Training Program in Social Psychology and Microsociology

Department of Sociology

This program provides exposure to and critical examination of the major topics of theory and research within social psychology and microsociology. Two one-semester courses present a substantive overview of the field. Several specialized courses and seminars are offered each year. A research seminar is held weekly to give students and faculty the opportunity to present their ideas and original research for constructive criticism. Faculty are involved in a range of projects involving various topics and research methodologies. These projects often provide research assistantships for graduate students, and some offer opportunities for postdoctoral experience.

On September 26-27, 2008, we celebrated the centennial of the field of Social Psychology with a series of spectacular talks, and a Reception and Gala Dinner here on the campus of the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Click here for links to audio files of the talks and other multimedia content.

Core Courses

730 Intermediate Social Psychology I: The Individual in Society (Maynard)
Survey of social psychology with an emphasis on the major social psychological theories and research that focus on the individual in social context. It is intended for graduate students with some background in social psychology who desire a more in-depth exposure to the major issues in the field. The topics to be covered include perspectives on socialization, the self, social perception and attribution, attitudes, language and nonverbal communication, and attraction and relationships.

731 Intermediate Social Psychology II: Group and Collective Processes (DeLamater)
Survey of social psychology with an emphasis on the interrelations of individuals, groups and society. It is intended for graduate students with some background in social psychology who desire a more in-depth exposure to the major issues in the field. The topics to be covered include: social structure and personality, including roles, gender roles, occupational roles, social networks, and alienation; small groups, including interdependence, cohesion, influence, and performance; collective behavior, social movements, and conversion; and cross-cultural social psychology. Throughout the course, the emphasis is on processes of social interaction.

960 Ethnomethodology (Maynard)
The purpose of the seminar is learn how to find and analyze a phenomenon that is identifiably a phenomenon in and for the experience of members to a local setting. There are three interrelated sub-objectives. (1) We will obtain a grasp of basic ethnomethodological issues by reviewing Garfinkel's early (1967) as well as recent (2002) writings. We will also examine ethnomethodology in relation to social theory more generally. (2) We will engage in "demonstrations" and other ethnographic experiences that help reveal structures of daily life--phenomena as defined above. (Be prepared, literally, to look at the world upside down, and in other odd ways.) (3) We will explore various contemporary directions in which the ethnomethodological enterprise has gone, including studies of work and conversation analysis. Along the way, we will consider misconceptions and also critiques of ethnomethodology.

961 Intimate Relationships (DeLamater)
The purpose of this seminar is to read and discuss the social science literature on close or intimate relationships, and to contribute to your development as a scholar of relationships. Topics to be covered include (1) theoretical paradigms; (2) relationship processes, including communication, attachment processes, interdependence, commitment, social support, sexual motivation and desire, and conflict and aggression; (3) relationships across the life course, including during adolescence, adulthood, and later life.

961 Self and Identity (Piliavin)
Seminar to focus on theory and research on the self and identity, from both a psychological and a sociological perspective. Topics covered include classic conceptualizations of the self; theories of identity; race, ethnicity, gender and sexuality; self and culture, social structure, and intimate relationships; self and information processing; self regulation, self-efficacy, and control theory; self-esteem; self-enhancement, motivation and self-knowledge, authenticity.

991 Social Psychology Training Seminar

Program faculty

John D. DeLamater (Ph.D., Michigan, 1969) is a social psychologist with interests in human sexuality, gender, life course, and deviance, law and social control. His teaching and research interests span sexuality across the life course, intimate relationships, health promotion, and survey research methodology.

Douglas W. Maynard (Ph.D., California-Santa Barbara, 1979) is engaged in research and teaching in the sociological traditions of ethnomethodology and conversation analysis. His research addresses topics ranging from ordinary conversational practices to interaction in the survey interview to relationships between doctors and patients to disability.

Pamela Oliver (Ph.D., University of North Carolina, 1977) is a sociologist known for her work on the microsociology of collective action and social movements. Her current research examines the coevolution of protest movements, political institutions, repressive practices, and news media. Professor Oliver is also engaged in an examination of the causes and consequences of the racial disparity in imprisonment in the United States.

Jane Allyn Piliavin (Ph.D., Stanford University, 1962) is a social psychologist recognized for her groundbreaking work on altruism and prosocial behavior, including her comprehensive analysis of blood donors which produced a model for explaining how a committed pattern of sustainable altruistic actions can develop over time. Her more recent work continues this line of research, investigating volunteering and helping behavior and its benefits for the individual.

Nora Cate Schaeffer (Ph.D., University of Chicago, 1984) teaches courses in survey research methods and conducts research on instrument design on interaction in the survey interview. Her recent research, in collaboration with Doug Maynard, examines the initial request for survey participation. Professor Schaeffer also serves as Faculty Director of the University of Wisconsin Survey Center.