Fall 2021  |  POL 3767 Section 001: Political Psychology of Elite Behavior (33583)

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
 
09/07/2021 - 12/15/2021
Tue, Thu 04:00PM - 05:15PM
UMTC, West Bank
Blegen Hall 10
Enrollment Status:
Open (81 of 85 seats filled)
Also Offered:
Course Catalog Description:
Why do some world leaders seek cooperation while others advocate war? Why do some Presidents effect major change while others are relegated to the dustbin of history? How does the personality of leaders affect how they behave in office? In this class, we will address questions like these by exploring the psychology of political elites, those members of society who wield outsized influence over political decisions. This outsized influence means that understanding how elites think is particularly important. It is also unusually difficult, leading some to argue that political psychology can play little role in understanding elite decision-making. Students will exit the class having mastered a body of knowledge about elite decision-making and learned about the different approaches that scholars take to study these decisions. They will also gain the critical capacity to judge arguments about politics, the ability to identify, define, and solve problems, and the skill to locate and critically evaluate information relevant to these tasks. Finally, this course takes a cooperative approach to learning, and many course activities will be structured around learning and working with a group of fellow students over the course of the semester. This course fulfills the Civic Life and Ethics theme requirement.
Class Notes:
http://classinfo.umn.edu/?cdmyers+POL3767+Fall2021
Class Description:
Can political psychology help us understand the behavior of presidents, party leaders and dictators? This course draws on the approaches of social and cognitive psychology to examine and explain the behavior of political leaders and other elites. We will cover judgement and decision making, the effect of personality and other individual differences, group processes, and other topics. In addition to these substantive topics, we will learn about the methods used by political scientists to study political elites.
Textbooks:
https://bookstores.umn.edu/course-lookup/33583/1219
Instructor Supplied Information Last Updated:
26 May 2015

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