Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
COURSE RECORD
Code PSYF241
Name Political Psychology
Hour per week 5
Credit 5
ECTS 10
Level/Year/Semester Undergraduate/ 2nd, 3rd, or 4th/ Fall or Spring
Academic year TBA (to-be-announced)
Semester TBA
Day and hour TBA
Classroom Hybrid (on-campus with an online component)
Type Fundamental
Prerequisites Complete Core2 courses
Special Conditions Since this class includes active debates and leadership, each student will be
expected to have the following technologies:
1. A stable and fast (e.g., fibre internet) unlimited internet connection for
the synchronous Zoom sessions on a computer.
2. Browsers to access CANVAS and Zoom
3. Build-in or webcam camera and microphone
For this course, I will be using CANVAS and McGraw Hill Connect Websites. You
will access the course syllabus, course materials, lecture notes, links to related
websites, assignments, articles, etc., from these websites. You are responsible for
checking Canvas and Connect regularly. Information about exams and assignment
grades will also be available on this site.
Content The world has been the site of many bloody conflicts for centuries as if the
psychological theories are manifesting that violence is seen as the nature of humans
(e.g., Berkowitz, 1990; Fiske, 2012). While intergroup relations are established
under all unique circumstances, many conflicts arising in various geographies are
centered around territorial claims and political conflicts between groups with
marked social, cultural and religious identities. In other words, divisions between
ethnically, religiously and sectarian identities are seen as conflicting groups in a
society, but their nature are political disagreements and territorial demands
(Çoymak, Gheorghiu, Niens & Lyons, 2015; Wallensteen, 2002). However, questions
are that we should understand their political behaviour to improve harmony among
humans and human group:
• What does psychology know about social conflict and its role in
peacebuilding?
• What are the psychological foundations of social conflict? Is conflict in
human nature?
• What forms of conflicts harm humanity?
• Why do people behave the way they do in politics?
• Why do political leaders make the decisions they do?
• Why does an individual involve a mass killing and genocide?
• What are the roles of emotions in politics?
How does psychology help to understand invisible social conflicts in society?
This course will address theories and debates on these questions -and many morethrough
the lens of psychological research on understanding human political
behaviours.
Objectives This is one of course in the compulsory departmental categories at fundamental
level, allowing participants to explore essential discussions in political psychology.
Instead of providing a straightforward classical lecture format, it is designed to
cover the main theories of political psychology by encouraging participants to
involve discussions, demonstrations, and even some small applications in and out of
the class time.
Participants who complete this course successfully will be able to gain the following
learning outcomes, corresponding to the AGU Psychology Program aims:
• equip students with the general and specific psychological and basic
research knowledge in political psychology
• acquire basic skills regarding conducting research and on the applications
on political behaviours
• devising technologies for human well-being, and following global and
psychology-specific ethical codes and values in psychological applications
and research by using knowledge of political psychology