Political Attitudes and Behaviour: Perspectives from Political Psychology and Sociology

How and when are political attitudes acquired, and can they ever change? How can we explain political behaviour and attitudes with regards to nature (e.g. genetics) and nurture (e.g. socialisation); and are such explanations compatible? Why does equal treatment of and tolerance towards different groups seem to be so hard to achieve; in other words, what are the roots of ethnic discrimination? What is the role of the group versus the individual in explaining violence, aggression and racism, according to research in political psychology? Under what conditions and for what purposes are radical social movements created; and what role do networks and social capital play for the outcomes in political life? These are the major questions addressed in this course. The bulk of the course is devoted to these topics, with one week, involving one lecture and a seminar, per theme.