PSY325H5F – Psychology of the Self

Monday and Thursday 10:00am - 1:00pm

MN 2190 (Maanjiwe Nendamowinan) IN-PERSON
Contact Information
Professor: Teaching Assistants:
Dr. Will Huggon Jason Payne
E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected]
Gideon Park
Office Hours: by appointment E-mail: [email protected]

Course Description

An examination of theory and research on the psychology of the self from the perspective of social, personality, and
developmental psychology. Examples of topics associated with self-development that will be covered are perception,
culture, self-awareness, self-knowledge, motivations self-esteem, self-regulation, self-schemata, self-presentation,
individual differences, and relationships.

Class Format
• Students are expected to attend lectures in person.
• Incomplete lectures slides will be uploaded to Quercus before each lecture. You will be able to download the
slide deck so your focus on making notes will be on information covered in class that helps you understand the
material.

Reading Material
No text book! Assigned readings will be posted on Quercus.

Course Evaluation

Assessment Method Weight Date

Discussion Board (10x0.5) 5% All semester

Topic Idea 0% May 13th at 11:59pm on Quercus

Midterm 25% May 23rd in class

Annotated Bib & Paper 15% June 3rd at 11:59pm on Quercus

Infographic/Poster 20% June 10th at 11:59pm on Quercus
Final Exam 35% Final Exam Period
Total 100%

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Discussion Board Post (5% of final grade) – due weekly before or after class.
• Students will contribute to course online community by creating a discussion board post related to course
content. See Quercus for the discussion prompt & instructions
• Bring those ideas with you to class to keep the discussion going.
• You CANNOT hand these in late, it is meant as a way to keep up with the readings and lecture material to help you
prep for the midterm and final. Doing 10 on the last day of class (not allowed) will NOT help you.
Topic Idea – due May 13th by 11:59pm on Qurcus
Midterm Test (25% of final grade) – May 23rd, 2024
• The 2-hour midterm test will be held during regular class time (10:10am – 12:10pm).
• The test will cover all material associated with lectures 1, 2, 3, 4.
Annotated Bibliography & Paper (15%) – due by June 3rd at 11:59pm on Quercus
• The APA reference section for final poster. Each article used should have a brief write up/review.
• The mini-paper will be an argumentative style hamburger paragraph that you can easily transform into your
poster. Keep it concise and to the point.
• See Quercus for detailed instructions & rubric.
• Blank, corrupted or unreadable files or papers for another course will be assigned a score of zero.
• -10% penalty per day late will be applied.
Infographic Poster (20%) – due by June 10th at 11:59pm on Quercus
Students will explore popular advice related to attitudes. Students will be required to critically evaluate the scientific
literature pertaining to their chosen advice topic.
• See Quercus for detailed instructions & rubric.
• Blank, corrupted or unreadable files or papers for another course will be assigned a score of zero.
• -10% penalty per day late will be applied.

Final Exam (35% of final grade) – Final Exam Period

• The 3-hour final exam will be held during the final exam period.
• The exam is not cumulative but the topics from the second half do build up from the first 4 lectures. The test will
cover all material associated with lectures 5, 6, 7, 8, & 9.

Course Website
The course website is accessed via http://q.utoronto.ca, which uses your UTORid login credentials. If you have any
questions regarding the course website system, please visit https://library.utm.utoronto.ca/faculty/canvas

IMPORTANT COURSE POLICIES **PLEASE READ**

Missed Test Special Consideration Request Process

Please review below Supporting Documentation section below, Quercus page, and the Special Consideration request
process for term work and final exams found on the Department of Psychology website.
Students who miss the midterm test due to circumstances beyond their control (e.g., illness or an accident) can request
that the Department grant them special consideration. Students must present their case to the Department (NOT the
Instructor) by submitting a request via the online UTM Special Consideration Request [Pilot] Program:
https://uoft.service-now.com/utm_scr
If your request is approved by the department, the weight of the missed test will be redistributed equivalently to the
papers and final exam).
If, on the day of your test, you feel you’re unable to write or have an approved Special Consideration Request to miss the
assessment, DO NOT access or begin to write the test/exam.

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Supporting Documentation
ACORN Absence Declaration Tool
• Students who miss an academic obligation during the term (i.e., in-class assessment, quiz, paper or lab report)
may use the ACORN Absence Declaration Tool to record an absence in one or more courses.
o Students may utilize this option once per term for a single absence period of up to seven consecutive
days. The declaration period must include the day of declaration and may include past and/or future
dates, for a total of up to 7 calendar days.
o Use of this declaration does not require supporting documentation and should be used in addition to
the missed term work policy outlined in the course syllabus.
Important Notes:
o Please ensure to include the instructor's email when declaring an absence on the ACORN Absence
Declaration Tool
o Students are still required to submit a Special Consideration Request in addition to submitting an
ACORN Absence Declaration.
o Instructors may exclude one test or quiz from the one-time absence declaration, in which case the
student would be required to provide supporting documentation.

Learn more about the ACORN Absence Declaration Tool process by visiting the Registrar’s Office website:
https://registrar.utoronto.ca/policies-and-guidelines/absence-declaration/

Extension of Time Special Consideration Request Process

Students who seek to be granted more time to complete their term work beyond the due date without penalty, owing
to circumstances beyond their control (e.g., illness, or an accident), must do so by submitting a request directly to the
instructor for the period up to and including the last day of the term through the Special Consideration Request Form
at https://uoft.service-now.com/utm_scr. The decision whether or not to apply a penalty for the specified period rests
with the instructor.

Students who seek to be granted more time to complete term work beyond the last day of the term must submit their
request directly to the Department. This request covers the period following the last day of classes and ends the last
day of the exam period. This is done by submitting a request via the online Special Consideration Request Form at
https://uoft.service-now.com/utm_scr. If you have questions about this process, contact the departmental
Undergraduate Counsellor prior to the deadline: [email protected]

Missed Final Exam or Extension of Time beyond exam period

For missed final exams, or extensions of time beyond the examination period, you must submit a petition through the
Office of the Registrar: http://www.utm.utoronto.ca/registrar/current-students/petitions and follow their procedures.

Penalties for Lateness

A penalty of 10% per calendar day (i.e., including weekends and holidays) up to and including the last day of classes, will
be applied by the instructor. After the last day of classes, the penalty of 10% per calendar day will be applied by the
Undergraduate Counsellor on behalf of the Department.

No penalty will be assigned if a request for special consideration, described above, was successful. Commented [LB1]: does absence declaration also count
Academic Guidelines here?

It is your responsibility to ensure you have met all prerequisites listed in the UTM Calendar for this course. If you lack
any prerequisites, you WILL BE REMOVED from the course, up until the last day to add a course. Information about
academic regulations, course withdrawal dates, and credits can be found in the UTM Calendar at:
https://utm.calendar.utoronto.ca/ You are encouraged to read this material.
Privacy and Copyright Disclaimer
Notice of video recording and sharing, if applicable
This course, including your participation, may be recorded on video and be available to students in the course
for viewing remotely and after each session. Course videos and materials belong to your instructor, the

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University, and/or other source depending on the specific facts of each situation, and are protected by copyright.
In this course, you may be permitted to download session videos and materials for your own academic use, but you
should not copy, share, or use them for any other purpose without the explicit permission of the instructor. For
questions about the recording and use of videos in which you appear, please contact your instructor.
Academic Honesty and Plagiarism
Academic integrity is essential to the pursuit of learning and scholarship in a university, and to ensuring that a degree
from the University of Toronto Mississauga is a strong signal of each student’s individual academic achievement. As a
result, UTM treats cases of cheating and plagiarism very seriously.

The University of Toronto’s Code of Behaviour on Academic Matters outlines behaviours that constitute academic
dishonesty and the process for addressing academic offences. Potential offences include, but are not limited to:

In papers and assignments:

1. Using someone else’s ideas or words without appropriate acknowledgement.
2. Submitting your own work in more than one course without the permission of the instructor.
3. Making up sources or facts.
4. Obtaining or providing unauthorized assistance on any assignment.
On tests and exams:
1. Using or possessing unauthorized aids.
2. Looking at someone else’s answers during an exam or test.
3. Misrepresenting your identity.
In academic work:
1. Falsifying institutional documents or grades.
2. Falsifying or altering any documentation required, including (but not limited to) doctor’s notes.
With regard to remote learning and online courses, UTM wishes to remind students that they are expected to adhere to
the Code of Behaviour on Academic Matters regardless of the course delivery method. By offering students the
opportunity to learn remotely, UTM expects that students will maintain the same academic honesty and integrity that
they would in a classroom setting. Potential academic offences in a digital context include but are not limited to:
Remote assessments:
1. Accessing unauthorized resources (search engines, chat rooms, Reddit, etc.) for assessments.
2. Using technological aids (e.g., software) beyond what is listed as permitted in an assessment.
3. Posting test, essay, or exam questions to message boards or social media.
4. Creating, accessing, and sharing assessment questions and answers in virtual “course groups”.
5. Working collaboratively, in-person or online, with others on assessments that are expected to be
completed individually.

All suspected cases of academic dishonesty will be investigated following procedures outlined in the Code of Behaviour
on Academic Matters. If you have questions or concerns about what constitutes appropriate academic behaviour or
appropriate research and citation methods, you are expected to seek out additional information on academic integrity
from your instructor or from other institutional resources.

Plagiarism Detection
Normally, students will be required to submit their course essays to the University’s plagiarism detection tool for a
review of textual similarity and detection of possible plagiarism. In doing so, students will allow their essays to be
included as source documents in the tool’s reference database, where they will be used solely for the purpose of
detecting plagiarism. The terms that apply to the University’s use of this tool are described on the Centre for Teaching
Support & Innovation website (https://uoft.me/pdt-faq)

Opt-out. Students may opt out of this requirement by emailing the instructor before JUNE 1st. As an alternative,
students will need to show their ongoing work in a shared google (or alternative) online document.
Summer 2024 - Department of Psychology Page 4
Generative AI:
Using programs like ChatGPT to write your paper for you is an academic offence as you probably realize you cannot
obtain marks for work you didn’t produce yourself (it’s the same as plagiarism). That being said, doing the research,
writing the paper, and getting someone to help you with edits (a friend in the class or ChatGPT) is okay, as long as it’s an
edit, and they are not writing the paper for you. Remember, ChatGPT is not a true AI. It’s a very smart probability “filler-
inner” it produces answers based on most common responses. I find ChatGPT papers repeat common info rather than
making a true argument – repeating specific wording. They’re also horrible at Reference Sections (just straight up
making up references and cites). Large language models can also write plausible-sounding but incorrect (or nonsensical)
answers (which won’t make sense to your TA or myself and will be a red-flag). It is always better to write your own work
from both a learning and ethical standpoint.

Equity Statement:
The University of Toronto is committed to equity, human rights and respect for diversity. All members of the learning
environment in this course should strive to create an atmosphere of mutual respect where all members of our
community can express themselves, engage with each other, and respect one another’s differences. U of T does not
condone discrimination or harassment against any persons or communities.

Academic Rights
You, as a student at UTM, have the right to:
- Receive a syllabus by the first day of class.
- Rely upon a syllabus once a course is started. An instructor may only change marks' assignments by following the
University Assessment and Grading Practices Policy provision 1.3.
- Have access to your instructor for consultation during a course or follow up with the department if the instructor is
unavailable. - Ask the person who marked your term work for a re-evaluation if you feel it was not fairly graded. You
have up to one month from the date of return of the item to inquire about the mark. If you are not satisfied with a re-
evaluation, you may appeal to the instructor in chargeof the course if the instructor did not mark the work. If your work
is remarked, you must accept the resulting mark. You may only appeal a mark beyond the instructor if the term work
was worth at least 20% of the course mark.
- Receive at least one significant mark (15% for H courses) before the last day you can drop a course for H courses.
- Submit handwritten essays so long as they are neatly written.
- Have no assignment worth 100% of your final grade.
- Not have a term test worth 25% or more in the last two weeks of class.
- Retain intellectual property rights to your research.
- Receive all your assignments once graded.
- View your final exams. To see a final exam, you must submit an online Exam Reproduction Request within 6 months of
the exam. There is a small non-refundable fee.
- Privacy of your final grades.
- Arrange for representation from Downtown Legal Services (DLS), a representative from the UTM Students' Union
(UTMSU), and/or
other forms of support if you are charged with an academic offence.

Summer 2024 - Department of Psychology Page 5

Student Supports
Students have access to campus and community supports:
• Building resilience:
https://www.utm.utoronto.ca/sas/student-resources/resilience-utm
• Students experiencing distress:
https://www.utm.utoronto.ca/health/resources/utm-mental-health-resources
• RGASC: If you need advice about studying, preparing for exams, note taking or time management, free
workshops, individual consultations, and programs are available through the Robert Gillespie Academic Skills
Centre at 905-828-5406 or https://www.utm.utoronto.ca/asc/
• Accessibility Services: The University provides academic accommodations for students with disabilities in
accordance with the terms of the Ontario Human Rights Code. This occurs through a collaborative process that
acknowledges a collective obligation to develop an accessible learning environment that both meets the needs
of students and preserves the essential academic requirements of the University’s courses and
programs. Students requiring academic accommodations for learning, physical, sensory, or mental health
disabilities or medical conditions should contact the Accessibility Services Office (2037B Davis Building), 905-
569-4699 or https://www.utm.utoronto.ca/accessibility/

Course Outline
Please note that this outline is subject to change depending on the needs of the class (we may need additional time to cover a
topic). Any changes to the syllabus will be announced in class. However, the assignment and test dates are fixed.
Date Topic Readings Work Due
th
May 6 Introduction to the Self & Online
Syllabus/Assignments
May 9 Self-Evaluation Motivations: Online
Self-Enhancement
May 13 Self-Evaluation Motivations: Online IDEA DUE
Self-Verification, Self-Improvement, Due by 11:59pm on Quercus
& Self-Assessment
May 16 Self-Esteem Online
May 20 NO CLASS VICTORIA DAY
May 23 MIDTERM All to date MIDTERM
May 27 Self-Regulation Online
May 30 Self-Awareness & Self-Consciousness Online
June 3 Modesty Online Annotated Bib & Hamburger Paper
Due by 11:59pm on Quercus
June 6 Belongingness Online
June 10 No Class work on paper Infographic Paper
Due by 11:59pm on Quercus
June 13 Relationships Online
June 17th Overflow/Study Break
June 19-21st Final Examination (Lectures 5-9 & associated materials)
Final Exam: It is the student’s responsibility to be available for the entire exam period.

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