The Political Psychology of Elites

Module title	The Political Psychology of Elites
Module code	POC2041
Academic year	2024/5
Credits	15
Module staff	Professor Daniel Stevens (Convenor)

Duration: Term	1	2	3
Duration: Weeks		10

Number students taking module (anticipated)	40

Module description

When we study the decisions of political leaders, we often think about them in terms of the power relations between states. Or we look at leaders as rational actors determined to maximize benefits and minimize costs. In other words, we ignore what is often referred to as the “black box”, or the psychological processes and dynamics that lie behind decisions. Political psychology focuses explicitly on the “black box.” In this module, you will examine psychological explanations of elite policy decision-making, focusing mostly on foreign policy cases such as the Vietnam War and the war in Iraq. Political psychology is a relatively new subfield of Politics that has provided a wealth of new insights and approaches to the study of politics, many of which you will encounter in this module.

No prior knowledge skills or experience are required to take this module and it is suitable for specialist and non-specialist students.

Module aims - intentions of the module

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.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

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.

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

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.

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

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.

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 activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities	Guided independent study	Placement / study abroad
20	130	0

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Category	Hours of study time	Description
Scheduled Learning and Teaching activity	20	The module will be taught through 10 weekly 1 hour lectures and 10 weekly seminars (starting week 1) in which we discuss the topic and materials
Guided Independent study	130	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 1,000 word analysis of a topic.

Formative assessment

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 (% of credit)

Coursework	Written exams	Practical exams
100	0	0

Details of summative assessment

Form of assessment	% of credit	Size of the assessment (eg length / duration)	ILOs assessed	Feedback method

Essay	70	2,500 words	1-10	Written feedback
15-minute group presentation on a leader/decision	30	15 minutes (including 3-minute Q&A)	1-10	Written feedback

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Original form of assessment	Form of re-assessment	ILOs re-assessed	Timescale for re-assessment
Essay	Essay (2,500 words)	1-10	August/September reassessment period
10-minute viva presentation on a leader/decision with 5 minute Q&A	15 minutes (including 5-minute Q&A)	1-10	August/September reassessment period

Re-assessment notes

Re-assessment of the essay will require the completion of a new essay from a different set of questions. Re-assessment of the group presentation will be on a different leader/decision to those in the module in term-time.

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

Basic reading:

Houghton, David Patrick. 2014 (2^ndedition). Political Psychology: Situations, Individuals and Cases. New York: Routledge.
James David Barber. 1992 (4^th 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.

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

ELE – http://vle.exeter.ac.uk/

Key words search

Psychology, Political, Authoritarianism, Social Cognition and Rational Choice,

Credit value	15
Module ECTS	7.5
Module pre-requisites	None
Module co-requisites	None
NQF level (module)	6
Available as distance learning?	No
Origin date	01/10/2011
Last revision date	27/02/2023