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