University of the West of England
MODULE SPECIFICATION
Code: UPPNGW-30-3 Title: Political Psychology Version: 3
Level: 3 UWE credit rating: 30 ECTS credit rating: 15
Module type: Standard
Owning Faculty: HLSS Field: Politics
Valid from: September 2009 Discontinued from:
Contributes towards: Awards up to BA/BSC (Hons)
Pre-requisites: None
Co-requisites: None
Excluded combinations: None
Learning outcomes:
At the end of the course the student should be able to:
1. Demonstrate a thorough and critical understanding of psychoanalytic and other psychological theories of identity and the emotions (Assessment component A, and B elements 1 and 2).
2. Demonstrate an ability to effectively apply such theories to understanding a variety of forms of political behaviour (Assessment component B, elements 1 and 2).
3. Analyse the implicit or explicit models of human agency in some key traditions within political science (Assessment component A)
4 Demonstrate an ability to pursue an interdisciplinary method of political investigation (Assessment component B, elements 1 and 2).
5. Demonstrate a critical awareness of the issues that surround the contemporary uses of psychology in the practices of governments and political parties (Assessment component A).
Syllabus outline:
1. Assumptions about the self in political theory
2. Theories of group emotion and identity
• Freud and Simmel
• Klein, Bion and Zizek
• Honneth, Benjamin, Butler
3. Leaders and followers
• Resentment, Charisma & Political Leadership
• Psychological Perspectives on Political Leadership
• The Psychology of Followership (trust, dependence, apathy)
4. Social and political mobilisation
• the affective bases of mobilisation
• the psychology of activists and activism
• the formation of group identities
5. Hatred, conflict and violence
The role of the emotions in:
• intergroup conflict
• populism, fascism and fundamentalism
• conflict management
6. Democracy and the emotions
• group emotions and political deliberation
• understanding and misunderstanding the other
7. Contemporary politics and the (ab)uses of psychology
• therapeutic culture and therapeutic state
• `political marketing’: constructing the political consumer
Teaching and learning methods:
There will be a combination of formal lectures, seminars and workshops. In seminars students will be expected to demonstrate a familiarity with guided reading sources and to be able to present this material using oral and visual media. The course is organised around a core text, written by the Module leader.
There will be a strong emphasis on student presentations including presentations of project proposals. All students will be required to lead a seminar - prepare materials, support their presentation using visual or other methods, and structure a follow-up discussion. Workshops will include simulations of small group political processes illustrating, for example, the dynamics of trust and representation.
Reading Strategy:
Core text:
Hoggett, P. (2009), Politics, Identity and Emotion, Boulder,Colorado: Paradigm Publishers
Indicative Reading List:
Alford, C.F. (1994), Group Psychology and Political Theory. New Haven, Con: Yale University Press.
Clarke, S., Hoggett, P. & Thompson, S. (eds) Politics, Emotions & Society. Basingstoke: Palgrave.
Goodwin, G., Jasper, J. & Poletta, F. (2000) Passionate Politics. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Hoggett, P. (2000), Emotional Life and the Politics of Welfare. Basingstoke: Macmillan.
Nolan, J. (1998), The Therapeutic State: Justifying Government at Century’s End. New York: New York University Press.
Sennett, R. (1976), The Fall of Public Man. London & New York: Faber and Faber.
Stryker, S, Owens,T. & White, R. (eds) Self, Identity & Social Movements. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.
Scammel, M. (1999), `Political Marketing: Lessons for Political Science’, Political Studies, XLVII, 4: 718-739
Volkan , V. (1994), The Need to Have Enemies and Allies: From Clinical Practice to International Relationships. Northvale New Jersey: Jason Aronson.
The following journals will also be useful sources: Constellations, Free Associations, Organisational and Social Dynamics, Political Studies and opendemocracy.net
Assessment
Weighting between components A and B (standard modules at levels 0-3 only) A: 40% B: 60%
ATTEMPT 1
First Assessment Opportunity
Component A
Description of each element Element weighting
1. Exam (2 hours) 40%
Component B
Description of each element Element weighting
1. Student Presentations
Seminar presentation 10%
Project proposal (500 words) 15%
2. Project (3,000 word investigation of contemporary psycho-political phenomenon) 35%
Second Assessment Opportunity (further attendance at taught classes is not required)
Component A
Description of each element Element weighting
1. Exam (2 hours) 40%
Component B
Description of each element Element weighting
1. Essay (4000 words) 60%
SECOND (OR SUBSEQUENT) ATTEMPT Attendance at taught classes is not required.
Specification confirmed by …………………………………………………Date ……………………………
(Associate Dean/Programme Director)