Course Syllabus

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Southern Utah University

Fall Semester 2026

Human Relations in Group Dynamics (Face-to-Face)

PSY 3820-01

Course:	PSY 3820-01
Credits:	3
Term:	Fall Semester 2026
Department:	Psychology
CRN:	33969

Course Description

This course offers an experiential exploration of group dynamics where the forces and activities that affect human group cohesion, communication skills, and interpersonal relations are emphasized. Students will also receive didactic instruction in group processes and theories of group dynamics. This course is designed to help prepare students design, plan, and conduct group treatments in the human services profession.

Prerequisite

PSY 1010 and instructor permission – Prerequisite Min. Grade: C-

Learning Outcomes

Evaluate group dynamics and processes, including stages of group development, therapeutic factors, member roles, and leadership approaches.
Apply ethical and professional standards to group work including multicultural considerations and evidence-based practices.
Analyze major theoretical approaches to group counseling, including psychoanalytic, existential, person-centered, Gestalt, cognitive behavioral, choice theory/reality therapy, solution-focused, and motivational interviewing approaches.
Design theory-informed group interventions appropriate for diverse populations and presenting issues.
Design a theory-informed psychotherapy or psychoeducational group for a specific population by integrating course concepts, ethical considerations, and evidence-informed practices.
Reflect critically on group processes through observation, analysis, and self-assessment to inform future leadership development.

Required Texts

Corey, G. (2023). Theory and practice of group counseling (10th ed.). Cengage Learning.

This course uses the Inclusive Access program through the SUU Campus Store, which provides you with instant digital access to the required textbook (Theory & Practice of Group Counseling, Tenth Edition) through Canvas starting on the first day of class – no action is needed on your part to gain access, the book is simply available on Canvas (under the tab labeled "Inclusive Access Course Materials"). The cost of these materials will be automatically charged to your student account at a significantly reduced price compared to traditional textbook options, and financial aid and scholarships can be applied to cover this fee. If you prefer to obtain the textbook on your own, you may opt out of Inclusive Access by September 23, 2026, and the charge will be refunded to your account. However, please be aware that the Inclusive Access price is typically the most aﬀordable option available, and opting out means you will be responsible for immediately obtaining your own course materials to avoid falling behind. If you have questions about Inclusive Access, please contact the bookstore at bookstore@suu.edu or visit their website.

Additional Readings: All other articles, videos, or course materials will be provided free of cost on Canvas.

Grading

This table represents the percent range and letter grade for the course:

Grade | Percentage | Grade | Percentage
A | 93 – 100.00% | C | 73 – 76.99%
A- | 90 – 92.99% | C- | 70 – 72.99%
B+ | 87 – 89.99% | D+ | 67 – 69.99%
B | 83 – 86.99% | D | 63 – 66.99%
B- | 80 – 82.99% | D- | 60 – 62.99%
C+ | 77 – 79.99% | F | 0 – 59.99%

Course Requirements

Bonus Opportunities: Up to 10 bonus points are available (two opportunities worth 5 points each). Bonus points can help make up for points lost on other assignments; however, your final grade cannot exceed 100 points.

Participation & Application (25 points)

Format and frequency to be determined.

This portion of your grade reflects your active engagement in the learning process.

Points may be earned through in-class activities, application exercises, discussion participation, brief reflections, and/or other assignments to be determined based on class dynamics.

These activities:

May be announced in advance or assigned during class.
Cannot be made up without an excused absence (see Attendance Policy).
Require your presence and active participation.
Are designed to deepen your understanding of group dynamics concepts.

Regular attendance is essential to earning these points (each class is worth ~1-2 point). Specific details about how these points will be earned will be announced during the first two weeks of class.

Group Facilitation Plan (5 points)

Due the week before your presentation.

A brief written plan (~1 page) outlining your facilitation approach, including:

Title of activity.
Brief description of the activity.
Materials needed (if applicable).
Procedures for facilitating the activity.
Source used to develop the activity.
Connection to chapter concepts.

The purpose of this plan is to help you prepare for your facilitation and provide an opportunity for instructor feedback before your presentation. Plans will be graded on completeness and thoughtful preparation rather than perfection. This is a planning document; not a formal paper.

Group Facilitation Activity (20 points)

One facilitation activity per student.

You will plan and facilitate a 15 – 20 minute learning experience for the class on an assigned date. This assignment provides an opportunity to practice the skills this course is designed to teach, including planning, organizing, and leading group experiences. You are not leading a therapy group (this is a class!). Instead, you are creating an engaging learning experience that helps your classmates understand and apply concepts.

This assignment directly prepares you for professional work in human services where you'll need to design, plan, and conduct group interventions. A detailed rubric and examples will be provided early in the semester.

Group Proposal Presentation (30 points)

Throughout the semester, you have learned about the principles of effective group counseling, stages of group development, ethical considerations, and several theoretical approaches to group work. For this assignment, you will apply what you have learned by designing a psychotherapy or psychoeducational group for a specific population.

You may complete this assignment individually or with a partner. Your proposal should demonstrate thoughtful planning and should be grounded in concepts discussed throughout the course. This is not intended to be a complete treatment manual. The goal is to demonstrate your understanding of the key decisions involved in developing a counseling group.

Your presentation should address the following:

Announcing a group and recruiting members (create a flyer).
Major goal(s) of the group.
Target population and setting.
Theoretical orientation or model.
Type of group (e.g., psychoeducational, skills-based, process, support).
Number and length of sessions.
Whether the group is open or closed.
Inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Recruitment and/or referral process.
Rules and expectations for group members.
A sample agenda for a typical group session.
A brief rationale explaining why you designed the group in this way (incorporated throughout your presentation).

You will select an existing evidence-based group model (e.g., CBT, ACT, DBT, CPT, interpersonal process, psychoeducation). The presentation will be 10 – 15 minutes. A detailed rubric and example will be provided in the semester.

Final Exam (20 points)

Scheduled during Finals Week (December 14 - 17)

A comprehensive final exam covering major concepts, theories, and applications from across the semester; questions will be drawn from the textbook.

Bonus Opportunities (10 points available)

Two opportunities to earn bonus points toward your final grade:

Research Participation (up to 5 points): Participate in psychology research studies through SUU's SONA system. Every 2 research credits = 1 bonus point, up to 5 points. This means that if you complete 10 research credits, you can earn all 5 bonus points for this assignment. This is a valuable opportunity to see psychological research in action.

Chapter Documentation Portfolio (5 points): Each week, as preparation for the upcoming week's lectures, I recommend creating a concept map, outline, or some other type of comprehensive notes for the assigned textbook chapter. These assignments ensure you engage with reading material before class and build your study toolkit for exams. Keep all your work organized—it will serve as your primary study material for the final exam. Submit proof that you completed all Chapter Preview Assignments throughout the semester. This all-or-nothing bonus rewards consistent eﬀort, as well as the opportunity to go back and make up work for fewer points. Details will be provided mid-semester.

Course Outline

This course covers the following topics:

Introduction to Group Work
Group Leadership
Ethical and Professional Issues in Group Practice
Early Stages in the Development of a Group
Later Stages in the Development of a Group
The Psychoanalytic Approach to Groups
The Existential Approach to Groups
The Person-Centered Approach to Groups
Gestalt Therapy in Groups
Cognitive Behavioral Approaches to Groups
Choice Theory/Reality Therapy in Groups
Solution-Focused Brief Therapy and Motivational Interviewing in Groups

Detailed weekly schedule, assignment due dates, and any schedule changes will be posted on Canvas.

Attendance Policy

You are in charge of your attendance. My teaching philosophy is built on personal responsibility and focuses on preparing you for adult professional life. However, points of your grade may come from randomly assigned in-class activities that cannot be replicated outside of class and cannot be made up for unexcused absences. Missing class will directly impact your grade through missed points. Budget your absences wisely and understand that your attendance choices have consequences for your final grade. If you miss more than a few classes, you will likely struggle to pass this course.

Excused vs. Unexcused Absences

According to SUU Policy 6.30, excused absences are granted for:

Students representing SUU at athletic competitions, academic events (i.e., academic competitions, professional/academic conferences), fine arts performances, or course-related field trips.
Jury duty.
Military/law enforcement obligations.
Illness (I do NOT want you coming to class sick!).

Practices, rehearsals, sports clubs, intramural events, Greek activities, and career fairs do not qualify as excused absences.

How to Request an Excused Absence

You must notify me BEFORE your absence (except in genuine emergencies). Email me before the class you will miss. Here's what happens next:

You email me before class with a brief reason for your absence.
I send you a standardized acknowledgment email explaining the policy.
If we have an in-class activity that day, I will send you a makeup assignment via email.
If you don't receive a makeup assignment from me, we didn't have an in-class activity that day - or your absence was not excused based on SUU policy.

Important: If you notify me after class (and it was not a genuine emergency), your absence will not be excused and you cannot make up the work.

Instructor's policies on late assignments and/or makeup work

For most assignments on Canvas, I will allow late submissions with an automatic 10% deduction per each day it is late. Once an assignment reaches zero points due to late penalties (after 10 days), I will no longer accept it.

In-Class Activities: These cannot be made up for unexcused absences. For university-approved excused absences (please see my attendance policy above), I will provide an equitable makeup opportunity as required by SUU policy.

Tests: These are not subject to the late policy above; tests will have a set time you may take them on Canvas and once the due date has passed, I will not accept it.

Required Extra- or Co-Curricular Activities

These are optional for extra credit. See the section on extra credit above.

STATEMENT OF SAFETY OR RISK

Not applicable.

STATEMENT OF COURSE FEES

There is a $12 course fee associated with this class.

AI POLICY

AI tools (including but not limited to ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, DALL-E...) can be used for brainstorming, organizing ideas, and creating visuals, but all AI use must be cited. Example citation: "ChatGPT-4. (2025, September 15). 'Help me create a visual about diﬀerent biases based on my notes.' Generated using OpenAI. https://chat.openai.com/"

However, all writing, critical thinking, source evaluation, and analysis must be your own work. Psychology careers require human insight and problem-solving skills that you need to develop through practice.

This means two things for this course:

If you use AI, you must cite it in your assignment. If you use it and do not cite it, this is academic dishonesty and you will earn a 0 for the assignment and may be reported.
If you use AI, I need to see a justification as to why and how it helps your learning. You cannot use AI to complete entire assignments or major portions of assignments - even with citation.

Examples of appropriate AI use (must ALWAYS have a citation):

Translation assistance: A student whose first language isn't English uses AI to translate certain specific concepts and cites it each time (not for whole documents/assignments).
Concept clarification: Including a brief, cited conversation where you ask AI to explain a concept you don't understand (e.g., "I don't understand fundamental attribution error vs. other types of bias”).
Organization: Creating an outline structure from your existing ideas.

Examples of inappropriate AI use:

Using AI to write any substantial portion of your assignment.
Using AI to create APA 7 citations (you are learning this skill - AI frequently gets it wrong and you need to know how to check it!).
Having AI answer critical thinking questions for you.
Using AI to analyze sources or data.
Using AI without citation.

Why I care about this: I think AI has the ability to be a helpful technology, and I'm not against it as a concept. However, I am against using it as a replacement for learning. Recent research using brain imaging has shown that students who rely on AI tools for writing tasks show weaker brain connectivity, reduced cognitive engagement, and struggle to recall or quote their own work compared to students who complete tasks without AI assistance (Kosmyna et al., 2025). The study found that while AI oﬀers immediate convenience, it comes with significant cognitive costs - essentially accumulating "cognitive debt" that undermines actual learning. You're in college to build your brain, not to outsource your thinking. Use AI as a tool to support your learning, not replace it.

References

Kosmyna, N., Hauptmann, E., Yuan, Y. T., Situ, J., Liao, X.-H., Beresnitzky, A. V., Braunstein, I., & Maes, P. (2025). Your brain on ChatGPT: Accumulation of cognitive debt when using an AI assistant for essay writing task. arXiv. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2506.08872

Disclaimer Statement

Information contained in this syllabus, other than the grading, late assignments, makeup work, and attendance policies, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.

Syllabus prepared by: Dr. Bailey Way

Date: August, 2026

ADA Statement

Students with medical, psychological, learning, or other disabilities desiring academic adjustments, accommodations, or auxiliary aids will need to contact the Disability Resource Center, located in Room 206F of the Sharwan Smith Center or by phone at (435) 865-8042. The Disability Resource Center determines eligibility for and authorizes the provision of services.

If your instructor requires attendance, you may need to seek an ADA accommodation to request an exception to this attendance policy. Please contact the Disability Resource Center to determine what, if any, ADA accommodations are reasonable and appropriate.

Academic Credit

According to the federal definition of a Carnegie credit hour: A credit hour of work is the equivalent of approximately 60 minutes of class time or independent study work. A minimum of 45 hours of work by each student is required for each unit of credit. Credit is earned only when course requirements are met. One (1) credit hour is equivalent to 15 contact hours of lecture, discussion, testing, evaluation, or seminar, as well as 30 hours of student homework. An equivalent amount of work is expected for laboratory work, internships, practica, studio, and other academic work leading to the awarding of credit hours. Credit granted for individual courses, labs, or studio classes ranges from 0.5 to 15 credit hours per semester.

Academic Freedom

SUU is operated for the common good of the greater community it serves. The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition. Academic Freedom is the right of faculty to study, discuss, investigate, teach, and publish. Academic Freedom is essential to these purposes and applies to both teaching and research.

Academic Freedom in the realm of teaching is fundamental for the protection of the rights of the faculty member and of you, the student, with respect to the free pursuit of learning and discovery. Faculty members possess the right to full freedom in the classroom in discussing their subjects. They may present any controversial material relevant to their courses and their intended learning outcomes, but they shall take care not to introduce into their teaching controversial materials which have no relation to the subject being taught or the intended learning outcomes for the course.

As such, students enrolled in any course at SUU may encounter topics, perspectives, and ideas that are unfamiliar or controversial, with the educational intent of providing a meaningful learning environment that fosters your growth and development. These parameters related to Academic Freedom are included in SUU Policy 6.6.

Academic Misconduct

Scholastic honesty is expected of all students. Dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent (see SUU Policy 6.33). You are expected to have read and understood the current SUU student conduct code (SUU Policy 11.2) regarding student responsibilities and rights, the intellectual property policy (SUU Policy 5.52), information about procedures, and what constitutes acceptable behavior.

Please Note: The use of websites or services that sell essays is a violation of these policies; likewise, the use of websites or services that provide answers to assignments, quizzes, or tests is also a violation of these policies. Regarding the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), you should check with your individual course instructor.

Emergency Management Statement

In case of an emergency, the University's Emergency Notification System (ENS) will be activated. Students are encouraged to maintain updated contact information using the link on the homepage of the mySUU portal. In addition, students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Emergency Response Protocols posted in each classroom. Detailed information about the University's emergency management plan can be found at https://www.suu.edu/emergency.

HEOA Compliance Statement

For a full set of Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) compliance statements, please visit https://www.suu.edu/heoa. The sharing of copyrighted material through peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing, except as provided under U.S. copyright law, is prohibited by law; additional information can be found at https://my.suu.edu/help/article/1096/heoa-compliance-plan.

You are also expected to comply with policies regarding intellectual property (SUU Policy 5.52) and copyright (SUU Policy 5.54).

Mandatory Reporting

University policy (SUU Policy 5.60) requires instructors to report disclosures received from students that indicate they have been subjected to sexual misconduct/harassment. The University defines sexual harassment consistent with Federal Regulations (34 C.F.R. Part 106, Subpart D) to include quid pro quo, hostile environment harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking. When students communicate this information to an instructor in-person, by email, or within writing assignments, the instructor will report that to the Title IX Coordinator to ensure students receive support from the Title IX Office. A reporting form is available at https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?SouthernUtahUniv

Non-Discrimination Statement

SUU is committed to fostering an inclusive community of lifelong learners and believes our university's encompassing of different views, beliefs, and identities makes us stronger, more innovative, and better prepared for the global society.

SUU does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex (including sex discrimination and sexual harassment), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestry, disability status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, military status, veteran status, or other bases protected by applicable law in employment, treatment, admission, access to educational programs and activities, or other University benefits or services.

SUU strives to cultivate a campus environment that encourages freedom of expression from diverse viewpoints. We encourage all to dialogue within a spirit of respect, civility, and decency.

For additional information on non-discrimination, please see SUU Policy 5.27 and/or visit https://www.suu.edu/nondiscrimination.

Pregnancy

Students who are or become pregnant during this course may receive reasonable modifications to facilitate continued access and participation in the course. Pregnancy and related conditions are broadly defined to include pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, lactation, related medical conditions, and recovery. To obtain reasonable modifications, please make a request to title9@suu.edu. To learn more visit: https://www.suu.edu/titleix/pregnancy.html.

Religious / Conscience Belief Accommodation

RELIGIOUS / CONSCIENCE BELIEF ACCOMMODATION: In accordance with SUU Policy 6.7 Student Belief Accommodation, students may request, in writing, that their faculty accommodate their sincerely held religious or conscience beliefs. Students should provide their faculty with sufficient advanced notice, if possible within the first five (5) business days of the semester or session, or thereafter with good cause for requesting an accommodation after the first five (5) business days.

Faculty must provide a schedule accommodation or excuse an absence, in any course, for students to observe or participate in religious holidays or an organized activity conducted under the auspices of the student’s religious tradition or religious organization.

In courses that are required for graduation or for an academic major, a faculty member may accommodate a religious or conscience belief by modifying an assignment or examination if its content conflicts with the student’s belief. Faculty may decline the accommodation if it would fundamentally alter the course requirements. If declined, the student may request review by a neutral arbiter using the Belief Accommodation Request Form: https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?SouthernUtahUniv&layout_id=5

Questions go to Assistant Provost Jake Johnson at johnsonj@suu.edu.

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