Politics MA(SocSci)/LLB/MA
The Psychology of Politics POLITIC4184
- Academic Session: 2026-27
- School: School of Social and Political Sciences
- Credits: 20
- Level: Level 4 (SCQF level 10)
- Typically Offered: Either Semester 1 or Semester 2
- Available to Visiting Students: Yes
- Collaborative Online International Learning: No
- Curriculum For Life: No
Short Description
This course explores how human psychology affects political outcomes ranging from voting and ideology to nationalism and conflict.
Timetable
Seminar: two hours per week, for 10 weeks x 2
Excluded Courses
None
Co-requisites
None
Assessment
Essay, 2,500 words (50%)
Exam (50%)
Main Assessment In: April/May
Course Aims
The aim of this course is to introduce students to the interdisciplinary subfield of political psychology. Students will learn about psychological phenomena such as emotions, personalities, political cognition, and identities and will discover how to use these concepts to illuminate political events and explain political outcomes.
Intended Learning Outcomes of Course
By the end of this course students will be able to:
■ Describe and explain psychological theories of emotion, personality, identity, cognition and information processing, belief systems, and authoritarianism.
■ Apply psychological theories and concepts to explain political phenomena.
■ Critically evaluate existing psychological explanations of political phenomena.
■ Synthesise academic research on a topic in political psychology.