Professor: Hilary Zedlitz
4 credits
Political psychology examines how people think, feel, and behave in political life. Our study of the psychological foundations of politics centers on three core questions: How do individuals form political beliefs and identities? How do emotions, group loyalties, and social pressures shape political decision-making? And how do leaders, institutions, and media influence the ways people understand power, conflict, and belonging? These questions illuminate the course’s concern with the relationship between individual experience and larger political systems, showing how politics is shaped not only by laws and institutions, but also by perception, emotion, and social behavior.
In this course, we will examine some of the central ideas of political psychology. We begin with an introduction to the field and its methods, asking how scholars study political attitudes, beliefs, and behavior. We will explore how people form political opinions and how emotions such as fear, anger, and enthusiasm shape decision-making. We then consider personality, moral values, and the role of prejudice and bias in political life. From there, we examine how race, gender, class, nationality, and other social identities shape political participation and belonging. We will also study political leadership, persuasion, propaganda, and the influence of media on public opinion. Finally, we will consider contemporary problems such as polarization, misinformation, and democratic trust, asking what political psychology can teach us about the present moment.
Hilary Zedlitz is a political scientist who specializes in American politics, particularly the intersections of religion and nonreligious identity, political psychology, and political behavior. She will be completing her PhD at the University of Michigan this summer and joining the CHC Faculty as a Visiting Instructor for the 2026-27 academic year.