Intergroup Relations

This course covers the social and psychological processes that influence how people perceive, categorize, and behave towards those who belong to other groups (outgroups). Course content will especially focus on psychological and behavioral manifestations of problematic intergroup relations, such as stereotyping, prejudice, discrimination, and intergroup conflict. While prejudice and discrimination are typically associated with groups defined based on race and ethnicity, this course will also explore the psychology of intergroup relations in other domains, such as gender, age, teams, organizations, disability/illness, and stigmatized traits. In addition to offering lectures, readings, and presentations of empirical papers on the psychology of intergroup relations, students will also be encouraged to develop their own research questions through class discussion and writing assignments. The final project of the course will involve the application of knowledge gained through course activities to the preparation of the students' own research proposals.