Political Psychology

3 units

Political psychology is a rapidly growing field of research located at the intersection of psychology and political science. Broadly, political psychology helps us understand how individuals think and feel about politics, and how these psychological factors shape political behavior. This course is designed to examine the major areas of research on how psychological factors explain important political phenomena, such as political participation, vote choice, polarization, partisanship, media consumption, political knowledge, political communication, and policy preferences. This course will also equip students with skills in information literacy that will improve their ability to conduct research, interrogate information sources, and evaluate biases in information processing that shape political decision-making