Module POC2041 for 2021/2
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Undergraduate Module Descriptor
POC2041: The Political Psychology of Elites
This module descriptor refers to the 2021/2 academic year.
Please note that this module is only delivered on the Penryn Campus.
Module Aims
This module aims to equip students with the tools to describe and evaluate political psychological theories of decision-making at the elite level and thus with the skills to develop your own ideas about what drives elite attitudes and behaviours. The module focuses on elite decision-making, concentrating mostly on foreign policy and why otherwise intelligent and savvy individuals and groups often make very poor decisions. Students will learn about different theoretical perspectives and how to apply them to different historical examples in the study of elite decision-making. Students will have the opportunity to discuss and evaluate contending theoretical perspectives and in each case to bring theory and practice together to form their own perspectives. They will be encouraged to think critically about all of the key concepts that are explored in the module and to think about how they relate to wider questions and debates in Politics and International Relations (but also in psychology and history) about elite attitudes and behaviours. Using a range of learning methods including group presentations, research-based problem-solving exercises, film analysis, and general discussion and debate, you will have the opportunity to consider explanations of what elites do and how they shape contemporary world politics.
| On successfully completing the programme you will be able to: | |
|---|---|
| Module-Specific Skills | 1. demonstrate knowledge of the major theories of elite decision-making in the field of political psychology in oral and written work; 2. discuss different theories and research in oral and written work; 3. apply major psychological theories to elite decision-making in written essays. |
| Discipline-Specific Skills | 4. demonstrate comprehension and the ability to use key concepts pertaining to elite decision-making in oral and written work; 5. synthesize and critique major theories and arguments in the field in your written work; 6. demonstrate that you understand the implications of new evidence for a given theory in your oral and written work; 7. demonstrate that you can identify different methods of research in the field and their possible implications for findings in your oral and written work. |
| Personal and Key Skills | 8. work independently and in groups, including presentations for class discussion, and in spontaneous discussion and defence of arguments in class; 9. demonstrate oral and written analytical and organizational skills in essays, group presentations and group discussion with some guidance; and 10. write essays to a deadline. |
Module Content
Syllabus Plan
1. An Introduction to Political Psychology & Elite Decision-Making
Key concepts in political psychology; research designs and elite decision-making
2. Personality and Elite Decision-Making
i. James David Barber’s theory of presidential personality
ii. Other prominent theories of elite personality, e.g., trait analysis
3. Group processes and Elite Decision-Making
i. Groupthink
ii. Critiques and extensions of Groupthink
4. Analogical Reasoning in Foreign Policy Decision-Making
i. Khong’s theory of analogical reasoning in the Vietnam War
ii. Critiques and extensions of analogical reasoning in decision-making
5. Prospect Theory and Elite Decision-Making
i. The foundations of prospect theory
ii. Applications of prospect theory to foreign policy decisions
6. Hybrid Theories of Elite Decision-Making
Learning and Teaching
This table provides an overview of how your hours of study for this module are allocated:
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 22 | 128 | 0 |
...and this table provides a more detailed breakdown of the hours allocated to various study activities:
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching activity | 22 | The module will be taught through 11 weekly 1 hour lectures and 11 weekly seminars (starting week 1) in which we discuss the topic and materials |
| Guided Independent study | 128 | Private study reading and preparing for lectures and seminars (around 6 hours of reading and note-taking per week); researching and writing essay (around 47 hours researching, planning and writing each essay). Around 15 hours researching, planning, and writing the 1000 word analysis of a topic. |
Online Resources
This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).
ELE – http://vle.exeter.ac.uk/
How this Module is Assessed
In the tables below, you will see reference to 'ILO's. An ILO is an Intended Learning Outcome - see Aims and Learning Outcomes for details of the ILOs for this module.
Formative Assessment
A formative assessment is designed to give you feedback on your understanding of the module content but it will not count towards your mark for the module.
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Group presentations (based on readings or topics to prepare for class) | 10 mins (about 4 over the term) | 4, 5, 7-10 | Verbal feedback from module convenor and other members of the class. |
Summative Assessment
A summative assessment counts towards your mark for the module. The table below tells you what percentage of your mark will come from which type of assessment.
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 90 | 0 | 10 |
...and this table provides further details on the summative assessments for this module.
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seminar participation | 10 | Over the 11 seminars | 4,5,7-10 | Oral feedback at the end of Week 5. Written feedback with mark at the end of the term. |
| Essay | 65 | 3,000 words | 1-8,10,11 | Written feedback |
| 1000 word analysis of a topic | 25 | 1,000 words | 2,4,6,7,10 | Written feedback |
Re-assessment
Re-assessment takes place when the summative assessment has not been completed by the original deadline, and the student has been allowed to refer or defer it to a later date (this only happens following certain criteria and is always subject to exam board approval). For obvious reasons, re-assessments cannot be the same as the original assessment and so these alternatives are set. In cases where the form of assessment is the same, the content will nevertheless be different.
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | Essay (3,000 words) | 1-8,10,11 | August/September reassessment period |
| 1000 word analysis of a topic | 1,000 words | 1-8,10,11 | August/September reassessment period |
| Seminar participation | 30 minute viva | 4,5,7-10 | August/September reassessment period |
Re-assessment notes
Re-assessment of the essay will require the completion a new essay based on knowledge of the same topics, but a different question will be given. If re-assessment is due to the analysis of a topic, a new topic will be given. If you have failed the module despite attaining pass marks in the essay and analysis of a topic, your ‘seminar participation’ will be re-assessed. If you have failed the module due to a failure to pass your ‘seminar participation’ and either or both of the essay and analysis of a topic, then your re-assessment will initially be limited to the written component(s) only. In this circumstance, your ‘seminar participation’ will only subsequently be re-assessed if you have completed the referred written work and still failed the module. Re-assessment of your participation in seminars, as a result of referral/deferral processes, will take the form of a viva involving a 10-minute oral presentation on a question submitted in advance, followed by 20 minutes of questioning by the module convenor.
Indicative Reading List
This reading list is indicative - i.e. it provides an idea of texts that may be useful to you on this module, but it is not considered to be a confirmed or compulsory reading list for this module.
Basic reading:
Houghton, David Patrick. 2014 (2nd edition). Political Psychology: Situations, Individuals and Cases. New York: Routledge.
Bob Altemeyer. 1996. The Authoritarian Specter. London: Harvard University Press.
James David Barber. 1992 (4th edition). The Presidential Character: Predicting Performance in the White House. London: Prentice Hall.
Irving L. Janis. 1982 (2nd edition). Groupthink. Houghton Mifflin.
Yuen Foong Khong. 1992. Analogies at War: Korea, Munich, Dien Bien Phu, and the Vietnam Decisions of 1965. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
