Social psychology examines the complexity of our daily lives, relationships and practices. It involves studying how the thoughts, feelings and behaviors of individuals are influenced by the actual, imagined or implied presence of others. It is also about understanding how a person's behavior is influenced by the social contexts in which they find themselves in. Social psychology has a rich and social change-oriented history. This course offers an introduction to this history and covers the tenets of the dominant approaches in social psychological theory and research today. Every week we will use contemporary case study examples from current events and apply social psychology to understand and explain them. Topics covered include: Attribution and social knowledge, self and identity, gender and sexuality, attachment and intimate relationships, persuasion and attitude change, social influence, group processes, leadership, prejudice, stereotyping, discrimination, aggression and pro-social behavior, political movements and the application of social psychological theory and research to social issues and social change. This course was formerly listed as NPSY3301. Do not take this course if you have previously taken NPSY3301; it is the same course and cannot be taken twice for credit.