PSCI 3740 - Political Psychology

Goals: To explore the intersection of political science and social psychology and analyze how citizens think and feel about politics. To examine thought processes of political leaders, probing to discover why leaders make decisions that they do. To learn about research areas associated with political psychology and ways scholars go about testing their theories about political behavior.

Content: Personality and politics, right and left wing authoritarianism, altruism, stereotyping and prejudice, political culture, social capital and community involvement, influence of mass media, groupthink, interplay of public opinion and elite decision making, methodologies associated with political psychology (experimentation, opinion polls, in-depth interviews, and focus groups).

Taught: Alternate years

Prerequisite: PSCI 1000 is recommended

Credits: 4