Introduction to the Theory of Social
Representations - Seminar (S 1999; S
2001; S 2003)
Humans are social animals, living through interaction with each other. Individuals,
therefore do not think in isolation. Instead, they construct frameworks
of shared references which define how to think about the world around them.
Such shared references can be viewed as social representations. This seminar
focuses on introducing social representation theory and learning how to
apply this original approach in social psychology empirically to a broad
range of concrete situations. This combination provides us with insights
into key aspects of modern life. The interdisciplinary orientation of the
social representation paradigm allows us to shed new light on a variety
of societal phenomena such as health and illness, madness, AIDS, biogenetics,
intelligence, food, money, race. |
Exploring the Social Dimensions of
Human Life - Year Course (1998-1999;
1999-2000; 2002-2003)
How reasonable are the ideas we form of ourselves, our friends, and strangers?
How tight are the links between what we think and what we do? How much do
people influence one another? What shapes the way we relate to one another?
Any reasonable answer to these questions must acknowledge that the lives
of humans evolve around a web of interconnected relationships and interactions.
This one-year seminar explores the social dimensions underlying the cognitive
existence of individuals by examining the major theories, methodologies,
and content areas of social psychology. We will analyze human relations
at various levels, with a primary focus on the tension between individual
and society. Comparing different theoretical (cognitive, cultural, and evolutionary)
perspectives, the seminar will investigate the ways with which we perceive
the social world and make judgments about it, the relationships between
our attitudes and our behavior, group processes, social identification,
and social influence. Open to any interested student. |
The Psychology of Groups
- Seminar (S 2001)
One of the most important aspects of our lives is the web of group affiliations
we engage in. Groups are an inescapable aspect of our existence. From the
very beginning of one's life, the idea of group pervades most dimensions
of our existence, from family structures to nation states. This seminar
explores the defining characteristics of groups and the extent to which
we are indeed shaped by our groups. We are concerned primarily with people's
thoughts and behavior as group members, both from within one's own group
as well as vis-à-vis other groups. To address this material, we will
focus on three questions in particular. How and why do individuals come
to form specific groups? What are the dynamics operating within the group,
transforming it into a cohesive unit that is more than the sum of its parts?
Which processes rule the interactions between groups, in particular the
"us" versus "them" dimension? |
Social Thinking
- Seminar (F 2001)
This seminar examines the major theories, methodologies, and content areas
of social cognition, with a primary focus on how individuals create their
social reality and use this construction to provide a normative context
for their engagement with each other. We will analyze the role of unconscious
processes in our interpretations and explanations of the social world, emphasizing
in particular our mistakes in judgement and our misperceptions of causation.
The individual as a social cognizer will be explored further to see how
we derive interpretations for our own behavior in comparison to those attributed
to others' behavior. Finally, the issue of attitude as the first epistemological
inquiry of social psychology will be analyzed in an attempt to understand
how it has given impetus to the cognitive revolution. We shall explore these
issues from an historical and theoretical perspective while focusing on
the classic studies in social psychology and applying the knowledge thus
gained to contemporary issues of general interest. |
The Historical Evolution of Psychology
- Seminar (F 1998); Lecture (F 2000; S 2002).
This lecture course aims at presenting the historical evolution of psychology
as a distinct discipline, starting with Wundt in 1879 at Leipzig. Its short
history notwithstanding, psychology has benefited from a long and rich past,
tracing its roots for the most part in philosophy. As early as the 5th century
B.C., Aristotle and other Greek scholars grappled with some of the same
problems that concern psychologists today; namely memory, learning, motivation,
perception, dreams, and abnormal behavior. A science such as psychology
does not develop in a vacuum. It is largely shaped by human personalities,
institutions, and the overall societal context. Our critical analysis focuses
on comprehending the cultural context from which ideas, concepts, and theories
have emerged and evolved. This approach provides a unifying framework for
a thorough reexamination of the different systems of psychology in the United
States. |
The Psychology of the Future
- Seminar (F 1999)
Predicting the future is a major human preoccupation. Early forms of prediction
related more to religion as prophecies of either salvation or damnation.
Yet science, emerging in the twentieth century as the dominant system of
knowledge, provided us with the necessary tools not only to imagine the
future, but also to assert control over it by turning the unknown into calculable
predictions. This seminar explores the several key questions arising out
of our concern with an inherently uncertain future, such as the differences
between anticipation and expectation, the tension between religious thinking
and scientific thinking, and the Lewinian interplay between past, present,
and future for a complete understabding of individuals. These questions
will be addressed in the context of topical concerns, such as our obsession
with the volatility of the stock market, the question of eating amidst the
Mad Cow and Foot-and-Mouth dideases, our anxieties about cloning, and our
worries about environmental degradation. |