PSYC 230:  Psychology of Prejudice

and Ethnocentrism

Gary S. Gregg

OU403-E     people.kzoo.edu/ggregg/

Spring, 2016

 

 

    This course is designed to provide an overview of psychological theories of ethnocentrism, with an emphasis on how these might be applied to help reduce prejudice and discrimination.  It will focus on American racism and Nazi anti-Semitism as historical cases, and then more closely examine theories which seek to account for the “duality” or “ambivalence” of attitudes.

 

    Students will write a case study or literature review style research paper, using psychological theories to analyze a case of real-world ethnic or religious conflict (i.e., Bosnia, Northern Ireland, Kenya, Japan) – perhaps related to their study abroad country – or investigate theories of sexism, homophobia, social class prejudice, etc.

 

Grading will reflect the importance of each:

 

Paper on initial readings                       15%

Two exams                                              30%

Case Study Project                                45%

Class participation                                     10%

 

 

Books to buy:

            Malcolm X:                            The Autobiography of Malcolm X

            Banaji & Greenberg:                        Blindspot

Arendt:                                   Eichmann in Jerusalem

 

     Other readings will be available on Electronic Reserve, with links from the library and from my home page.

 


 

Syllabus

Section I

Racial Prejudice in America

 

Topic

Reading

Wk 1 Tues.

Introduction

Coles:  “Joe”

Finnegan:  “The Unwanted”

Wk 1 Thur.

Ethnography of Racism

Malcolm X:  Autobiography  Ch. 1 - 6

Wk 2 Tues.

Identity

Malcolm X:  Autobiography  Ch. 7 - 14

Wk 2 Thur

Types of Racism

Malcolm X:  Autobiography  Ch. 15 - 19

Kovel:  White Racism  Preface

Section II

Theories of Prejudice

Wk 3 Mon.

Paper due:  types of prejudice

 

Wk 3 Tues

Ethnocentrism

Overview of Theories

Bizumic & Duckitt:  What Is and Is Not Ethnocentrism?

Aronson:  Social Animal  Ch. 7 part 1

Wk 3 Thur

Overview of Theories

Aronson:  Social Animal  Ch. 7 part 2

Wk 4 Tues

Realistic Group Conflict

Social Identity Theory

Sherif:  “Experiments in Group Conflict”

Turner:  “Towards a Cognitive Redefinition of the Social Group”

TBA on H.Tajfel

Wk 4 Thur

Attitudinal Duality

Katz et al:  “Racial Ambivalence…”

Prentice-Dunn:  “Regressive Racism”

 Wk 5 Tues

Implicit Prejudice

Banaji & Greenberg:  Blindspot  Ch. 1, 3, 6, 7, 8

Wk 5 Thur

Exam

 

Section III

Anti-Semitism

Wk 6 Tues

Holocaust

Arendt:  Eichmann in Jerusalem  Ch. 2 – 5

Wk 6 Thur

Holocaust

Arendt:  Eichmann in Jerusalem  Ch. 6 - 8

Wk 7 Tues

Obedience

Milgram:  Obedience to Authority excerpt

Barnard:  Functions of the Executive

Wk 7 Thur

Authority and Self

   Zimbardo prison experiment

Lifton:  Nazi Doctors  Ch. 19, 20

Wk 8 Tues

Holocaust

Browning, Ordinary Men  Ch. 1, 7, 30

Goldhagen Hitler’s Willing Executioners  Ch. 15

Wk 8 Thur

Genocides

Melson:  Modern Genocide in Rwanda

Kiernan:  Blood and Soil  Cambodia

Wk 9  Tues

Authoritarian Personality

Brown:  Social Psychology  Ch. 10 excerpt

Altemeyer, excerpt

Wk 9  Thur

Exam

Presentations

 

Wk 10 Tues

Presentations

 

Wk 10 Thur

Presentations