Summer 2019  |  POL 3766 Section 001: Political Psychology of Mass Behavior (87204)

Instructor(s)
Class Component:
Lecture
Credits:
3 Credits
Grading Basis:
Student Option
Instructor Consent:
No Special Consent Required
Instruction Mode:
In Person Term Based
Class Attributes:
UMNTC Liberal Education Requirement
Times and Locations:
Regular Academic Session
 
06/10/2019 - 08/02/2019
Mon, Wed 09:00AM - 11:30AM
UMTC, West Bank
Carlson School of Management 1-127
Enrollment Status:
Open (13 of 25 seats filled)
Also Offered:
Course Catalog Description:
How political behavior of citizens and political elites is shaped by psychological factors, including personality, attitudes, values, emotions, and cognitive sophistication. Political activism/apathy, leadership charisma, mass media, group identifications, political culture.
Class Notes:
http://classinfo.umn.edu/?jucax001+POL3766+Summer2019
Class Description:

In this course we will study how political psychology affects attitudes and behavior. Do citizens support candidates and parties because they agree with their values and interests? Or do citizens associate with candidates and parties because of their social identity? In other words, do politicians follow the preferences of voters or do voters just follow their preferred leaders on policy issues? And what are the implications for accountability and representation? In the beginning of the course, we will first review the critique of democratic theory that is informed by findings in political psychology. Are people rational or motivated reasoners? Do they update their beliefs given new information or do they rationalize new information to fit their prior beliefs? Beyond such questions, we will discuss topics related to affective polarization, implicit group bias, personality and core values. Then we will discuss the effects of the changing media landscape, debating concepts such as persuasion, framing, priming, the politics of fear and partisan media. We will then conclude by returning to the debate about democratic theory, focusing on how informational shortcut and ambivalent partisanship might mitigate the public's lack of political information and purported lack of rationality. By the end of this course students should be able to critically interrogate the debate about the possibility of democratic accountability and representation in light of recent scholarship on political psychology.

Who Should Take This Class?:
There are no requirements for this class.
Learning Objectives:
By the end of this course students should be able to critically interrogate the debate about democratic accountability and representation in light of the recent scholarship on political psychology.
Grading:
10% - Attendance
40% - 2 Exams in Essay format
50% - 2 Short Papers (2-3 pages)

Exam Format:
The exams are in essay format and students will be required to summarize some of the class readings.
The short papers will require students to answer the main questions of the course, taking a position in the debate. This is an argumentative paper in which students must defend their position with supporting evidence and examples drawn from the class materials.
Class Format:
50% lecture, 50% discussion.
Workload:
In addition to regular class attendance and completion of the assignments, students are expected to complete the readings prior to each class.
Textbooks:
https://bookstores.umn.edu/course-lookup/87204/1195
Past Syllabi:
http://classinfo.umn.edu/syllabi/jucax001_POL3766_Fall2019.pdf (Fall 2019)
Instructor Supplied Information Last Updated:
14 May 2019

ClassInfo Links - Summer 2019 Political Science Classes

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