1. Agency and social psychology
Kari Mikko Vesala/ 2012
UHEL/Department of Social Research

2. Guidelines for the course
January 17th (12-14)
Guidelines for the course

3. General aim
of this course is to give an overview on the social psychological approaches to agency and to familiarize the students with a theoretical discussion concerning the questions, problematic and prospects involved in viewing individual actors as relational and socially constructed agents.

4. Program (tentative, minor changes possible)
January 17th (12-14)
-guidelines for the course
-introduction to the topic
(14-16)
- introduction to the topic, cont.
-Run Lola Run: first sample
January 24th (12-14)
-approach to the topic: agency as framing
-social-cognitive theory
-Run Lola Run: second sample
January 31st (12-14)
-symbolic interaction theory
-rhetorical/dramaturgical theory
-rhetorical/dramaturgical theory (cont.)
-Run Lola Run: third sample
February 7th (12-14)
-agentic orientation
-teamwork on Lola
(14-16)
-magical voluntarism
-self-presentation of an artist
February 14th (12-14)
-agency & religion: angels and prophets in film
-silence, meditation and expressive individualism
February 21st (12-14)
-agency frames in entrepreneurship research and entrepreneurship rhetoric
summing up & general discussion

5. Lecture slides will be available in Moodle https://blogs. helsinki

6. Practical guidelines 1.
Note: the first session on January 17th will be held in Auditorium XI, main building. After the first session the course will meet in hall 3, main building.
6 etcs credits (REMS, Study unit SP307, SP 309)
Requirements: active participation (24 h), regular readings (7 articles; the one by Fuchs should be read in advance), and an essay (based on the lectures and readings).

7. Practical guidelines 2. active participation (24 h):
-the meetings (lectures, films, readings, discussion)
-absence policy: extra work will be requested in case of absence from more than one meeting

8. Practical guidelines 3. Films:
Tom Tykwer: Run Lola Run (1998) (circulating the copies!!)
Luc Besson: Angel A (2005)
Jacques Audiard: A Prophet (2009)

9. Practical guidelines 4.
Readings (all available in e-journals at the UHEL library):
Fuchs, Stephan (2001) Beyond Agency. Sociological Theory 19:1,
Bandura, Albert (2006) Towards a Psychology of Human Agency. Perspectives on Psychological Science 1:2,
Billig, Michael (2009) « Discursive psychology, rhetoric and the issue of agency », Semen [En ligne], 27 | 2009, mis en ligne le 10 décembre 2010, consulté le 02 décembre URL :
Campbell, Karlyn Kohrs (2005) Agency: Promiscuous and Protean. Communication and Critical/Cultural Studies 2, 1, 1-19.
Foss, Sonja, Waters, William & Armada, Bernard (2007) Toward a Theory of Agentic Orientation: Rhetoric and Agency in Run Lola Run. Communication Theory 17,
Gillespie, Alex (2012) Position Exchange: the social development of agency. New ideas in psychology 30, 32–46.
Hitlin, Steven & Elder, Glen H. (2007) Time, Self, and the Curiously Abstract Concept of Agency. Sociological theory,

10. Practical guidelines 5.
Essay: Return to Deadline March 9th
7-10 pages, line spacing 1.5
Cover page: title of the essay, subtitle: an essay for the A&SP-course/Department of social research 2012; name of the author + student number
Utilize both the lectures and the regular readings; you may use other sources as well); include references in the text when convenient
Include a list of references (the literature + lectures you refer to in the essay text; reference to the lectures: ASP+date)

11. Practical guidelines 5 cont.
Define the topic and content on your own choice, but you should try to cover (at least some of) the essential topics and points of the course.
In addition to summarizing and discussing lectures and readings, your own analytical comments are welcome, e.g. on what did you learn in the course

12. Homework?
How was your experience of reading Fuchs, S. (2001) Beyond Agency. Sociological Theory 19:1,