Elizabeth L. Haines, Ph.D.

Close Relationships

Psychology 399-03
Fridays 9:30-12:15
Science Hall 4026

Required Texts

Bradbury, T.N. & Karney, B.R. (2009).  Intimate Relationships.  W.W. Norton. ISBN: 978-0-393-97957-2

Other handouts, readings, and webpages to be distributed in class or on the web.

Prerequisites

Social Psychology 220. It's helpful but not necessary to have Experimental Psychology I & II

Email

Email and frequent access to Blackboard are requirements for this course. You will need to check your email and Blackboard 24 hours prior to each class meeting time.

Required Materials

• Dropbox account to back up data and files

• Thumb drive to save data and files.

Course Description

This course surveys the major theories, principles, research, and methodologies of close relationships with special emphasis on the experimental method as a way of discovering how people navigate their closest relationships. Even though you have extensive experience with social relationships--with parents, romantic partners, and close friends--your task is to go beyond opinions and experiences to discover the general patterns that underlie these relationships. We will discuss types of relationships, interdependence, mate selection, romantic and sexual attraction, how personal history (traits, attachment styles) affect current relationships, communication in relationships, intimacy, conflict and aggression, beliefs and values, meaning making, stress, couples therapy, divorce, and intimate relationships across the lifespan. The optimal goal is for you to increase your understanding and experience of close relationships. The course will follow discussion-presentation format.

Course Objectives

 In this course we will investigate why relationships succeed and why they fail.  Some of the goals for this course include:

• to gain a greater understanding of the  behavior, affect, and cognitions that underlie human relationships

• to differentiate between the nomothetic (patterns and data) and the ideographic (individual cases) 

• to encourage you to have more self awareness about your  relationships

• to understand the factors associated with attraction and to choose partners who bring out the best in you.

• To read, understand, and integrate primary source material in psychology

• to develop ideas for independent research

Evaluation

Evaluation is based on the course objectives. These objectives will be met by completing assignments, quizzes, in-class activities, as well as active participation and class attendance.

Article Critiques/Discussion Questions/Presentations (40%)

One goal of this course is to have you think deeply about research in intimate relationships Each week will will read both a textbook chapter and a journal article. You will have several discussion questions to respond to for each course meeting. Assignments will be graded on accuracy, depth of understanding, college level writing (e.g., grammatically correct sentence structure and phrasing) and clarity of presentation. Written portions of assignments must be typed, stapled together, spell-checked, and proofread. Papers that are not written at the college level will be returned with a grade of zero. Late papers will not be accepted. Late papers will be assigned a grade of zero

Handing in Assignments

All assignments will be due at the beginning of class to be handed in both 1) on paper and 2) in digital drop box on blackboard (see http://www.wpunj.edu/irt/teambb/Student/ddb/ for how to send file using ddb). All files must be in microsoft word or rtf format. All assignments should be labeled as your lastname_assignmentX_date such as haines_a1_011512.doc (or rtf). Late assignments will not be accepted. Assignments handed in at the end of class will not be accepted. Printout failures, documents not in .doc or .rtf, not uploading an assignment attachment (bb), uploading the wrong version of an assignment (bb), inability to get on blackboard (barring a system disruption that lasts for more than 24 hours), or other computer mishaps will result in a zero for that assignment.

Class Participation (20%)

Each student is expected to contribute to each class session.

Quizzes (40%)

There will be a quiz every week at the beginning of class. The quizzes will be based on last week and the current week's material.

Grading will be on a traditional grading scale where 88-89.9 is a B+, 90-92 is an A-,  93 or above is an A and so on. 

Attendance

Attendance is required. I take attendance at the beginning of each class. Because this class only meets once per week, missing one class will negatively impact your learning. More than one unexcused absence will lower your grade. Repeated lateness can not be tolerated. No exceptions. Sleeping in class is counted as an absence. Leaving early from class is counted as an absence.

Advice

This course is intense.  We will progress quickly through the course material and it will be easy to fall behind.  The following four points are essential for success in this course.

• Focus. Come to class ready to learn. If you prepare for class and concentrate on the lecture and in-class activities you will need to spend less time studying.

• Prepare. I expect all students to read before class. Class discussion depends on your preparedness.

• Read. Actually read the textbook. Keep up with the material. Reading the summaries will give you an overall outline for the important points as you read the chapters making it easier for you to absorb information Skim and then read the chapters as they are assigned so you can understand the in-class activities.

• Rehearse. When quizzes and assignments are returned, review the answers to understand where you have gone wrong (and where you have gone right). Learning occurs best when you have feedback on your performance and use that feedback to enhance your learning.

Communication

Communication is essential to the learning process.  If the question is brief, email is the most efficient method of contact.  Communication between students is strongly encouraged.  It is a requirement to get two students' phone numbers and email addresses on the first day of class so that you may collaborate on notes and have a study partner.

Important Withdrawal Dates

• Tuesday 1/24  last day for 100% refund for withdrawal from a course; 

• Wednesday 2/29   last day for 50% refund for withdrawal from a course;  

• Wednesday 3/14 last day to academically withdraw from the course (no refund) .

Academic Honesty

It's just too easy to plagiarize. It is expected that all work handed in for this class is based upon your learning, writing,  and personal effort. Violations of academic integrity, including cheating, plagiarism, collusion, and lying, can not be tolerated. Please familiarize yourself with the University's Academic Honest Policy. I do not accept "I didn't know it was plagiarism" as an excuse. 

Expectations for Classroom Behavior and Best Practices for this Class

• Arrive to class on time. Class begins promptly at 9:30 A.M. I use Verizon Time to account for class time

• Be prepared for each class by having the notes with you at each class meeting. I move quickly through material

• No using laptop computers/Ipads/ipods/itouches/smartphones while class is in session.

• Take additional notes during lecture. I often will discuss studies in detail that don't appear in the notes or in the text.

• Please do not pack away belongings away before the end of class. I teach until the end (yes, each class).

• In the event you are late or absent, it is your responsibility to get the notes from a classmate and/or the handouts from blackboard. You may, but do not have to, email me before hand so I know when I take attendance.

• As a courtesy to other students, please disable text messaging/email/web during class

• No text messaging during class time (yes, even while you are waiting for others to complete a quiz or when the class is having a discussion) .

• No sleeping in class. Sleeping in class is counted as an absence

• No talking during quizzes or exams. "No talking" means not talking until all quizzes and exams have been completed.

Please be Advised . . .

• No make ups  (not on quizzes, not on exams, not on papers) for any reason

• No late papers for any reason

• All assignments must  be on paper (in class on time) and on  blackboard 

• Plagiarism, intentional or un intentional will be heavily penalized. I routinely have to reprimand plagiarizers. I do no accept "I didn't know it was plagiarism" as an excuse. 

• Cheating on writing assignments and quizzes  will not be tolerated. 

• Habitual lateness will not be tolerated