PSY5404 CONTEMPORARY ISSUES IN POLITICAL PSYCHOLOGY
| Course Code: | 2335404 |
| METU Credit (Theoretical-Laboratory hours/week): | 3 (3.00 - 0.00) |
| ECTS Credit: | 8.0 |
| Department: | Psychology |
| Language of Instruction: | English |
| Level of Study: | Graduate |
| Course Coordinator: | |
| Offered Semester: | Fall and Spring Semesters. |
Course Objectives
This course introduces students to the classical debates and current trends in political psychology, presenting them with a mix of quantitative and qualitative research findings from the area of political psychology. It aims for the students to develop and demonstrate a critical understanding of the debates that informed the area, the individual (e.g., personality, attitudes, cognitions, and emotions) and the situational factors (e.g., social influence processes and inter-group dynamics) that lead to political behaviors, and a critical evaluation of the applicability of research and theory to the current socio-political issues.
By the end of this course, students will:
1) develop an understanding of the scope of political psychology as well as the different topics of study that are covered under the label
2) apply the findings from the (mostly US) literature on political psychology to compare and explain the daily political behavior of masses and political elites in Turkey
3) develop research proposals in order to apply psychology to politics
4) evaluate research to further develop psyhological theories and judge their applicability
Course Content
General overview of theory and research in political psychology.Includes a discussion of historical and ideological debates in the development of the interdisciplinary area, a review of personality and social psychology theories relevant to political behavior and current political issues.It aims for the students to develop and demonstrate a critical understanding of the debates that informed the area,the individual(e.g.,social influence processes and inter-group dynamics)that lead to political behaviors, and a critical evalution of the applicability of research and theory to the current socio-political issues.
Course Learning Outcomes
A student who successfully completes this course:
1a) describes basic theories proposed in political psychology, such as system justification, authoritarian personality, social identity, modern racism theory or realistic conflict theory.
1b) distinguishes between how the different theories explain similar outcomes through different mechanisms.
1c) applies the distinction between psychological political science versus political psychology to evaluate the weekly readings throughout the course.
2a) illustrates the theoretical or empirical findings by examples from Turkey in his/her weekly reaction paper.
2b) explains daily political behaviors from a psychological standpoint (besides the "rational decision maker" assumption frequently employed in political science)
2c) analyzes current political issues (e.g., war, conflict, collective violence, racism) through the perspective of political psychology to judge its shortcomings and contributions.
3a) proposes 3 research ideas
3b) criticizes and comments on other students research ideas
3c) effectively communicates and presents these ideas during class time within 10-15 minutes.
4a) writes 10 critical reflections on current (and classical) readings in the area of political psychology
4b) points out limitations in the literature in terms of methods, subject matter, or other cultural biases that may limit their applicability
Program Outcomes Matrix
| Level of Contribution | |||||
| # | Program Outcomes | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 1 | Skills to understand and successfully employ the latest and most advanced research and data analysis methods and techniques. | ✔ | |||
| 2 | Knowledge of the latest theoretical and empirical literature in psychology. | ✔ | |||
| 3 | Skills to conduct research and critically evaluate the important literature on any topic of interest related to psychology or other relevant disciplines. | ✔ | |||
| 4 | Awareness about the novel information in light of the theoretical knowledge gained and knowledge to develop advanced research topics and questions. | ✔ | |||
| 5 | Skills to develop and carry out a research project from beginning to end in light of the formulated research questions using the accumulated knowledge from relevant literature and methods. | ✔ | |||
| 6 | Awareness of conducting research, publishing, and application activities in light of ethical principles and values. | ✔ | |||
| 7 | Skills to work independently as an individual and as part of a team. | ✔ | |||
| 8 | Skills to communicate effectively, both in written and oral forms of English and Turkish, during scientific activities. | ✔ | |||
0: No Contribution 1: Little Contribution 2: Partial Contribution 3: Full Contribution