GV917-7-AU-CO:
Public Opinion and Political Behaviour: Theories and Issues
2023/24
Government
Colchester Campus
Autumn
Postgraduate: Level 7
Current
Thursday 05 October 2023
Friday 15 December 2023
15
20 April 2023
Requisites for this module
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)
GV967
MA L20712 Public Opinion and Political Behaviour,
MA L207EB Public Opinion and Political Behaviour,
MA L207EK Public Opinion and Political Behaviour,
MSC L20712 Public Opinion and Political Behaviour,
MSC L207EB Public Opinion and Political Behaviour,
MSC L207EK Public Opinion and Political Behaviour
The module introduces students to the latest theoretical debates about the nature and significance of public opinion and political behaviour.
The course examines issues as described below:
- How do we understand public opinion and political behaviour?
- How do citizens acquire information and convert it into opinions?
- Given that it is rational for individuals not to invest too much in acquiring political knowledge, how do they manage to learn what they know?
- How does political information and public opinion influence political behaviour?
The aims of this module are:
- To introduce students to the latest theoretical debates about the nature, significance, measurement and analysis of public opinion.
- To provide the theoretical background, up-to-date academic findings, and working knowledge needed to undertake surveys of public opinion. These are required by anyone seeking employment in polling and market research industry or who wishes to conduct further research in the fields of political attitudes and behaviour.
By the end of this module, students should have:
- A good working knowledge of the latest theoretical debates about the nature and dynamics of public opinion and political behaviour
- An understanding of the processes of opinion formation, the nature of public reasoning about political issues and interpersonal influences on opinion
The intended learning outcomes and key skills are:
- Communications – oral presentations; writing clearly and working to a deadline
- Collaboration – interacting with others in academic debates
- Information Technology – online searching, word processing, statistical analysis
The module will cover the following topics:
- History and the origins of public opinion
- Theoretical approaches to political behaviour
- Public opinion, political attitudes, and survey responses
- Citizen competence and political knowledge
- Political reasoning and misinformation
- The formation and development of the political self: Genes, personality, and socialization
- Models of voting behaviour
- Media and political campaign
- Social media and political behaviour
- Public opinion and public policy
The module will be delivered via:
Two-hour weekly seminars (x 10 weeks).
The seminar will engage students in interactive discussions and group study skills. The seminar also includes student presentations. It will foster critical thinking, problem solving, collaborative learning and oral communication.
-
Berinsky, A.J. (2015) ‘The history and meaning of public opinion’, in
New Directions in Public Opinion. Available at:
https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/universityofessex-ebooks/reader.action?docID=4219375&ppg=44.
-
Sunshine, H. (2015) ‘The practice of survey research: Changes and challenge’, in
New Directions in Public Opinion. 2nd edition. London: Taylor & Francis Ltd, pp. 34–53. Available at:
https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=1132001&site=ehost-live&authtype=sso&custid=s9814295&ebv=EB&ppid=pp_34.
-
Verba, S. (no date) ‘The Citizen as Respondent: Sample Surveys and American Democracy Presidential Address, American Political Science Association, 1995’,
American Political Science Review, 90(1), pp. 1–7. Available at:
https://www.jstor.org/stable/2082793.
-
Downs, A. (1957) An economic theory of democracy. New York: Harper.
-
-
Colombo, C. and Steenbergen, M.R. (2020) ‘Heuristics and Biases in Political Decision Making’, in D.P. Redlawsk (ed.)
The Oxford Encyclopedia of Political Decision Making. Oxford University Press. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190228637.013.974.
-
Asher, H.B. (2017b) ‘The Problem of Nonattitudes’, in Polling and the public: what every citizen should know. Ninth edition. Thousand Oaks, California: CQ Press, an imprint of SAGE Publications, pp. 43–74.
-
-
Ksiazkiewicz, A. and Hedrick, J. (no date) ‘An Introduction to Implicit Attitudes in Political Science Research’,
PS: Political Science & Politics, 46(3), pp. 525–531. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1017/S1049096513000632.
-
Zaller, J.R. (1992) ‘Chapter 2: Information, predispositions, and opinion’, in
The Nature and Origins of Mass Opinion. Cambridge University Press, pp. 6–39. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511818691.003.
-
Arcuri, L.
et al. (no date) ‘Predicting the Vote: Implicit Attitudes as Predictors of the Future Behavior of Decided and Undecided Voters’,
Political Psychology, 29(3), pp. 369–387. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9221.2008.00635.x.
-
‘How Racist Am I? - YouTube’ (no date). Available at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ho2IpTpgRUQ.
-
Implicit Association Tests (IAT) (no date). Available at:
https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/takeatest.html.
-
Clarke, H.D.
et al. (2009) ‘Chapter 2. The theory of valence politics’, in
Performance Politics and the British Voter. Cambridge University Press, pp. 30–52. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511596872.002.
-
Denver, D. and Johns, R. (2022) ‘Chapter 10. Elections and Party Choice in Britain Today’, in
Elections and Voters in Britain. Cham: Springer International Publishing, pp. 283–311. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-86492-7_10.
-
Lewis-Beck, M.S. and Stegmaier, M. (2000) ‘Economic Determinants of Electoral Outcomes’,
Annual Review of Political Science, 3(1), pp. 183–219. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.polisci.3.1.183.
-
Anderson, C.J. (2000) ‘Economic voting and political context: a comparative perspective’,
Electoral Studies, 19(2-3), pp. 151–170. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1016/S0261-3794(99)00045-1.
-
NIEUWBEERTA, P. and ULTEE, W. (1999) ‘Class voting in western industrialized countries, 1945-1990: Systematizing and testing explanations’,
European Journal of Political Research, 35(1), pp. 123–160. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1111/1475-6765.00444.
-
Clarke, H.
et al. (2011) ‘Valence Politics and Electoral Choice in Britain, 2010’,
Journal of Elections, Public Opinion & Parties, 21(2), pp. 237–253. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1080/17457289.2011.562614.
-
Hobolt, S.B. (2016) ‘The Brexit vote: a divided nation, a divided continent’,
Journal of European Public Policy, 23(9), pp. 1259–1277. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1080/13501763.2016.1225785.
-
The above list is indicative of the essential reading for the course.
The library makes provision for all reading list items, with digital provision where possible, and these resources are shared between students.
Further reading can be obtained from this module's
reading list.
Assessment items, weightings and deadlines
| Coursework / exam |
Description |
Deadline |
Coursework weighting |
| Coursework |
Class presentation |
|
10% |
| Coursework |
Essay |
|
40% |
| Coursework |
Research proposal |
|
50% |
Exam format definitions
- Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
- In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary,
for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.
Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.
Overall assessment
Reassessment
Module supervisor and teaching staff
Dr Seonghui Lee, email: s.lee@essex.ac.uk.
Dr Seonghui Lee
Module Supervisor: Seonghui Lee, s.lee@essex.ac.uk
Yes
No
No
Dr Damien Bol
King's College London
Senior Lecturer
Available via Moodle
Of 20 hours, 20 (100%) hours available to students:
0 hours not recorded due to service coverage or fault;
0 hours not recorded due to opt-out by lecturer(s), module, or event type.
Government
Disclaimer: The University makes every effort to ensure that this information on its Module Directory is accurate and up-to-date. Exceptionally it can
be necessary to make changes, for example to programmes, modules, facilities or fees. Examples of such reasons might include a change of law or regulatory requirements,
industrial action, lack of demand, departure of key personnel, change in government policy, or withdrawal/reduction of funding. Changes to modules may for example consist
of variations to the content and method of delivery or assessment of modules and other services, to discontinue modules and other services and to merge or combine modules.
The University will endeavour to keep such changes to a minimum, and will also keep students informed appropriately by updating our programme specifications and module directory.
The full Procedures, Rules and Regulations of the University governing how it operates are set out in the Charter, Statutes and Ordinances and in the University Regulations, Policy and Procedures.