Muste, Christopher P.

English

University of Montana

University of MontanaScholarWorks at University of MontanaSyllabi Course Syllabi1-2013PSCI 445.01: Political PsychologyChristopher P. MusteUniversity of Montana - Missoula, christopher.muste@umontana.eduLet us know how access to this document benefits you.Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umt.edu/syllabiThis Syllabus is brought to you for free and open access by the Course Syllabi at ScholarWorks at University of Montana. It has been accepted forinclusion in Syllabi by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at University of Montana. For more information, please contactscholarworks@mso.umt.edu.Recommended CitationMuste, Christopher P., "PSCI 445.01: Political Psychology" (2013). Syllabi. 826.https://scholarworks.umt.edu/syllabi/826POLITICAL PSYCHOLOGY - PSCI 445 Spring 2013 T u -T h  11:10-12:30, 337 Liberal ArtsProfessor Christopher Muste Phone: 406-243-4829Office: 416 Liberal Arts (LA) e-mail: christopher.muste@umontana.eduOffice Hours: Tuesday 12:30-1:30, Thursday 12:30-2:30, and by appointment Political Science Department - 350 Liberal Arts; phone 406-243-5202COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course explores why humans think, feel, and act the way they do, in the realm of politics. In political science we use psychological concepts and theories to understand and analyze politics, yet we often use these ideas unsystematically and at times uncritically. As a result we understand less about many political phenomena than we should, and debates within political science about how to analyze events and why they happened are difficult or impossible to resolve. This course directly examines core psychological concepts as used in political science in order to reduce this source of analytic confusion, and to increase our awareness o f how these concepts are used analytically in political science.While studying any aspect o f politics in some way requires us to think about human psychology, in this course we focus on psychological explanations o f politics: explanations about the individual (personality, learning, cognition, emotion) -  and individuals' environments (information social influences, and group dynamics). The course is roughly divided into two sections. The first half o f the course explores a range of concepts and theories with some applications o f the theories. The second half of the course uses the concepts and theories to explore in greater detail some o f the more politically important questions about political leaders, individuals, social groups, and societies as a whole. By the end of the course students should be able to apply the major psychological concepts and theories in evaluating human political thinking and behavior.READINGS: There are no textbooks for this course. All readings will be available on electronic reserves (ERES) at the Mansfield Library, and are listed individually in the "Course Topics and Readings" section below. Depending on the progress o f course, I may change some of the topics and readings to reflect political events and your interests. The ERES password isStudents should also be regular and critically aware consumers o f news coverage, which provides a constant source o f raw material for analyzing human thought and action. See note below on The News.GRADES AND REQUIREMENTS: The course material for this class is varied, complex and theoretical, and the concepts are often unfamiliar to political science students, so it's important to be engaged with the material by attending class, keeping up with the reading, and thoughtful participation. Our discussions and lectures will sometimes cover material not in the course readings, and all lecture and reading material may be covered on the exams. Ergo, participating in discussion and doing well on the exams requires keeping up with the readings, and there will be several unannounced written reading reflections on the current readings (aka "quizzes") during the semester. These pop quizzes / reading reflections are 5% of the course grade and cannot be made up if  missed, so read thoroughly, take notes as you read and prepare questions!Class participation is also an important part o f the course and course grade. One of the most important forms o f class participation is asking good questions (in addition to contributing your own insights and your answers to others' questions, including mine). If  you have questions about the readings, lectures, or discussions (e.g., an interesting, baffling, or unclear point in a reading) you should ask them; preparing questions about the readings (and trying to answer them yourself) will help you get the most out o f them. Frequent and intelligent participation in class discussion is 5% of the course grade. Another crucial part o f discussion is respecting others in class and their perspectives. This is especially important as we explore the sometimes intellectually and emotionally challenging topics and material in this course.There will be two or more short papers based on various topics and exercises (some out o f class). Each short1paper will be 5% of the course grade. If more than two papers are assigned the percentage weight o f one or both exams and/or the research paper proportion o f the grade will be lowered.There will be two exams: a midterm and a final. The final will be comprehensive but weighted toward the material in the second half o f the course. Both exams will have material from both lectures and readings.There will be a focused research paper o f 6-8 pages in length that will provide you an opportunity to do an original research project, applying psychological theories and concepts to a topic o f your choosing related to current or past political events. The specific requirements of the paper will be provided later in the semester.GRADES: Grades will be calculated according to the following percentages:A =93-100 A - = 90-92.9B+ = 87-89.9 B = 83-86.9 B - = 80-82.9C+ = 77-79.9 C =73-76.9 C - = 70-72.9D+ = 67-69.9 D =63-66.9 D - = 60-62.9below 60=FShort papers (5% each, 2-4 papers) Participation in discussion Written Reading Reflections Midterm exam Research paper (8-10 pages)Final exam10-20%5%5%25%25%30% of course grade(If more than two short papers are assigned the percentage weight o f the paper and/or exams in the overall course grade will be lowered).The short papers, midterm and final exams, and the research paper must be completed and turned in on time in order to pass this course.PSCI 400:Undergraduate students taking the 1-credit PSC 400 Advanced Writing course will write a two-page research proposal and complete a draft o f the research paper, both o f which I will provide comments on. Based on the draft comments students will revise the paper into final form (due one week after the draft is returned). The final version o f the paper will be 10-12 pages instead of 6-8, and graded on writing clarity and organization, as well as content. First drafts will be due one week before the draft is due for the rest o f the class.ACADEMIC HONESTY AND PLAGIARISM:All students must practice academic honesty. Academic misconduct is subject to an academic penalty by the course instructor and/or a disciplinary sanction by the University. All students need to be familiar with the Student Conduct Code. The Code is available for review online at http://life.umt.edu/vpsa/student conduct.phpThe University o f Montana Student Conduct Code prohibits plagiarism, which is "representing another person's words, ideas, data, or materials as one's own." This is a serious academic violation that can result in penalties up to suspension or expulsion from the University. I take academic honesty very seriously, and will do my utmost to prevent, uncover, and penalize any form of cheating in this course. See the UM plagiarism warning at http://www.umt.edu/catalog/acad/acadpolicv/default.html and the Student Conduct Code at http: //life .umt. edu/vpsa/student conduct .phpPlease contact me if  you have any questions or concerns about academic honesty.2CLASS COURTESY:In order to have a pleasant and effective learning environment in class, we need to observe a few basic courtesies. This is a fairly small campus, so it is possible to get to the classroom on time from all other campus buildings; arriving late or leaving early disrupts the class and disturbs other students and the instructor. Please turn off all cell phones and all electronica before class begins, and don't read a newspaper or other non-course material, use text messaging, web browsers, or similar electronic communications. If  you have a question or comment about the material, please raise your hand so we can all discuss it, instead o f talking to your neighbor. W e'll all benefit if  we just keep in mind the reason we're in the room together.DROP POLICY AND INCOMPLETES:You can drop classes on Cyberbear until February 15 at 5 pm. From February 16 until April 8 you can drop using a drop slip signed by me and receive a "W" grade. After April 8, you must go through the more formal and difficult "late drop" petition process, requiring signatures from me, your advisor, and the Dean, and are granted only in the circumstances stated at http://www.umt.edu/catalog/acad/acadpolicv/default.html under "Beginning the forty-sixth..."; students will receive a "WP" or "WF" grade.Incompletes will only be permitted when all the conditions set forth in the official University policy are met -  the policy is at http://www.umt.edu/catalog/acad/acadpolicv/default.html under "Incomplete Grade Policy"DSS STUDENTS:Qualified students with disabilities will receive appropriate accommodations in this course. Students with disabilities requesting accommodations on exams, papers, or other course requirements should contact me as soon as possible, and must contact the DSS office in order to arrange for and provide to me a letter of approval for accommodations from DSS. The DSS office is in Lommasson Center 154.E-MAIL AND MOODLE:Every registered UM student has an official UM e-mail account, and students registered for this course have a Moodle course account. I may use your official UM e-mail to send you important announcements, and the exam and research paper grades will be posted on Moodle. See http://umonline.umt.edu/ for instructions on how to access your UM e-mail and Moodle accounts.GRADUATE STUDENTSGraduate students taking this course must complete additional graduate-level readings for each course topic as specified by the instructor, and must complete a longer (20-25 page) research paper incorporating 1) a research design focused on a research question and hypotheses that incorporate at least two psychological theories, 2) an extensive literature review, and 3) an analysis that synthesizes these components.THE NEWSThis is an election year, so there will be (and already is) a lot o f discussion and controversy about political participation. Students should be regular and critically aware consumers o f media coverage relating to participation, which means you should follow the news coverage in a major newspaper or other rich sources on a daily basis. The New York Times and The Washington Post are two of the best in news coverage and the Post's website is free. The N Y  Times is available on Lexis-Nexis through the Mansfield Library website. The Wall Street Journal has less political news coverage but it is also very good. It is only available free on Factiva, through the Mansfield Library website. Other sources of news can provide a useful contrast with and supplement to newspaper reading, although most television and radio sources, for example CNN and FoxNews provide only superficial coverage o f political news.3TOPICS AND READINGSJanuary 29 - Course IntroductionJanuary 31 - February 7: Psychological Explanations of Human Behavior - Who Are We?Sears, Huddy & Jervis, 2003. “The Psychologies Underlying Political Psychology.” In Oxford Handbook o f  Political Psychology, pp. 3-16.Cottam et al. 2004. “An Introduction to Political Psychology.” In Introduction to Political Psychology, pp. 1-9.Kinder, Donald, and Thomas Palfrey. 1992. “On Behalf of an Experimental Political Science.” In Experimental Foundations o f  Political Science, pp. 1-33.Alternative /  Supplemental Reading:McGuire, “The Poly-Psy Relationship: Three Phases of a Long Affair” in Explorations in Political Psychology, eds. Iyengar & McGuireFebruary 12 -19: Personality-based Approaches to Leadership and IdeologyGreenstein, Fred I. 1987. “Objections to the Study of Personality and Politics,” chapter 2 in Greenstein, Personality & Politics.Winter, David G. 2005. “Things I’ve learned about personality from studying political leaders at a distance.” Journal o f  Personality, 73: 557-584.Sanford, Nevitt. 1971. “The Approach of the Authoritarian Personality” (excerpt, pp. 304-325). In A Sourcebook fo r  the Study o f  Personality and Politics. Fred I  Greenstein and Michael Lerner, eds.Bray, Robert M., and Audrey M. Noble. 1978. “Authoritarianism and Decisions of Mock Juries:Evidence of Jury Bias and Group Polarization.” Journal o f  Personality and Social Psychology (36): 1424-1430.McClosky, Herbert, and Dennis Chong. 1985. “Similarities and Differences Between Left-Wing and Right-Wing Radicals.” British Journal o f  Political Science 15:329-362.February 21-28: Learning and PoliticsBandura, Albert. 1977 . “Theoretical Perspective” and “Origins of Behavior.” Chapters 1 and 2 in Bandura, Social Learning Theory.McClosky, Herbert, John Zaller, and Dennis Chong. 1985. “Social Learning and the Acquisition of Political Norms.” Chapter 8 in McClosky and Chong, eds., The American Ethos.Hershey, Marjorie Randon, and Darrell West. 1984. “Pro-Life Groups Act in 1980: The Importance of Observational Learning.” Chapter 7 in Running fo r  Office.4March 5 - 12: Human Cognition, Choice, and RationalityAbelson, Robert. 1959. “Modes of Resolution of Belief Dilemmas.” Journal o f  Conflict Resolution 3: 343-352.Ross, Lee. 1977. “The Intuitive Psychologist and His Shortcomings: Distortions in the Attribution Process.” In Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, v. 10, ed. Leonard Berkowitz.Simon, Herbert. 1985. Human nature in politics: “The Dialogue of Psychology with Political Science.” American Political Science Review 79: 293-304.Tversky, Amos, and Daniel Kahneman. 1974. “Judgment under Uncertainty: Heuristics and Biases.” Science, 185: 1124-1131.Supplemental Reading:Quattrone, George A., and Amos Tversky. 1988. “Contrasting Rational and Psychological Analyses of Political Choice.” American Political Science Review 82: 719-736.March 14 - 19: Emotion, Attitudes, and BehaviorFishbein, Martin, and Icek Ajzen. 1975. “Introduction”. In Belief Attitude, Intention, and Behavior: an Introduction to Theory and Research, pp. 1-18.Marcus on The Sentimental Citizen, pp. 79-132 - Enthusiasm, Anxiety, Loathing (chs 5-7)Fischle, Mark. 2000. “Mass Response to the Lewinsky Scandal: Motivated Reasoning or Bayesian Updating?” Political Psychology 21: 135-59.MIDTERM EXAM: THURSDAY, MARCH 21 (TENTATIVE DATE)March 26 - 28: Perceiving OthersGladwell, Malcolm. 2005. “The Warren Harding Error: Why We Fall for Tall, Dark, and Handsome Men.” Chapter 3 in Blink: The Power o f  Thinking Without Thinking.Brown, Rupert. 2000. “Thinking About Groups.” Chapter 7 in Group Process.*** IAT test readings and practice, https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/demo/Kahn, Kim Fridkin. 1996. “Introduction,” “The Impact of Coverage Differences and SexStereotypes,” and “Conclusions and Implications.” Chapters 1,5, and 10 in The Political Consequences o f  Being a Woman.APRIL 1-5: NO CLASS DUE TO SPRING BREAKApril 9 - 11:  Group InfluenceBrown, Rupert. 2000. “Social Identity and Intergroup Relations.” Chapter 8 in Group Process. Rothbart, Myron, and Oliver P. John. 1993. “Intergroup Relations and Stereotype Change: A Social- Cognitive Analysis and Some Longitudinal Findings.” Chapter 2 in Sniderman, et al., Prejudice, Politics, and the American Dilemma.Milgram, Stanley. 1974. Obedience to Authority (selected chapters).5April 16 - 18: Obedience and Morality - a “Continuum of Destruction”?Milgram, Stanley. 1974. Obedience to Authority (more selected frightening chapters).Sabini, John P., and Maury Silver. 1993. “Destroying the Innocent with a Clear Conscience: A Sociopsychology of the Holocaust.” Ch. 14 in Kressel, Political Psychology: Classic and Contemporary Readings.Kelman, Herbert C., and V. Lee Hamilton. 1993. “Sanctioned Massacres” Ch. 14 in Kressel, Political Psychology: Classic and Contemporary Readings.Post, Jerrold. 2005. “When Hatred is Bred in the Bone: Pscyho-cultural Foundations of Contemporary Terrorism ” Political Psychology 26: 615-636.Monroe, Kristen Renwick 1996. Chapters 1 and 9 in The Heart o f  Altruism: Perceptions o f  a Common Humanity. Princeton: Princeton University Press.April 23 - 25: Collective Action and ProtestChong, Dennis. 1991. Collective Action and the Civil Rights Movement, selected chapters (1-3). Gurr, Ted. 1972. “Psychological Factors in Civil Violence.” In Fierabend, Ivo, et al., Anger, Violence, and Politics.Sears, David O. 1994. “Urban Rioting in Los Angeles: a Comparison of 1965 with 1992.” In The Los Angeles Riots: Lessons fo r  the Urban Future, ed. Mark Baldassare.RESEARCH PAPER: DUE TUESDAY, APRIL 30 IN CLASS.April 30 - May 2: Decisionmaking and LeadershipJervis, Robert. 1993. “The Drunkard’s Search.” Chapter 12 in Explorations in Political Psychology.Janis, Irving. 1972. Victims o f  Groupthink, chapters 1, 2 and 8.May 7 - 9 :  Political Tolerance and DeliberationWeissberg, Robert. 1990. “Political Tolerance: A Case Study in Public Opinion and Democratic Theory.” Research in Micropolitics 3: 119-142.Mueller, John. 1988. “Trends in Political Tolerance.” Public Opinion Quarterly 52:1-25.Sullivan, John L, and George E. Marcus. “A Note on Trends in Political Tolerance.” Public Opinion Quarterly 52:26-32.Kuklinski, James H., et al. 1993. “Thinking about Political Tolerance, More or Less, with More or Less Information.” Chapter 11 in Reconsidering the Democratic Public., eds. George E. Marcus and Russell L. Hanson.Gastil, John. 2005. The Deliberative Democracy Handbook: Strategies fo r  Effective Civic Engagement in the Twenty-First Century, selected chapters.Sanders, Lynn. 1997. “Against Deliberation.” Political Theory 25: 347-373.Mutz, Diana. 2006. Hearing the Other Side: Deliberative versus Participatory Democracy, selected chapters.FINAL EXAM: TUESDAY, MAY 14, 8:00 -  10:00 AM6

PSCI 445.01: Political Psychology

https://scholarworks.umt.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1828&amp;context=syllabi

PSCI 445.01: Political Psychology

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

University of Montana