DSPO 25A69 - Comparative political psychology

Most of the lectures in political psychology focus on the American context. In this seminar, I plan to think outside the box and shift our attention to the intersection of politics and psychology in a comparative manner, while keeping the U.S. case in mind. We will begin by reviewing the foundations of political psychology and then explore the current state of the field. Next, we will delve into how individuals make decisions, the mechanisms used in information processing, the importance of both "cold" and "hot" cognition in forming political behavior, and the role of groups and identities in shaping political opinions. Lastly, we will conclude the seminar by examining the relationships between groups and exploring why polarization is becoming increasingly prevalent in present-day politics.

This course is an introductory level course, so there are no prerequisites. Having a general understanding of current events, comparative politics, and psychology will be beneficial in comprehending the material and actively participating.

Participation in discussions 10%

Participation in the class discussions will help you to better comprehend the material.

Two short reflection papers (20% each)

These two brief assignments will evaluate the extent of students' understanding of the covered material. They will revolve around a unifying theme in which they will be asked to contemplate the explored topics and record their thoughts in a creative manner within a designated word count of 800-1000 words.

A research paper 50%

The primary objective of this course is to assist students in their research endeavors. Therefore, the main assignment will be an original research paper (without data collection or analysis). The paper must either propose or test a psychological theory concerning a topic related to comparative politics, with the aim of producing a piece that can be utilized in the preparation of the student's dissertation or potentially published in a prestigious journal. The anticipated word count for this paper is 4000 words (+/- 5%), and it must be written in “scientific method” (Lay out of the paper: Introduction – Literature Review – Argument – Research Design – Conclusion).

Participation in discussions 10%

Participation in the class discussions will help you to better comprehend the material.

Two short reflection papers (20% each)

These two brief assignments will evaluate the extent of students understanding of the covered material. They will revolve around a unifying theme in which they will be asked to contemplate the explored topics and record their thoughts in a creative manner within a designated word count of 800-1000 words.

A research paper 50%

The primary objective of this course is to assist students in their research endeavors. Therefore, the main assignment will be an original research paper (without data collection or analysis). The paper must either propose or test a psychological theory concerning a topic related to comparative politics, with the aim of producing a piece that can be utilized in the preparation of the student's dissertation or potentially published in a prestigious journal. The anticipated word count for this paper is 4000 words (+/- 5%), and it must be written in “scientific method” (Lay out of the paper: Introduction – Literature Review – Argument – Research Design – Conclusion. Details will be explained in the first session.)