MA Political Psychology

Course details This is an exciting new course which is currently being developed through our course approval process. This page will be updated to give you full information about what we'll be offering once the approval process has finished. Core units Issues & Debates in Political Psychology: combines the study of classical texts and topics in political psychology with presentations of current research by members of the course team and other faculty. It places the psychology of politics in the context of major political issues, and links it to other disciplinary approaches. The Psychodynamics of Political Culture: explores the cultural and emotional processes that shape our relationship to politics in the late modern, digital era. Focussing on the interface between politics and popular culture, and drawing on theories and methods in psychoanalysis, it presents case studies of the dynamics of gender, class, ethnicity and nation. The Psychology of Democracy: offers an in-depth examination of the origins and factors that shape feelings and attitudes towards the institutions and processes within a democratic state. Covering the influence that political campaigns and media play, the unit analyses how the way people feel about and understand their place within the democracy system shapes the different forms and levels of participation they contribute to democratic life, from simple thinking about the news through to street activism. The Psychology of Fundamentalism & Political Violence: uses a psychosocial understanding of fundamentalism in the analysis of a wide range of terrorist movements and other extremisms. It examines the social and political contexts that define different extremist ideologies, and outlines their common ground in the fundamentalist state of mind. Research Imagination: prepares you for the Final Project, through an overview of the methods and processes of social science research and workshops in which you will consider the application of methods to your topics of interest. Final Project: you will choose your topic in consultation with academic staff, and will be guided in the application to a study of that topic of research findings and theoretical concepts from all the taught units. The Project can be either a 15,000-word dissertation or a 10,000-word journal paper plus presentation. Programme specification Programme specifications provide definitive records of the University's taught degrees in line with Quality Assurance Agency requirements. Every taught course leading to a BU Award has a programme specification which describes its aims, structure, content and learning outcomes, plus the teaching, learning and assessment methods used. Download the programme specification for MA Political Psychology. Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the programme specification, the information is liable to change to take advantage of exciting new approaches to teaching and learning as well as developments in industry. If you have been unable to locate the programme specification for the course you are interested in, it will be available as soon as the latest version is ready. Alternatively please contact us for assistance.