emerge when individuals interact with other individuals, as well as those that come to exist when we form larger groups. Sociology of personality is the study of the influence of these patterns, and the processes of establishing patterns of social action, on the developing human personality in contemporary society. The purpose of this course is to gain insight into the patterns we establish in the ways we come to think about ourselves, and how we come to answer questions such as: Who am I? What am I doing here? and What should I be doing here? The study of sociology of personality is a course that attempts to examine some of the leading sociological interpretations of how people form shared ideas about themselves and about others, and how they use these ideas in their interactions and relationships with others. The big idea presented in this course is that our personalities are produced by our patterned use of language and by interactions we have with those who use language.

Toward the end of the course we will take a closer look at several issues such as deviance (especially mental illness) and intelligence and examine their application to understanding personality from a sociological perspective. On the whole, we will see that our personalities can be explained in terms of social patterns and the rules and reasoning underlying the patterns, just like we might explain - in a different sociology class - the patterns of a more stable social institution.

Grading Information and Criteria:
Weekly assignments and class participation 50%  Proctored midterm 25%  Final Exam 25%  A = 90% and above  B = 80%-89%  C = 70%-79%  D = 60%-69%  F = 59% or below  Written assignments will be graded for both content and writing. Assignments should be thorough, accurate, logical, and clearly organized with correct sentence structure, punctuation, and grammar. In addition, you will be expected to comment constructively on at least three other students' essays each week.

Other Information:
Other sources you might find useful if your library has them are: Eric Hoffer, The True Believer John Hewitt, Self and Society George Herbert Mead, Mind, Self and Society also available on-line at Dead Sociologists Lindesmith, Strauss and Denzin, Social Psychology

Project Descriptions:
Weekly contributions or assignments will require about 500-words to cover topics and ideas focusing on the various aspects of Personality and Society. It is expected that students will do weekly research, using sources outside of the textbooks, including internet sources, news sources, interviews, books, and articles.

Academic Policies:
Cases of plagiarism are handled consistent with current UMUC guidelines.
See the UMUC policies at the following URL:
http://www.umuc.edu/policy/

Course Schedule:
1 - Chapter 1 - Introduction to Social Psycholgy 2 - Chapter 2 - Research Methods in Social Psychology 3 - Chapter 3 - Socialization and Chapter 4 Self and Identity 4 - Chapter 5 - Social Perception and Cognition, and Chapter 6 - Attitudes 5 - Chapter 7 - Symbolic Communication and Language, 6 - Chapter 8- Social Influence and Persuasion 7 - Chapter 9 - Self Presentation and Impression Management,   Semester Break October 15-23 8 (Proctored MIDTERM EXAM) 9 - Chapter 10- Helping and Alturism and Chapter 11 - Aggession 10 - Chapter 12 - Interpesonal Attraction and Relationships, Chapter 11 - Life Course and Gender Roles 12 - Chapter 13- Group Cohesion and Group Conformity,   13 - Chapter 14 -Group Structure and Performance, Chapter 17 -Social Structure and Personality, 14 - Chapter 18 - Deviant Behavior and Social Reaction 15 - Chapter 19 - Collective Behavior and Social Movements FINAL EXAM WEEK December 10-17, 2005

Faculty Bio: