Spring 2023 | POL 3766 Section 001: Political Psychology of Mass Behavior (53558)
- Instructor(s)
- Matthew Olsem (TA)
- Class Component:
- Lecture
- Credits:
- 3 Credits
- Grading Basis:
- Student Option
- Instructor Consent:
- No Special Consent Required
- Instruction Mode:
- In Person
- Class Attributes:
- UMNTC Liberal Education Requirement
- Times and Locations:
- Regular Academic Session01/17/2023 - 05/01/2023Mon, Fri 01:00PM - 02:15PMUMTC, West BankBlegen Hall 317
- Enrollment Status:
- Open (63 of 85 seats filled)
- Also Offered:
- Course Catalog Description:
- How do people develop their political opinions? What makes people vote the way that they do? Why do some people love, and other loathe, Donald Trump? Understanding how ordinary citizens engage with the political sphere is essential to understanding how politics work. This course applies a psychological approach to understanding how average people - members of the mass public - think about politics, make political decisions, and decide how (and whether) to take political actions. We will explore arguments about the role that ideology, biological and evolutionary factors, personality, identity and partisanship, racial attitudes, and political discussion play in shaping the opinion and behavior of members of the mass public. In addition, this class introduces students to the methodology of political psychology and how political psychologists approach questions and attempt to understand the political world. Students will exit the class having mastered a body of knowledge about how they and their fellow citizens think about politics and 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.
- Class Notes:
- http://classinfo.umn.edu/?cdmyers+POL3766+Spring2023
- Class Description:
How do people develop their political opinions? What makes people vote the way that they do? Why do some people love, and others loathe, Donald Trump? Understanding how ordinary citizens engage with the political sphere is essential to understanding how politics work. This course applies a psychological approach to understanding how average people - members of the mass public - think about politics, make political decisions, and decide how (and whether) to take political actions. We will explore arguments about the role that ideology, biological and evolutionary factors, personality, identity and partisanship, racial attitudes, and political discussion play in shaping the opinions and behavior of members of the mass public. In addition, this class introduces students to the methodology of political psychology and how political psychologists approach questions and attempt to understand the political world.
Students will exit the class having mastered a body of knowledge about how they and their fellow citizens think about politics and 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.
- Grading:
- 15% - Five 250-500 word reading memos.30% - Group Research Project and Presentation5% - Participation in Other Groups' Data Collection5% - Evaluation of other Groups' Projects15% - Op-Ed Assignment30% - Final ExamOptional Final Research Paper - Students may write an optional final paper to improve their final grade.
- Exam Format:
- Short answer and essay questions. The final exam is take-home.
- Class Format:
- 50% lecture, 50% discussion.
- Workload:
- Each class session will have assigned reading consisting of 2-3 academic journal articles or book chapters of roughly 5,000-7,500 words (20-30 pages).
- Textbooks:
- https://bookstores.umn.edu/course-lookup/53558/1233
- Instructor Supplied Information Last Updated:
- 12 October 2022
ClassInfo Links - Spring 2023 Political Science Classes
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