Personal Relationships

Psychology 1030 / Spring 2015

Course Description:
When we talk about psychology, we tend to think about the psychology of the individual.
However, we find increasingly that what makes us ourselves is the ongoing process of relating to
others. Our experience in the world is social from the off-set, and as we grow we are integral
parts of the social worlds produced around us. This course is intended to be an experiential
journey through our own attitudes about and style of going about relationships, in service of
developing skills to become more sensitive and adept in our relationships with both ourselves
and with others.
Therefore, this class will involve many discussions, activities, and other methods for attending to
the way we relate both inside and outside of class. These parts of class will comprise the majority
of your grade, as traditional examinations will not show up here. However, this class will
challenge you in other ways. We will openly examine those elements which help and hinder
growth in relating, so thoughtful presence throughout the course will be crucial. To get the most
out of our class time, honesty, respect, and empathy will be required throughout.
Course Objectives:
Each student should, upon completion of this course
Gain an appreciation of the fundamental role that the relationships in our lives play.
Understand the ways in which selfhood develops through personal relationships.
Start thinking about the ways that our personal relationships are shaped by society and
the world at large.
Be equipped to understand more deeply the dynamics of their own personal relationships.
Be able to navigate personal relationships with greater ease.
Confidently use communicative, listening and empathy development tools inside and
outside of the classroom.

Course Readings
There will be no primary text in this class, but we will have many readings from
Nonviolent Communication by Marshall B. Rosenberg (ISBN 978-1-892005-03-8). This
book is available at the University Bookstore, and can also be ordered online through
sites like Amazon. If purchasing the book presents a major financial challenge, please see
me privately. I will also assign articles, and post others depending on class interest,
through D2L. If you have any problem accessing D2L, please contact the Universitys
Information Technology Services (ITS).
Unlike some of your other classes, your readings will not be assigned in advance; notice
that there are no scheduled readings in the course schedule. Instead, I will communicate
with you weekly via D2L about what we will be reading for the coming week. I will
always try to have readings assigned by Friday at 12PM before the Monday for which
you must read.
Course Structure
This course will be mixed in its structure. We will alternate between
(1) Brief lectures that aim to give some topical background, including what Psychology and
occasionally other disciplines have to say on the topics in personal relationships. Here, we will
gain an understanding of the importance of relationships, our development as individuals, and
the ways in which the world around us creates expectations and norms for our relationships.
(2) Activities that will allow us to develop techniques for improving our relationships with
ourselves and others, including ways to listen, expand awareness of the present moment, increase
healthy and productive thought about relating, form flexible and sensitive attitudes, create safe
spaces for expression, and empathize.
(3) Discussion circles that emphasize and put into practice the importance of communication,
openness, and consciousness of self and others. Speaking about our experiences, understandings,
and intuitions is one of the most powerful tools humans possess to develop a sense of self and to
make sense of the wide array of people and things in our worlds. These round table discussions
will require active contributions (including attentive listening) from everyone, and the topics will
be guided by weekly topic and class interest. These will occur frequently throughout the
semester, and will be announced one class session prior. You are encouraged to bring (and clean
up!) small snacks and drinks.
Class Assignments:
Journal Entries 20%
Throughout the course you will be asked to keep a journal that you use to reflect on the course
material, including the weeks reading, discussions, and activities. You should write a total of 8
journal entries spaced appropriately over the semester. Your journal entries are meant to be
personal (i.e. you should be thinking about how the topics in class make you feel, and how they
relate to other parts of your life). Entries should be expressive of your attitude toward yourself

and others, as well as thoughtful. No need to list the events of your day, or perform any other
space-filling tricks We will discuss style and further directions for how to approach your
journals in class.
Class Attendance and Participation 45%
Class attendance will be absolutely crucial to your ability to succeed in this class, as well as the
success of the class itself! Participation is the meat and potatoes of this class, so it is important
that we all put forth as much effort as possible to being openly active-minded and inquisitive
about our beliefs and styles of relating. We will learn about the importance of relating to each
other as a way of creating space to explore our other relationships, and this will require respect,
cooperation, and perhaps more presence than would be required in the typical classroom. Class
time will be used to go beyond your usual thinking and discover and develop curiosity
surrounding your own opinions and others. Critical thinking combined with a great deal of
acceptance of present circumstances is our aim. You may miss 3 classes with no penalty, and all
absences in excess of 3 will result in a grade deduction. Without your active engagement in class,
it will be unlikely that you will reap the potentially transformative benefits from this class.
Because of the high volume of in-class activities and short writing assignments, you should
always come to class prepared with ample paper and writing utensils.
Researching Relationships Paper 15%
In this paper (due roughly in the middle of semester, date TBA) you will be expected to write an
APA (American Psychological Association) paper that responds to a professional journal article
that has been written in the past 5-10 years on some topic related to personal relationships (i.e.
particular types of relationships like same-sex or non-traditional families, relationships and social
media, etc.). In class we will go over how to find this sort of article. These papers should
summarize the article, hitting upon the points that you found most relevant to class or to your
own style of exploring your relationships. You may also choose to critique something about the
article that you find suspect or untenable. Your short paper should be 2-3 pages long.
Final Project 20%
This project will be a 5-10 page paper; an assessment of yourself in-relation to others as you have
observed over the semester. You should be attentive to the areas you need to challenge yourself
and grow (such as forgiveness, listening, empathy, boundaries, a tendency to be overly selfcritical, etc). This project will be like a master journal entry; you will reflect deeply about your
past entries in order to make a meaningful assessment of where you have been and where you are
going in terms of your relationships within the context of your life. Please spend time looking at
the various aspects of relationships and the types of relationships we have learned about in class.
During grading, I will take into account the quality of self-reflection and creative application of
concepts and methods that we have learned in class to thinking about your own relationships. It
will be turned in at the final exam period, after a brief presentation on your paper highlights to the
class. Yes, the presentation is part of the grade (limit to 5 minutes).

Class Policies and Regulations

As already emphasized, class attendance is mandatory. However, if you are unable to attend a
class you do not need to inform me. It is your responsibility to find out from a classmate what

you have missed and to catch up accordingly. Late assignments will be penalized with a full
letter grade reduction for every late day. After one academic week, late work will receive no
credit.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

Any type of plagiarism including submitting work by another student, submitting work used for
a different class, or using false citations is absolutely unacceptable. Please see the UWG
handbook Honor Code for details. Any cheating will result in a mark of 0 for that
assignment.
ACCOMMODATIONS FOR DISABILITIES

Arrangements and accommodations will be made for any student with disabilities. Please come
and make these arrangements with me as soon as possible. If you have a learning disability,
please be prepared to show documentation.
DEPARTMENT AND UNIVERSITY POLICIES
Students, please carefully review the following information at this link
http://www.westga.edu/assetsDept/vpaa/Common_Language_for_Course_Syllabi.pdf. It
contains important material pertaining to your rights and responsibilities in this class. Because
these statements are updated as federal, state, university, and accreditation standards change, you
should review the information each semester.
Tentative Course Schedule:
August
Week One (24, 26) Introductions and expectations + Understanding Self and Others
[MBTI by Wednesday]
Week Two (31, 2) Understanding Self and Others Contd
September
Week Three (7, 9) Labor Day Holiday, no class + Speaking and Listening
Week Four (14, 16) Social Contexts
Week Five (21, 23) Speaking and Listening Contd
Week Six (28, 30) Emotions and Expression
October
Week Seven (5, 7) Empathy
Week Eight (12, 14) Power and Creativity
Week Nine (19, 21) Attitudes, Judgments, and Beliefs
Week Ten (26, 28) Meaning and Motivation
November/December
Week Eleven (2, 4) Family Relationships

Week Twelve (9, 11) Love & Heart