Course Overview
Socializing with friends, meeting new people, adjusting to new surroundings, studying, working, setting priorities—it’s all the stuff of your day-to-day existence, and it might not seem like there’s any mystery to it all. But what happens when you look at it very closely? Social psychologists rigorously study what really goes on in our interactions with other people, with a particular focus on the central role our self-concepts play in our lives. In the process, they reveal aspects of our everyday behavior that can easily escape our awareness.
Topics that we will cover by means of lectures, discussion, and class demonstrations include social influence, conformity, procrastination, stereotyping, self-deception, self-concept defense, group decision making, interpersonal attraction, and more.
The conclusions social psychologists have reached about human behavior are the result of systematic research. Needless to say, there are aspects of research that can take years to master, but designing a basic social psychology study is something you can do now. Another aim of the course, then, is help you articulate some of your own ideas about how people think and act. You will discover the satisfaction that comes from figuring out how to put those ideas to the test.
All students who successfully complete the course will receive a Certificate of Completion and have the opportunity to request a Syracuse University noncredit transcript.
Learning Objectives
Upon completing the course, students will be better able to:
- Counteract the power that social influence can have on them
- Identify the barriers people unknowingly put into place to prevent themselves from doing their best
- Recognize the biases that affect how we treat others and how they treat us
- Explain how group decision-making can go wrong
- Overcome the tendency to stick with premature commitments
- Generate hypotheses about human behavior
- Design research to test their hypotheses
Course Information
Course Prefix and Number: TBD
Format: On Campus (at Syracuse University)
Eligibility: Students must be of rising high school junior or senior status – or a 2026 high school graduate.
Credit: Noncredit
Grading: Pass/Fail
- Residential: $4,995
- Commuter: $4,024
Program rates are subject to change and will be approved by the board of trustees. Discounts and scholarships are also available.
Program Information
Summer College – On Campus: Experience what college is really like: take a college-level course, live in a residence hall, have meals with friends in a dining hall, and participate in activities and events on campus.
Course Dates and Details
| Program | Course Dates | Class Time (Eastern Time) | Credit/Noncredit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Summer College – On Campus | 2-Week Session II: Sunday, July 19 – Friday, July 31, 2026 | MTWThF; 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. | Noncredit |
To see if this course is ‘open,’ refer to the full course catalog.
Required Supplies
There are no required supplies for this course. All reading assignments will be distributed online during class.
Typical Day
Tentative Schedule
9 a.m. – Noon: Class/Lecture
- Class will consist of lectures, discussion, class activities, and brief videos.
1 p.m. – 3 p.m.: Research Lab
- In the afternoon, we will work on research projects designed by you to test novel hypotheses about human behavior. Short readings will be assigned most days.
When class is over, and on weekends, students can look forward to various Summer College – On Campus activities to meet and connect with other students! Check out our On Campus Experience page for more information!
