Political Science 346: Political Psychology

Spring 2000

Professor: Leonie Huddy
Class Time: MWF 10:30-11:25
Class Location: SBS N-310
Office Hours: MF 2:30-4:00 or by appointment (632-7639), SBS S-727
E-Mail:  Leonie.Huddy@sunysb.edu

Course Organization: The course looks at the psychological factors that help to explain public reactions to politics, and analyzes the origins of public opinion, voting, and political participation. We examine political behavior primarily from a social psychological perspective, though other psychological approaches are also discussed from time to time. Lectures begin with an overview of the major psychological approaches to mass political behavior and methods used to research it. They then examine several key approaches to understanding the psychology of political behavior, including a personality approach, political socialization and early-learned orientations toward politics, the role of self and group interests, limitations in our ability to process political information with a special focus on the political impact of the media and the way in which information is presented to the public. Lectures are intended to provide a basic grounding in psychological theory, and to demonstrate the application of psychological theory to political behavior. Readings complement lectures by providing a more detailed exposure to original psychological research not necessarily discussed in class.

Exams: There will be two short-answer tests during the semester. Tests will give equal weight to material covered in lectures and readings. If you miss one of these exams you will not be able to take a make-up exam unless you have a valid written explanation for your absence (i.e., a doctor's certificate).

Papers: There will also be two papers (5-6 pages) that you will complete during the semester. The first paper is on the pros and cons of using a psychological approach to analyze political leaders. You will use existing analyses of President Bill Clinton to develop your arguments. The second paper will deal with the 1998 elections. You can either collect and analyze the likely impact of a candidate’s political commercials on voters, using the psychological theories and findings discussed in class and readings. Or you can collect newspaper or TV coverage of a candidate and analyze how it might affect voters, again drawing on the psychological principles covered in the course. You will be given more detail on each of these papers during the semester.

Paper 1

Final Grade: Your final grade will be broken down as follows: 15% for each of the two mid-terms, 25% for the final, 20% for each of the two papers, and 5% for class attendance.

Readings: The required readings include three books and a packet of articles which will be made available for sale for $15. The packet of readings can be purchased before 4:30 pm from Rosemarie Fernandez in the Department of Political Science, SBS S-705. You are required to read roughly 2 to 3 chapters or articles each week. It is important that you stay current with these readings so that you can participate fully in class discussions. The following lists readings and approximate dates on which they will be covered in class. Asterisked readings are available for sale and will also be placed on reserve in the library. The following three books are available for purchase in the campus bookstore and at Stony Books.


DATE READINGS
9/6-9/13 I. HISTORY AND METHODS: propaganda vs. minimal media effects; political groups; conformity and social influence; early voting studies; survey, experimental, and case study methods.
  • *Sears, D. O. (1987). Political Psychology. Annual Review of Psychology, 38, 229-255. 
  • *Weisberg, Herbert F., Jon A. Krosnick, and Bruce D. Bowen. 1996. An introduction to survey research, polling, and data analysis. 3rd ed. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage Publications. 
  • *Kinder, Donald R., and Thomas R. Palfrey. 1993. Experimental foundations of political science, Michigan studies in political analysis. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.
9/15-9/27 II. PERSONALITY APPROACHES: Psychodynamic, Adlerian, Psychohistory; different approaches to understanding political leaders. 
  • Milburn. Chapter 4 
  • *George, Alexander L., and Juliette L. George. 1998. Presidential personality and performance. Boulder, Colo.: Westview Press. Chapter 2, "Some Uses of Dynamic Psychology in Political Biography." 
  • *Elms, A. C. (1976). Personality in politics. New York: Harcourt. 
  • *Renshon, Stanley Allen. 1995. The Clinton Presidency : Campaigning, Governing, and the Psychology of Leadership. Boulder: Westview Press. Chapters 3, 4, 5.
10/6 First Paper Due: Pros and Cons of Psychological Analysis of Political Leaders.
9/29-10/11 III. POLITICAL SOCIALIZATION: childhood socialization, persistence of political beliefs, cohorts, adult political resocialization. 
  • *Kinder, D.R., & Sears, D. O. (1985). Public opinion and political action. In G. Lindzey and E. Aronson (eds.), Handbook of social psychology. 3rd edition. Random House, pp. 714-726.
  • *Alwin, Duane F., Ronald L. Cohen, and Theodore M. Newcomb. 1992. Political Attitudes over the Life Span: The Bennington Women after Fifty Years. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Press. Chapters 2,5. 
  • *Sears, David, O. and Nicholas A. Valentino. 1997. "Politics Matters: Political Events as Catalysts for Preadult Socialization. American Political Science Review, 91: 45-65.
10/9 No Class: Yom Kippur
10/11 Wednesday reverts to Monday schedule
10/13 First Test
10/16-10/20 IV. POLITICAL INFORMATION PROCESSING: political information levels among the public at large; organization of political information; political sophistication; cognition vs. affect.
  • Milburn, Chapters 5,6
  • Kinder, Donald R. (1996). Public opinion and political action. In (eds.), Handbook of social psychology. 4th edition. Random House. Pp. 784-800.
  • Delli Carpini, Michael X. and Scott Keeter. (1996). What Americans Know About Politics and Why it Matters. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. Chapter 2, "What Americans Know About Politics."
  • Funk, Carolyn L. (1999) "Bringing the Candidate into Models of Candidate Evaluation." Journal of Politics. 61: 700-720.
11/5-11/19 V. ATTITUDE CHANGE, PROPAGANDA, PERSUASION: Learning, motivational, and cognitive theories of attitude change. Research on propaganda.
  • Milburn, Chapters 2, 8. 
  • Petty and Cacioppo, Chs. 2-5
11/8 Second Test
11/10-12/1 VI. THE MEDIA: media impact on public opinion; agenda setting; minimal media effects.
  • Milburn, Chapter 9.
  • Just, Chapters 2, 3-5, 7-8
12/8 Second Paper Due: Candidate Ads and Media Coverage of the 2000 Election
12/4-12/15 VII. SELF AND GROUP INTERESTS: Self-interest, group-interest, social dominance theory, social identity theory.
  • Milburn, Chapter 3 
  • Kinder, Donald R. (1996). Public opinion and political action. In (eds.), Handbook of social psychology. 4th edition. Random House. Pp. 800-812.
  • *Brown, Rupert. 1995. Prejudice : Its social psychology. Oxford, UK ; Cambridge, Mass., USA: Blackwell. Chapter 6: Prejudice and Intergroup Relations. 
  • * Sears, David O., and Carolyn L. Funk. 1990 "Self-interest in Americans’ Political Opinions." In Jane Mansbridge. Beyond self-interest. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. 
  • *Sidanius, Jim. 1993. "The Psychology of Group Conflict and the Dynamics of Oppression." In Shanto Iyengar and William James McGuire. 1993. Explorations in political psychology, Duke studies in political psychology. Durham: Duke University Press.
12/18 Final Exam, 11-1:00

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