POL 3766 is also offered in Fall 2024
POL 3766 is also offered in Spring 2024
POL 3766 is also offered in Summer 2023
POL 3766 is also offered in Spring 2023
POL 3766 is also offered in Fall 2022
POL 3766 is also offered in Summer 2022
POL 3766 is also offered in Spring 2022
Summer 2022 | POL 3766 Section 001: Political Psychology of Mass Behavior (87482)
- Instructor(s)
- Class Component:
- Lecture
- Credits:
- 3 Credits
- Grading Basis:
- Student Option
- Instructor Consent:
- No Special Consent Required
- Instruction Mode:
- Completely Online
- Class Attributes:
UMNTC Liberal Education Requirement
- Times and Locations:
Regular Academic Session
Mon,
Wed 09:00AM - 11:30AM
Off Campus
UMN REMOTE
- Enrollment Status:
Open (15 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:
- The delivery modality for POL 3766 is online, synchronous. http://classinfo.umn.edu/?wrig0599+POL3766+Summer2022
- Class Description:
What do all citizens have in common? Although we are more divided than ever across partisan and ideological lines, we are all fundamentally still human. This course reviews how several different aspects of human psychology influence public opinion and political behavior. How we discuss politics with others, our positions on major policy issues, the decision to vote in elections, and even how we interpret political information, are all shaped (at least in part) by psychological factors.
This course will cover seven broad thematic units. The first focuses on the essential theories and methods underlying the study of political psychology, most generally. The remainder of the course describes how different aspects of psychology influence public opinion and behavior, including the role of personality traits, emotion, how we process political information, core values and morality, heritable and biological factors, and group identity. Along the way, we will relate core principles learned in each unit to central questions and challenges in political science more broadly; both in the U.S., and globally.- Who Should Take This Class?:
- Students interested in (or interested in majoring in) political science, psychology, or relevant fields. Individuals generally interested in politics and human behavior.
There are no prerequisite for this course and no prior knowledge on the subject of political psychology is necessary - but students should be interested in the subject and curious to learn more.
- Learning Objectives:
By the end of the session, students will be able to answer questions like:
• Do citizens support candidates and parties because they agree with their policies or because of their social identities?
• Do politicians follow the preferences of voters or do voters just follow their preferred leaders on policy?
• 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?
• What is the role of personality, emotions, cognition and biology in public opinion and mass political behavior?
- Grading:
- 20% Attendance / Participation
60% Three (3) response essays to weekly readings (4-6 double-spaced pages)
20% Final exam
- Exam Format:
- One take home exam
- Class Format:
- 50% lecture
50% discussion
The first half of class will be used for a short lecture related to (but not identical to) that day's readings. The second half of class will then be primarily discussion.
The class format is ONLINE AND SYNCHRONOUS on the days and times scheduled (Mondays and Wednesdays from 9-11:30a).
- Workload:
- In addition to regular class attendance and participation, students are expected to complete a short set of readings prior to each class. Students will also need to complete three reading response papers on the topics / weeks that interest them.
All reasonable accommodations will be made for students in light of current circumstances.
- Textbooks:
- https://bookstores.umn.edu/course-lookup/87482/1225
- Past Syllabi:
- http://classinfo.umn.edu/syllabi/jucax001_POL3766_Fall2019.pdf (Fall 2019)
- Instructor Supplied Information Last Updated:
- 10 May 2022
ClassInfo Links - Summer 2022 Political Science Classes