The Social Psychology of Immigration Societies - Detailseite

ECTS Points: 5

Language requirements: min. English B2

Modern immigration societies and especially major cities such as Berlin, which are becoming increasingly ethnically and culturally diverse, are facing a number of challenges, such as: issues of racism and discrimination towards immigrants and ethnic minority groups, and conditions necessary for the creation of trust and collaboration between members of different ethnic groups, and for the creation of fair and equitable outcomes with regard to schooling and labour market outcomes. But what are the basic psychological mechanisms shaping social cohesion in modern diverse societies, which are the processes that undermine intergroup relations, and which are the factors that contribute to positive interactions between different groups?

This seminar seeks to target these questions in giving a general overview about classic and contemporary approaches to intergroup relations in the field of social psychology, occasionally drawing on related literature in microsociology. Starting with Gordon Allport’s 1954 seminal work The nature of prejudice, we will revisit the most important studies in the fields of intergroup discrimination (Tajfel & Turner), stereotyping and prejudice (Steele) and intergroup contact (Allport) and discuss several interventions that have been suggested in order to facilitate inter-ethnic cooperation and to improve schooling and job market outcomes for members of minority groups (Cohen/Sherman). Another important part will deal with the several ways to measure the concepts and theories in question that have been developed in social psychology, such as implicit and explicit measures of prejudice and discrimination (Sears/Dovidio/Gaertner). The role of essentialist language use in stereotyping will also be discussed. While there will be a short introduction to the most important methods used in the field of social psychology, a good working knowledge about experimental design and statistics will make it easier to follow the course, but are not a prerequisite for participation.

Hogg, Michael and Graham Vaughan (2014): “Introducing social psychology”, Chp. 1 in: M. Hogg and G. Vaughan: Social Psychology. Seventh Edition. Harlow: Pearson, pp. 2-39. (You only have to read pp. 2-25.)

Hogg, Michael and Graham Vaughan (2008): “Social cognition and social thinking”, Chp. 2 in: M. Hogg and G. Vaughan: Social Psychology. Fifth Edition. Harlow: Pearson, pp. 40-77.

Hogg, Michael and Graham Vaughan (2008): “Self and Identity”, Chp. 4 in: M. Hogg and G. Vaughan: Social Psychology. Fifth Edition. Harlow: Pearson, pp. 110-145.

Verkeuyten, Maykel (2014): “Identity development and dual identity”, Chp. 4 in: M. Verkuyten: Identity and cultural diversity: what social psychology can teach us. Abingdon: Routledge, pp. 87-113.

Allport, Gordon (1954): The Nature of Prejudice. Cambridge: Addison-Wesley. Please read: [Preface (pp. xiii- xviii),] Chp. 1 (pp. 3-16) and Chp. 2 (pp. 17-47).

Verkeuyten, Maykel (2014): “Blue and brown eyes”, Chp. 5 in: M. Verkuyten: Identity and cultural diversity: what social psychology can teach us. Abingdon: Routledge, pp. 114-156.

Çelik, Çetin (2015): „‘Having a German passport will not make me German’: reactive ethnicity and oppositional identity among disadvantaged male Turkish second-generation youth in Germany.” Ethnic and Racial Studies 38(9): 1646–1662.

Pettigrew, Thomas F. and Linda R. Tropp (2005): “Allport’s Intergroup Contact Hypothesis: Its History and Influence“, Chp. 16 in J.F. Dovidio, P. Glick, and L. Rudman (Eds.): On the Nature of Prejudice. Oxford: Blackwell, pp. 262-277.

Dinesen, Peter T. and Kim M. Sønderskov (2015): “Ethnic Diversity and Social Trust: Evidence from the Micro-Context.” American Sociological Review 80(3): 550–573.

Milliken, Frances J. and Luis L. Martins (1996): “Searching for Common Threads: Understanding the Multiple Effects of Diversity in Organizational Groups.” The Academy of Management Review 21(2): 402-433.

Kunda, Ziva (1999): “Stereotypes”, Chp. 8 in Z. Kunda: Social Cognition. Making Sense of People. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, pp. 369-393.

Cohen, Geoffrey and David Sherman (2007): “Self Affirmation Theory”, in R.F. Baumeister and K.D. Vohs (2007): Encyclopedia of Social Psychology. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, pp. 787-789.

Dovidio, John F., Samuel Gaertner, and Kerry Kawakami (2010): “Racism”, Chp. 19 in: J.F. Dovidio, M. Hewstone, P. Glick, and V. M. Esses (Eds.): The Sage Handbook of Prejudice, Stereotyping and Discrimination. Thousand Oaks: Sage, pp. 312-327.

Mullen, Brian and Tirza Leader (2005): “Linguistic Factors: Antilocutions, Ethnonyms, Ethnophaulisms, and Other Varieties of Hate Speech”, Chp. 12 in J.F. Dovidio, P. Glick, and L. Rudman (Eds.): On the Nature of Prejudice. Oxford: Blackwell, pp. 192-207.

Beelmann, Andreas and Kim Sarah Heinemann (2014): “Preventing prejudice and improving intergroup attitudes: A meta-analysis of child and adolescent training programs.” Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology 35: 10-24.

This seminar carries 5 ECTS.

For international incoming students and HU students.

Language requirements English B2 minimum.

NO registration via Agnes.

Application via Berlin Perspectives ONLY: BP Module application

Internationale Programmstudierende / International exchange students.

HU-Studierende im ÜWP.