Political Psychology (L3013)
Political Psychology
Module L3013
Module details for 2023/24.
30 credits
FHEQ Level 6
Module Outline
Political psychology is an interdisciplinary field of study that brings together political science and psychology and is concerned with the psychological dimensions of politics. In this course we will be looking at how psychological processes help us understand a variety of concepts, theories and approaches social scientists use to study the political word. In doing so, we will explore some of the major issues in political psychology and their applications to political life. Some of the topics we will be covering in this course are: the history of political psychology; personality in elites and mass publics; belief systems; the structure of political attitudes and attitude change; mass media; the determinants of vote choice and participatory behaviour in general as well as the role of emotions in political behaviour. In exploring these we will also be looking at processes such as political cognition, political affectivity, information processing and decision making.
Module learning outcomes
Develop a familiarity with the main concepts, principles, theories and methods used in used in political psychology research
Have an appreciation of the different scholarly perspectives and explanations on various topics in political psychology as well as develop an understanding of how political psychology research is conducted and applied to analyse recent political dynamics and events
Identify the major debates in the field of political psychology
Apply relevant concepts and methodological approaches to their own research proposal
Apply their knowledge of political psychology to the exploration of current political affairs and research puzzles
Develop critical reading and writing skills (assessing empirical research quality, writing scholarly papers, communication through participation in group discussions)
| Type | Timing | Weighting |
|---|---|---|
| Essay (4000 words) | Semester 1 Assessment Week 1 Thu 16:00 | 70.00% |
| Coursework | 30.00% | |
| Coursework components. Weighted as shown below. | ||
| Essay | T1 Week 11 | 100.00% |
Timing
Submission deadlines may vary for different types of assignment/groups of students.
Weighting
Coursework components (if listed) total 100% of the overall coursework weighting value.
| Term | Method | Duration | Week pattern |
|---|---|---|---|
| Autumn Semester | Seminar | 3 hours | 11111011111 |
How to read the week pattern
The numbers indicate the weeks of the term and how many events take place each week.
Dr Stavroula Chrona
Assess convenor, Convenor
/profiles/226073
Dr Hannah Richter
Assess convenor
/profiles/341320
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