People differ in their political preferences, behaviors, and attitudes. Yet, we are all fundamentally human. In this course, we will learn how essential aspects of human psychology influence people's attitudes and behaviors towards politics. We will explore how personality, emotions, values, and even genetic differences (partly) shape people's political attitudes and behaviors. We will review how these different psychological processes influence our positions on policy issues, our voting decisions, how we process information, and even our preferences towards various forms of government.
We will cover seven broad thematic units. The first unit focuses on the bases of political psychology (theoretical and methodological). The remaining six units will review how psychology influences political attitudes and behaviors, including: personality and other psychological predispositions, genetic factors, core values and morality, emotions, how we process political information, and how we identify with groups in society. During the course, we will apply what we learn in each unit to understand current world events that impact our lives.
The course will be held asynchronously, though we will schedule one or two synchronous weekly (online) meetings to discuss the readings and answer your questions. These sessions are not mandatory but are highly recommended.