Social Psychology Assignment
Social Psychology Assignment
A string of police killings of Black people in the U.S. and statistics of disproportionate deaths in custody of Indigenous people in Australia led to a resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement in the U.S., Australia and across the world in 2020/21. One possible cause for police brutality against Black people is racism among the police force. In this assignment, you are to discuss:
Racism: Psychological explanations, their meta-theoretical underpinnings, and implications for the police force
(Note: We are not concerning ourselves here with the question of whether indeed there is racism among the police, or to what extent. Rather, if there was, how could we explain it.)
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The aim of this assignment is to review psychological explanations of racism, analyse the meta-theories they reflect, and discuss implications for stemming racism in the police force. Specifically, you should discuss any two classic theoretical accounts of racism plus the social identity account. The classic accounts should be only briefly discussed and the focus should be on the social identity account.
You should also briefly discuss what meta-theories the classic accounts may reflect, but the focus should again be on an analysis of the meta-theory that infuses the social identity account. The meta-theories of interest are those discussed in the lectures/workshops: dispositionalism, situationism, static or dynamic interactionism. There is no need to choose theories that represent all of them. It is also possible that some theoretical accounts of racism do not exactly match one of the meta-theories, and rather may only approximate one or be a blend of some. This would be for you to discuss.
In the final section, you should further discuss what the implications of the reviewed theories are for the possibility of, and practical steps toward, reducing racism in the police force.
The following chapter by Reynolds and colleagues is the key reading, but you may wish to consult other primary or secondary literature for further input. The book is available as e-book through the Central Library catalogue and you can access and download the chapter as pdf:
Reynolds, K. J., Haslam, S. A., & Turner, J. C. (2012). Prejudice, social identity and social change: Resolving the Allportian problematic. In J. Dixon & M. Levine (Eds.),Beyond prejudice: Extending the social psychology of conflict, inequality and social change(pp. 48-69). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
To summarise, your task is to
describe psychological explanations of racism (racial prejudice) and their reflection of different meta-theories
focus on the theoretical account proposed by Reynolds et al., and analyse precisely how interactionism is represented in this account
apply the accounts to the present question and discuss what they suggest should be done to reduce racism among the police force.
Formal requirements:
Max. word count is1250 words; 1% deduction per anyfull10 words over the limit. In-text references and reference list are not included in the word count.
Due onThursday, October 6, 4pm; late papers will see a reduction of 2% for eachfullday that the work is late.
To be submitted electronicallyvia FLO.
APA stylefor text (12 points Times New Roman font, double-spaced) and referencing.
Subheadingscan be included for structure, but keep them at a minimum given the shortness of the assignment.
Use theattachedassignment paper templatethat includes a standardised introduction that will not add to the word count.
Make sure you consult the Grading Rubric, which is also attached.
Social Psychology Assignment - PSYC2019 Personality and Social Psychology 2022
{Your Name, Student ID}
Racism: Psychological explanations, their meta-theoretical underpinnings, and implications for the police force
A string of police killings of Black people in the U.S. and statistics of disproportionate deaths in custody of Indigenous people in Australia have led to a resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement in the U.S., Australia and across the world. One possible cause for police brutality against Black people is racism among the police force. In this assignment, I will discuss social psychological theories of prejudice and their meta-theoretical underpinnings, and what these suggest for the stemming of racism among the police force in Australia.
Subheading - optional
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Subheading optional
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References
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Word count (not including subheadings, in-text references and reference list): {}
Social Psychology Assignment - PSYC2019 Personality and Social Psychology 2022 Grading rubric
Excellent Very good Good Moderate Unsatisfactory
Understanding of concepts and theories of racism
(max. 20 marks) Precise depiction of two classic theories and the social identity account of racism, demonstrating accurate and differentiated understanding of the concepts and theories. Largely good and coherent depiction of the theories of racism, demonstrating a solid understanding of the concepts and theories. Reasonably good and mostly coherent depiction of the theories of racism, demonstrating a fair understanding of the concepts and theories. Superficial and/or somewhat incoherent depiction of the theories of racism, demonstrating limited understanding of the concepts and theories. Muddled or incomprehensible depiction of the theories of racism, demonstrating poor understanding of the concepts and theories.
Understanding of meta-theories
(max. 10 marks)
Exact definitions and discussion of relevant meta-theories, showing clear understanding of their distinctive features. Good definitions and discussion of relevant meta-theories, showing a good understanding of their distinctive features. Reasonable but somewhat imprecise definitions and discussion of relevant meta-theories, showing some understanding of their distinctive features. Imprecise or somewhat incorrect definitions and discussion of relevant meta-theories, showing gaps in understanding of their distinctive features. Incorrect definitions and discussion of relevant meta-theories, showing lack of understanding of their distinctive features, or altogether missing.
Analysis of theories of racism in terms of underpinning meta-theories
(max. 30 marks)
Clear and sophisticated discussion of precisely how particular elements of the racism theories reflect certain meta-theories, demonstrating advanced understanding of the theory/meta-theory nexus. Well-argued discussion of how particular elements of the racism theories reflect certain meta-theories, demonstrating good understanding of the theory/meta-theory nexus. Reasonably good discussion of how particular elements of the racism theories reflect certain meta-theories, demonstrating adequate understanding of the theory/meta-theory nexus. Sketchy or limited discussion of how particular elements of the racism theories reflect certain meta-theories, demonstrating partial understanding of the theory/meta-theory nexus. Confused or flawed discussion of how particular elements of the racism theories reflect certain meta-theories, demonstrating lack of understanding of the theory/meta-theory nexus.
Application and implications of the theories for the problem
(max. 15 marks) Logical and thoughtful application of concepts and theories to the problem, and identification of consistent and sensible implications for practice. For most parts logical and thoughtful application of concepts and theories to the problem, and a good discussion of implications for practice. A good attempt at applying the concepts and theories to the problem, and some reasonable discussion of implications for practice. Some attempt at applying concepts and theories to the problem, with limited discussion of implications for practice. Illogical or superficial application of concepts and theories to the problem, and theoretically inconsistent or unreasonable implications for practice, or none at all.
Logical and coherent argumentation
(max. 15 marks) Throughout, logical and coherent argumentation, and precise communication. Mostly logical and coherent argumentation, and largely clear communication. Reasonably logical and coherent argumentation, and acceptable communication. Lacking in logical and coherent argumentation, and often unclear communication. Throughout, almost impenetrable or highly incoherent argumentation, and unclear communication.
Presentation & formatting
(max. 10 marks)
Impeccable written expression, grammar, spelling, and APA style referencing. For most parts excellent written expression, grammar, spelling, and APA style referencing, with very few errors. Reasonably good written expression, grammar, spelling, and APA style referencing, with some errors. Somewhat poor written expression, grammar, spelling, and APA style referencing, with several errors. Highly flawed written expression, grammar, spelling, and/or APA style referencing.
Adheres to word limit (1250 words not including references)
Meets the requirements of Academic IntegrityTotal /100 HD DN CR P F
