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POLI 369 Political Psychology Dr. Drew Kurlowski [email protected] Semester and Year. Building And Room Meeting Dates and Times Office Hours ‐ Brittain Hall 348; Dates and Times Or By Appointment COURSE DESCRIPTION POLI 369 Political Psychology (3) (Prereq: POLI 201; or permission of the instructor) This course will cover selected topics in political psychology. We will introduce basic concepts related to the study of psychology before turning our attention to an examination of competing theories within the field of political psychology. These topics include psychobiography, personality, cognition, affect, and neuropolitics. We will end the semester by applying these approaches to the study of political behavior – specifically participation, voting, and communication. F, S, Su COURSE INSTRUCTIONAL OBJECTIVES: Course objectives are as follows: . Provide an introduction to basic psychological concepts . Describe the links between the fields of psychology and political science . Provide an overview of the various schools of thought within the field of political psychology . Discuss and evaluate various contemporary issues and current research in political psychology . Improve critical thinking and analytical skills; STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES: Upon successful completion of this course, students are able to . Demonstrate an understanding of the basic tenets of political psychology . Describe and explain situational theories of political psychology . Describe and explain dispositional theories of political psychology . Describe and explain how political psychology approaches the study of voting behavior, media political communication, race and tolerance, genocide, and terrorism . Analyze, discuss, and write critically about contemporary debates surrounding political psychology 1 POLI XXX Semester Year REQUIREMENTS AND EXPECTATIONS There is one required text for this course, however, I will post readings on Moodle from time to time. I will announce these in class when the need arises. The textbook for the course is: . Houghton, David Patrick. 2015. Political Psychology: Situations, Individuals, and Cases. Your final grade will be based on weekly quizzes, regular examinations, and one term paper. Additionally, you are expected to attend class regularly, be respectful of your fellow students in class, participate regularly, and pay attention to the political world around you. Reading Please come to class having read the assigned materials and chapters for that day’s lecture. It does not help to listen to the lecture if you have not previously done the chapter reading, as it is difficult to retain lecture material if you have not a familiarity with the textbook. Lecture is an opportunity to clarify and enhance the reading, not a first introduction to material. Quizzes Weekly quizzes will be given in class. I will randomly select days for quizzes and will aim to give 10. Your lowest scores will be dropped, if possible, and the top 8 scores will be averaged to determine your Quiz Average. These quizzes represent 25% of your final grade. Examinations Two exams will be given throughout the semester. They will be worth 25% of your final grade each. The exams will be essay and identification questions. The final exam will be cumulative and given at the time scheduled by the university during finals week. Literature Review The term paper will be a literature review on a topic of your choice. More details will follow later in the semesters. Papers must be typed, double spaced, and use reasonable margins (1" on all sides, more or less) and font sizes (10‐12) and will be roughly 5‐7 pages. Papers will be due in person and via Moodle on Tuesday November 28. Grade Assignment Grades will be rounded to the nearest whole number and will be assigned a letter grade using the following letter assignment scheme: G RADE B REAKDOWN L ETTER A SSIGNMENT Weekly Quiz Avg 25% 87‐89 B+ 77‐79 C+ 67‐69 D+ In Class Exams (x 2) 2x 25% 90‐100 A 80‐86 B 70‐76 C 60‐66 D Term Paper 25% < 60 F Total 100% 2 POLI XXX Semester Year COURSE SCHEDULE This course schedule is tentative and subject to change based on our progress through these topics. Should we fall behind, I reserve the right to postpone exams, however, they will not be given before the tentative dates listed here. Weeks are listed below (and the date of the corresponding Monday) as well as expected lecture topics and reading assignments. Date Expected Topics Readings Week 1: Aug 22 & Aug 24 Introduction and Syllabus Intro/Ch 1 Week 2: Aug 29 & Aug 31 A History of Political Psychology Chapter 2 Week 3: Sep 05 & Sep 07 Intro to Dispositionism ‐ Behaviorism Chapter 3 Week 4: Sep 12 & Sep 14 Obedience Chapter 4 Week 5: Sep 19 & Sep 21 The Bad Barrel Chapter 5 Week 6: Sep 26 & Sep 28 Intro to Situationism ‐ Psychobiography Chapter 7 Week 7: Oct 03 & Oct 05 Personality and Beliefs Chapter 8 Week 8: Oct 10 & Oct 12 Cognition Chapter 9 Week 9: Oct 17 & Oct 19 Affect and Emotion Chapter 10 Exam 1 October 19 Week 10: Oct 24 & Oct 26 Biopolitics, Neuropolitics, Genopolitics Chapter 11 Week 11: Oct 31 & Nov 02 Voting Behavior Chapter 12 Week 12: Nov 07 & Nov 09 Political Communication Chapter 13 Week 13: Nov 14 & Nov 16 Racism and Political Intolerance Chapter 15 Week 14: Nov 21 & Nov 23 Thanksgiving Break N/A Week 15: Nov 28 & Nov 30 Nationalism, Ethnic Conflict, Terrorism Ch 14 & Ch 16 Week 16: Dec 05 & Dec 07 Week 15 Cont’d / Wrap up (No class 12/7) Ch 14 & Ch 16 Final Exam 12/12 1:30pm ATTENDANCE AND MISSED ASSIGNMENTS Attendance is expected and will be recorded every class. Attendance will not formally factor into your grade, however, it is imperative to attend in order to participate in lecture and discussions. University policy holds that an instructor is permitted to impose a penalty, including assigning the grade of F, for unexcused absences in excess of 25% of the regularly scheduled class meetings. A student who stops attending class without officially dropping will receive the grade of F. Exams times are listed on this syllabus. Absence from a scheduled exam will result in a zero (0%) except in exceptional circumstances including, but not limited to, death in the immediate family, incapacitating or extended illness, official representation of the university, or the observance of religious holidays. In these cases, documentation such as a letter from a doctor, or an obituary will be required. Important dates are listed on this syllabus. 3 POLI XXX Semester Year DO NOT SCHEDULE TRAVEL ON THESE DATES. In the event of one of these exceptional circumstances, you must contact me immediately to reschedule the exam. You must notify me within 48 hours of missing the exam, requests received after this will not be accepted. The following is the late policy for the Term Paper Turned in within 24 hours of deadline– 10% penalty Turned in 24 – 72 hours late – 20% penalty Turned in more than 72 hours late – 30% penalty No late work will be accepted after our scheduled final exam time All times are calculated from the beginning of the class period. You fall into the first penalty category 5 minutes after the start of class on the due date. ADA Coastal Carolina University is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for all persons with disabilities. If you are seeking classroom accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act, you are required to register with the Office of Accessibility and Disability Services. This office is located in Indigo House and the phone number is 843‐349‐2341. Please make an appointment with a staff member in Accessibility and Disability services so that such accommodations can be considered. To receive academic accommodations for this class, please obtain the proper forms and meet with me to discuss the provisions of those accommodations as soon as possible. ACADEMIC INTEGRITY Statement of Community Standards: Coastal Carolina University is an academic community that expects the highest standards of honesty, integrity and personal responsibility. Members of this community are accountable for their actions and are committed to creating an atmosphere of mutual respect and trust. Expectations of Community Members: All members of our community – students, faculty, staff and administrators – share responsibility for promoting a culture of academic integrity. Each group plays a different role and, together, cultivates mutual respect and ethical behavior. Students: . Understand and abide by the Code of Student Conduct . Take responsibility for personal behavior . Actively oppose every instance of academic dishonesty Cheating, plagiarism, or any other act of academic dishonesty will result in the student receiving a grade of Fx for the course. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION 4 POLI XXX Semester Year All course communication must come from your coastal.edu email account. Please include the name of the course in your emails. Students are expected to arrive on time and respect their fellow students by responsibly using technology in the classroom. You will be asked to leave the classroom if your use of computers/tablets/phones is disruptive to lecture or to your fellow students. Finally, this syllabus is subject to change. However, if any changes arise, I will make that announcement in class and on Moodle. 5 POLI XXX Semester Year .