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This course is designed to increase students’ understanding of the role of psychological theories and findings in the area of political sociology and politics. The purpose of this course is to explore how are individual political decisions formed and changed, and what drives individual political behavior. We will focus on how psychological processes can help us explain differences in attitudes and behavior between individuals, and what implications these psychological processes have in forming public opinion and democratic society. Last update: Vojanová Jana (09.04.2025)
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Recent trends in social science research incorporated the idea that we need knowledge from a variety of fields such as psychology, biology, sociology and political science to get more complex understanding of how people think about politics, make political decisions, and the extent to which they engage in a variety of political behaviors. This course will provide an overview of the interdisciplinary study of politics at the intersection of these fields to improve students’ understanding of individual political behavior and opinions. More specifically, we will discuss the role of emotions, personality, biology, and how is individual behavior and opinion affected by others. Last update: Vojanová Jana (09.04.2025)
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Final exam (40 points) The final exam will consist primarily of multiple choice questions and will cover materials from compulsory readings, lectures, and class discussions. The test will be conducted via Moodle, and students will complete it on their laptops. There will be exactly three exam dates in total. Students must score at least 50% on the final exam to pass the course. Reading Quizzes (9 points) In weeks 3–11 (excluding week 7), each class will include a short quiz on the assigned reading. Each correct answer is worth 1 point, with a maximum of 9 points in total. Presentation (1 point) Students will present their ideas, literature (at least 6 articles) and approach during the class by giving max 4-minutes “blitz” presentation (3-4 ppt slides). This presentation and related feedback will serve as the basis of their final paper assignment. For this class students will be divided into two groups (one presenting in room B216 and the other group presenting in room C220) to secure enough time for presentations and feedback. Research Paper (50 points) Students are required to submit a review article, systematic review, or thematic synthesis on a topic relevant to political psychology. The selected topic must be thematically connected to the subject of political psychology. The paper is required to have a title, 3 keywords, 100-150 words abstract, and the text itself has to be 3000-4000 words long and written in APA style. The paper has to include clearly defined topic of the review (and, if applicable, a specific research question), the journal(s) they will focus on in their review and/or the time frame covered by the review (the period must end in 2025) and include at least 6 academic sources (journals or chapters/books). References, tables and figures/graphs are not included in the word limit. Final papers are due before 10th January 2027, 11:59pm CET, and should be submitted via Moodle. Grading: Students need to give their presentation in week 5 or 6, receive at least 25 points on the Research Paper assignment, at least 25 points on the final exam, and at least 51 points in total in order to pass the course.
NOTE: Total points earned will be rounded to the whole number (e. g. the overall result of 50.5 points is rounded to 51 points and corresponds to the grade E). Last update: Kudrnáč Aleš, Ph.D. (05.09.2026)
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The course is divided into twelve sessions that will be held on a weekly basis. The first 60 minutes of each lesson are dedicated to a lecture, and 20 minutes are left for a short discussion of the topic and related readings. Weeks 6 and 7 are meant for short students’ presentations of the topics of their Research Paper. The last session is dedicated to test. Course materials will be available online in Moodle. Last update: Kudrnáč Aleš, Ph.D. (07.08.2025)
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Last update: Kudrnáč Aleš, Ph.D. (05.09.2026)
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