Curricular Challenge Impact Project

Sara E. Zack L. and Tom D. are working on this project so far.

hi all-
here's the deal with the proposal....the $1000 (for successful proposals) is to essentially pay for the professor's time during the 3 day institute in may (we are done with school by then, so these types of institutes pay a stipend to faculty for attendance)...during that institute, the professors who were selected based on their proposal submissions present their ideas (i.e., the course materials, units, modules--or in our case an entire course proposal) to the others in attendance.
in speaking with one of the organizers of this institute, i got the strong feeling that the sort of proposal you are putting together (for a psychology of violence course) would be something they would be very interested in seeing submitted, and personally, i think has a good chance of getting accepted....so i would keep on track with what you are doing, and submit a 2 page summary of the course proposal, you'll need my vita, and then i'll have to sign the form, etc...it'd be good if it all could be ready to go so we could handle it all on thursday 2/18.

lastly, given that it's your work, but i have to attend for 3 days, i'd be happy to split the $ with you should we win :)

Curricular Proposal Doc.

MacLin, Estrada, Dirth, & Lemka

Psychology of Violence

Background:

Sara Estrada, Tom Dirth, and Zack Lemka are all graduate students in my seminar Stereotyping, Prejudice, and Discrimination this semester. One of the class requirements is to develop and implement an ‘impact project.’ They are to do something that will influence others and which has solid ties to the literature we are covering in the seminar. These students chose for their impact project to develop a syllabus and materials for a Psychology of Violence course. We are further seeking ‘impact’ by submitting this proposal to be considered for the Violence Prevention and Intervention Curriculum Institute.

Course Description:

Violence is historically prevalent. It can take many forms, from interpersonal aggression to organized crime and state sanctioned war and genocide. Violence prevention is important in all domains and should be integrated into academic curricula. The social sciences have been studying phenomena related to violence for well over fifty years. The accumulated knowledge can be used in educational settings to educate and promote violence prevention strategies. This proposed course seeks to provide students with a broad knowledge base about psychological perspectives on violence in its various forms: its causes, consequences, and prevention strategies. The course will focus on multiple levels of analysis to examine violence including large group phenomena such as regional and international conflict, as well as individual and interpersonal processes. The course exposes students to scientific literature as well as real-world case studies, both historical and current. Pedagogical techniques that promote introspection (e.g., journaling), engagement (e.g., field trips and interviews), and critical analysis (of articles, case studies, and current events) are incorporated.

Course Objectives/Learning Outcomes:

* To demonstrate the connection between beliefs, values, and ideologies and violence.
* To provide students with the knowledge and resources to educate others about violence.
* To empower students to become active agents for violence prevention in multiple domains.
* To promote critical thinking and analytical discussion of the research literature relevant to this topic.
* To reduce ethnocentrism, increase empathy and promote perspective-taking through experiential learning that expands students’ horizons.
* To incorporate skill-based strategies as a means to violence prevention.

Psychological Perspectives:

Literature in psychology can shed light on several aspects of violence and violence prevention. The subdisciplines of clinical, personality, biological, learning, cognitive, and social psychology all contribute to our understanding of the root causes of violence. However, learning, cognitive, and social psychology in addition are equipped to provide clear insight on the development of violent thought and behavior, as well as effective strategies for violence prevention. Thus, the focus of these course materials is on those three subdisciplines.

Modules:

Module I (4 weeks): Individual Processes

This module will focus on individual processes and their relationship to violence, including cognitive and motivation processes that lead to violent responses. These processes have evolved over time and respond to and interact with environmental and social stimuli.

Topics: Social Learning, Social Motives, Media Influence, Moral Disengagement, Deindividuation, Emotional Processes.

Module II (4 weeks): Group Processes

This module will focus on group processes, particularly on the distinction between ingroup and outgroups, and how that distinction can lead to violence. It will also cover group formation processes and the transference of ideas and views within groups.

Topics: Intergroup Bias, Stereotype, Prejudice, Discrimination, Social Identification/Categorization, Realistic Group Conflict, Diffusion of Responsibility.

Module III (4 weeks): Social Processes

This module will focus on processes occurring at a broader social level that affect both individual and group behaviors pertaining to violence. This module seeks to create awareness of the forces that lie outside of immediate individual experience and the historical and social outcomes related to these forces. It will include a discussion of the pertinent measures for countering these societal forces.

Topics: Authority, Social Norms, Ethnocentrism, Terrorism, Genocide.

Module IV (4 weeks): Intervention and Empowerment

This module will focus on developing students’ ability to apply the information presented in this class to the prevention of violence at all levels of society. It will seek to develop student’s competency to intervene in real-world potentially violent situations.

Topics: Conflict Resolution, Negotiation, Empathy, Perspective-Taking, Social Recategorization, Prosocial Behavior.

Course Resources:

Periodicals: Aggressive Behavior; Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.

Books: The Lucifer Effect (Zimbardo, 2007); A Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide (Power, 2007); Understanding and Preventing Violence: The Psychology of Human Destructiveness (Whitaker, 2000); Must We Fight?: From the Battlefield to the Schoolyard, a New Perspective on Violent Conflict and its Prevention (Ury, 2000).

Videos: Tough Guise (Katz, 1999); The Devil Came on Horseback (2007); The Human Behavior Experiments (Gibney, 2006), For the Rights of All (2009).

Activities:

* Journaling/Reflective Writing
* Field Trips
* Interviewing Relevant Others
* Invited Speakers
* Video Presentations
* Historical Case Study Analyses
* Empirical Article Analyses
* Current Events Analyses
* Media Analyses
* Class Projects
* Presentations
* Blogging
* Experiential Learning Activities