Last modified: 31 Jul 2023 11:19
This course investigates issues at the intersection of psychology and international politics, studying both the psychological causes and consequences of international relations. In addition to familiarising students with core concepts and methods of international political psychology, it develops their skills in analysing factors such as personality, beliefs, perception, emotions, trust, empathy, status, reputation, and social identity.
| Study Type | Undergraduate | Level | 4 |
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| Term | First Term | Credit Points | 30 credits (15 ECTS credits) |
| Campus | Aberdeen | Sustained Study | No |
| Co-ordinators |
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Nearly all aspects of international politics depend on how people think and feel, including the decisions that leaders and their teams make and the impact of that they have on multiple communities, how social movements and political parties seek to shape the political agenda, how diplomats negotiate agreements over complex problems, and how responses to world events fuel powerful emotions in the public and elites. Bringing to light and clarifying the psychological dimensions of international theories can help improve them and better define their scope. It suggests novel hypotheses to some of the most puzzling aspects of international politics, such as the reason that war occurs, the breakout of ethnic violence, the intractable nature of protracted conflicts, enduring and even increasing inequalities, the persistence of colonial, racist and sexist injustices, the difficulty of cooperating over issues like pandemics and the climate crisis, and the apparent irrationality of some leaders. International Relations and Political Psychology are two subfields that already mobilise insight from several disciplines and fields of research. Their combination offers powerful tools to better understand and analyse international politics, and in doing so, we can reconsider our own patterns of thinking, feeling, and engaging with the world. In lectures that will guide students’ research, seminars for in-depth discussions, and writing tasks to develop their analytical skills, students will further their understanding of topics such as personality, beliefs, perception, emotions, trust, empathy, status, reputation, and social identity.
Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 40 | |
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| Assessment Weeks | 12,13,14,15,16,17,18 | Feedback Weeks | 16,17,18,19,20 | |
| Feedback |
Written feedback will be provided via MyAberdeen with specific criteria that will be provided to the students early in the session. |
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
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| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 30 | |
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| Assessment Weeks | 9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18 | Feedback Weeks | 9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18 | |
| Feedback |
Best practice on how to engage in the seminar will be discussed. Written feedback will be provided after each short presentation. The final grade will be based on effort in participating in the seminar and on improvement through the course of the session. |
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
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| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 30 | |
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| Assessment Weeks | 8,9,10,11,12 | Feedback Weeks | 11,12,13,14,15 | |
| Feedback |
Best practice will be discussed during the seminar, and feedback will be provided via e-mail. |
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
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There are no assessments for this course.
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
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| Reflection | Create | Design research to investigate questions of international politics with a psychological perspective. |
| Procedural | Analyse | Analyse the specific ways the psychology of actors is involved in their decisions, behaviour, and responses regarding international politics. |
| Procedural | Understand | Understand the critical role of human psychology in contemporary international relations, including recognising key concepts and theories. |
| Procedural | Evaluate | Assess processes of international politics from a psychological perspective and appraise the impact and relative importance of relevant factors. |
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