Course Outline

PSY204 Social Psychology

Course Coordinator:Kay Pozzebon (kpozzebo@usc.edu.au) School:School of Health - Psychology

2026Trimester 2

UniSC Sunshine Coast

UniSC Moreton Bay

Blended learning Most of your course is on campus but you may be able to do some components of this course online.

Please go to unisc.edu.au for up to date information on the
teaching sessions and campuses where this course is usually offered.

What is this course about?

Description

Social Psychology examines the connections between individual psychology and the social environment and introduces you to key concepts in the application of social psychological theory. Developing understandings, concepts, and theories explored in Introduction to Psychology, you will examine perceptions of self as a social being, perception of others (attitudes, forming impressions, and close relationships), group processes and influences, and social motives.

How will this course be delivered?

Activity Hours Beginning Week Frequency
Blended learning
Learning materials – Online learning materials. 1hr Week 1 12 times
Tutorial/Workshop 1 – 12 weeks of on campus workshops 2hrs Week 1 12 times

Course Topics

  • Self (adult themes)
  • Inter-Individual Processes (adult themes)
  • Group Processes (adult themes)
  • Social Motives (adult themes)

Mature Content

Adult themes

What level is this course?

200 Level (Developing)

Building on and expanding the scope of introductory knowledge and skills, developing breadth or depth and applying knowledge and skills in a new context. May require pre-requisites where discipline specific introductory knowledge or skills is necessary. Normally, undertaken in the second or third full-time year of an undergraduate programs.

What is the unit value of this course?

12 units

How does this course contribute to my learning?

Course Learning Outcomes On successful completion of this course, you should be able to... Graduate Qualities Mapping Completing these tasks successfully will contribute to you becoming... Professional Standard Mapping * Australian Psychology Accreditation Council
1 Explain concepts, theories, and research relating to the study of social psychology. Knowledgeable
1.1.10, 1.3, 1.6
2 Explain and apply social psychology and cultural responsiveness to individuals, groups, and issues. Knowledgeable
Empowered
1.1.10, 1.2, 1.6
3 Discuss and evaluate the scientific method and methodological issues. Knowledgeable
1.1.10, 1.1.12, 1.3
4 Communicate knowledge appropriately for the psychology discipline. Empowered
1.3

* Competencies by Professional Body

CODE COMPETENCY
Australian Psychology Accreditation Council
1.1.10 Graduates will be able to comprehend and apply a broad and coherent body of knowledge of psychology, with depth of understanding of underlying principles, theories and concepts in the discipline, using a scientific approach, including social psychology
1.1.12 Graduates will be able to comprehend and apply a broad and coherent body of knowledge of psychology, with depth of understanding of underlying principles, theories and concepts in the discipline, using a scientific approach, including research methods and statistics
1.2 Graduates will be able to apply knowledge and skills of psychology in a manner that is reflexive, culturally appropriate and sensitive to the diversity of individuals.
1.3 Graduates will be able to analyse and critique theory and research in the discipline of psychology and communicate these in written and oral formats.
1.6 Graduates will be able to demonstrate self-directed pursuit of scholarly inquiry in psychology.

Am I eligible to enrol in this course?

Refer to the UniSC Glossary of terms for definitions of “pre-requisites, co-requisites and anti-requisites”.

Pre-requisites

PSY100 and PSY101

Co-requisites

Not applicable

Anti-requisites

Not applicable

Specific assumed prior knowledge and skills (where applicable)

Not applicable

Microcredential Information

Not applicable

How am I going to be assessed?

Grading Scale

Standard Grading (GRD)

High Distinction (HD), Distinction (DN), Credit (CR), Pass (PS), Fail (FL).

Details of early feedback on progress

Formative feedback on your academic progress will be available early in the trimester. Questions will be provided online with formative feedback given once submitted.

Assessment tasks

Delivery mode Task No. Assessment Product Individual or Group Weighting % What is the duration / length? When should I submit? Where should I submit it?
All 1 Written Piece Individual 30%
600 words
Refer to Format Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check
All 2 Essay Individual 45%
1,900 words
Refer to Format Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check
All 3 Examination - Centrally Scheduled Individual 25%
1 hour
Exam Period Online Submission
All - Assessment Task 1:Cultural Responsiveness in Society
Goal:
The goal is to develop your knowledge and application of cultural responsiveness from a social psychology perspective.
Product: Written Piece
Authorship Statement:
Format:
From the set list provided, you will be required to choose one organisation and one cultural issue/perspective and outline how cultural responsiveness can be developed.

A more detailed outline of the requirements of this assessment will be provided online in Week 1.

This assessment task will be due between Weeks 4 - 6 of the teaching trimester. The final date of submission for this task will be determined once public holidays and the course timetable have been published prior to the commencement of trimester. Please refer to your course Canvas site at the commencement of the teaching trimester to confirm the due date for this assessment task.
Criteria:
No. Learning Outcome assessed
1
Demonstrated understanding of social psychology in context of cultural responsiveness.
1 2
2
Appropriate application and justification of the cultural responsiveness knowledge/awareness/sensitivity.
2
3
Correct and appropriate writing and referencing for psychology.
4
Generic Skills:
All - Assessment Task 2:Critical Essay
Goal:
In this assessment task, you will need to find relevant research and critically review the research in a manner that is appropriate for the psychology discipline.
Product: Essay
Authorship Statement:
Format:
You will be required to choose your own topic of interest (be guided by the list of contents of your prescribed textbook) in the field of social psychology and to critically evaluate the literature. The topic must take on a social psychology perspective. You will need to devise an argument for the topic, be able to outline evidence to support the argument, and also provide a balanced argument (i.e., critique the alternative views). The essay must be critical and not simply descriptive. APA style is required for in-text citations, reference list, and format. Be sure to follow the guidelines for the structure of this assessment as provided online and in class.

A more detailed outline of the requirements of this assessment will be provided online in Week 1.

This assessment task will be due between Weeks 8 - 11 of the teaching trimester. The final date of submission for this task will be determined once public holidays and the course timetable have been published prior to the commencement of trimester. Please refer to your course Canvas site at the commencement of the teaching trimester to confirm the due date for this assessment task.
Criteria:
No. Learning Outcome assessed
1
Topic addresses a social psychology perspective.
1
2
The argument is appropriate and logically consistent.
1 2
3
Evidence to support the argument is appropriate, relevant, clearly outlined, and key limitations are critiqued.
1 2 3
4
A balanced argument is provided by critiquing the alternative views.
1 2 3
5
English grammar, punctuation, and spelling are used correctly. The writing style is appropriate for psychology.
4
6
Thorough and correct use of APA style for citations, quotations, secondary citations, reference list, and format.
4
Generic Skills:
All - Assessment Task 3:End of Trimester Examination
Goal:
To assess your knowledge of course content.
Product: Examination - Centrally Scheduled
Authorship Statement:
Format:
The end-of-trimester examination will consist of multiple-choice and short answer questions. The questions will be a combination of factual, application, and critical thinking.
Criteria:
No. Learning Outcome assessed
1
Accuracy and correctness of responses.
1 2 3
Generic Skills:

Directed study hours

A 12-unit course will have total of 150 learning hours which will include directed study hours (including online if required), self-directed learning and completion of assessable tasks. Student workload is calculated at 12.5 learning hours per one unit.

What resources do I need to undertake this course?

Please note: Course information, including specific information of recommended readings, learning activities, resources, weekly readings, etc. are available on the course Canvas site– Please log in as soon as possible.

Prescribed text(s) or course reader

You need regular access to the resource(s) below. Many texts are available as ebooks through the Library at no additional cost.

Required? Author Year Title Edition Publisher
Required Aronson, E., Wilson, T. D., Sommers, S. R., Page-Gould, E., Lewis, N., & Barlow, F. K. 2026 Social Psychology n/a Pearson Australia

Specific requirements

N/A

How are risks managed in this course?

Health and safety risks for this course have been assessed as low. It is your responsibility to review course material, search online, discuss with lecturers and peers and understand the health and safety risks associated with your specific course of study and to familiarise yourself with the University’s general health and safety principles by reviewing the online induction training for students, and following the instructions of the University staff.

What administrative information is relevant to this course?

Assessment: Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is the ethical standard of university participation. It ensures that students graduate as a result of proving they are competent in their discipline. This is integral in maintaining the value of academic qualifications. Each industry has expectations and standards of the skills and knowledge within that discipline and these are reflected in assessment.

Academic integrity means that you do not engage in any activity that is considered to be academic fraud; including plagiarism, collusion or outsourcing any part of any assessment item to any other person. You are expected to be honest and ethical by completing all work yourself and indicating in your work which ideas and information were developed by you and which were taken from others. You cannot provide your assessment work to others. You are also expected to provide evidence of wide and critical reading, usually by using appropriate academic references.

In order to minimise incidents of academic fraud, this course may require that some of its assessment tasks, when submitted to Canvas, are electronically checked through Turnitin. This software allows for text comparisons to be made between your submitted assessment item and all other work to which Turnitin has access.

Assessment: Additional Requirements

Eligibility for Supplementary Assessment

Your eligibility for supplementary assessment in a course is dependent of the following conditions applying:
(a) The final mark is in the percentage range 47% to 49.4%; and
(b) The course is graded using the Standard Grading scale

Assessment: Submission penalties

Late submissions may be penalised up to and including the following maximum percentage of the assessment task’s identified value, with weekdays and weekends included in the calculation of days late:
(a) One day: deduct 5%;
(b) Two days: deduct 10%;
(c) Three days: deduct 20%;
(d) Four days: deduct 40%;
(e) Five days: deduct 60%;
(f) Six days: deduct 80%;
(g) Seven days: A result of zero is awarded for the assessment task.

The following penalties will apply for a late submission for an online examination:
Less than 15 minutes: No penalty
From 15 minutes to 30 minutes: 20% penalty
More than 30 minutes: 100% penalty

Links to relevant University policy and procedures

For more information on Academic Learning & Teaching categories including:

  • Assessment: Courses and Coursework Programs
  • Review of Assessment and Final Grades
  • Supplementary Assessment
  • Central Examinations
  • Deferred Examinations
  • Student Conduct
  • Students with a Disability

For more information, visit https://www.usc.edu.au/explore/policies-and-procedures#academic-learning-and-teaching

Student Charter

UniSC is committed to excellence in teaching, research and engagement in an environment that is inclusive, inspiring, safe and respectful. The Student Charter sets out what students can expect from the University, and what in turn is expected of students, to achieve these outcomes.

General Enquiries

For course-specific questions, contact your teaching staff or Course Coordinator.  

For other enquiries or to access support, please contact Student Central: