PB428 Half Unit
Political Psychology: Inequality & Intergroup Relations
This information is for the 2024/25 session.
Teacher responsible
Dr Edoardo Zulato
Availability
This course is available on the MSc in Behavioural Science, MSc in Organisational and Social Psychology, MSc in Psychology of Economic Life, MSc in Social and Cultural Psychology and MSc in Social and Public Communication. This course is available with permission as an outside option to students on other programmes where regulations permit.
Course content
Political psychology is the study both of the workings of psychological processes in contemporary politics, and the impact of political and economic processes on individual and group behaviour. This course introduces the field in the form of a theoretical and empirical toolkit for examining the social psychological underpinnings of contemporary inequality and conflict between groups. We consider three broad approaches to conducting political psychology research, through focusing on individual attitudes, intergroup dynamics, and ideological discourse. We then evaluate how these lenses shed light on contemporary and enduring issues concerning intergroup inequality.
The course will explore the psychosocial processes underpinning prejudice and discrimination, and consider how they manifest in debates around migration, diversity, social mobility, and intergroup conflict. It will consider political participation in its conventional and non-conventional forms, asking why people vote the way they do, and when they will turn to the streets to protest. Students will be equipped with the conceptual tools to consider the psychological antecedents and consequences of inequality in its various forms: to understand why intergroup hierarchy is so persistent, and how it might change.
Lectures and seminars aim to achieve a balance between theoretical and applied issues, critically investigating the ways in which psychology can enhance our understanding of intergroup relations and inequality, and also contribute to broader social and political debates. Through integrating evolutionary, cognitive, social, ideological, and societal perspectives, students will be in a position to take stock of the field of political psychology and where it might go.
Teaching
10 hours of lectures and 10 hours of seminars in the WT.
Formative coursework
500 word essay or report plan outlining the approach to the summative assessment.
Indicative reading
Augoustinos, M. & Reynolds, K. (2001). Understanding Prejudice, Racism and Social Conflict. London: Sage.
Bar-Tal, D. (2011). Intergroup conflicts and their resolution: A Social Psychological Perspective. Hove: Psychology Press.
Barlow, F. K., & Sibley, C. G. (Eds.). (2018). The Cambridge Handbook of the Psychology of Prejudice: Concise Student Edition. Cambridge University Press.
Billig, M. (1995). Banal Nationalism. London: Sage
Guinote, A. E., & Vescio, T. K. (2010). The social psychology of power. Guilford Press.
Hammack. P. (2018). The Oxford Handbook of Social Psychology and Social Justice. Oxford Library of Psychology.
Hogg, M. A., & Abrams, D. (Eds.). (2001). Intergroup relations: Essential readings. Psychology Press.
Howarth, C. & Andreouli, E. (2017) The Social Psychology of Everyday Politics. Oxon and New York: Routledge.
Huddy, L., Sears, D. O., & Levy, J. S. (Eds.). (2013). The Oxford handbook of political psychology. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Jetten, J., & Peters, K. (Eds.). (2019). The Social Psychology of Inequality. Springer International Publishing.
Moghaddam, F. (2008). Multiculturalism and intergroup relations: psychological implications for democracy in global context. Washington DC: APA.
Nesbitt-Larking, P. & Kinnvall, K. (2014) Handbook of Global Political Psychology. New York. Palgrave.
Reicher, S. & Hopkins, N. (2001). Self and Nation. London: Sage.
Üskül, A. K., & Oishi, S. (Eds.). (2018). Socio-economic environment and human psychology: Social, ecological, and cultural perspectives. Oxford University Press.
Assessment
Essay (100%, 3000 words) in the period between WT and ST.
Key facts
Department: Psychological and Behavioural Science
Total students 2023/24: 40
Average class size 2023/24: 13
Controlled access 2023/24: Yes
Value: Half Unit
Course selection videos
Some departments have produced short videos to introduce their courses. Please refer to the course selection videos index page for further information.