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People have wondered at the nature of groups and their dynamics for centuries, but only recently has the scientific analysis of groups by researchers from psychology, sociology, and related disciplines provided answers to such questions as: Why do humans affiliate in groups? How do groups sway their members? Why do so many groups make such poor decisions? What gives rise to esprit-de-corps versus intragroup conflict? This course examines these types of questions, seeking to understand groups, group process, and their influence on members. This course does not teach “group skills.” It is, instead, an introduction to the scientific study of group-level interpersonal processes.

We will use this online tool to exchange information about various topics and activities, including notes for presentations, papers, and so on.

=**Contents **=

Observe a Natural Group: Once we have obtained a basic working understanding of groups, we are ready to observe one (or more) naturally occurring groups. This project involves describing an "everyday" group you find on campus.

Tower Building: On the first day of class, we split into 4 teams and worked to assemble towers from the materials provided. Each member of the team later describe their group.

Varieties of Groups. Groupology starts with a basic question: What are the varieties of groups? Just as biologists spend much of their time just describing the range of organic life, groupologists must begin their work by thinking about groups in their “endless forms most beautiful” (as Darwin noted).

Teambuilding: On September 14 the First Year Seminar, Groupology, completed the Challenge Discover ropes course on the campus of the University of Richmond. The C-D leader remind the group that the purpose of the event was to examine the group's dynamics, but with a focus on growth--moving out of the Comfort Zone to the Learning Zone (and avoid time spent in the "Panic Zone").

Bennis & Beiderman's Organizing Genius: Classes are groups and they range from the teacher-centered class where students ask an occasional question and the professor actively “professes” to those where students do more of the talking. This class is a seminar, so we’ll mix up the process and dynamics, with short presentations, student-led discussions, and an occasional break-out session.

The Groupology Dictionary. This project focused on words used to describe groups of people--key terms for groupology, if you will. Each analysis considers the source of the word, and its original meaning, but it also traces the way the word has changed over time--and might even speculate about why.

Group Books Project. Some groups achieve fame (if not fortune), and described in detail by historians, journalists, and social scientists. For this project  two-person groups will read a book about a group, analyze its contents, and develop both a "book report" detailing its contents and an oral presentation to be made to the class as a whole.

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