This course examines classical debates and contemporary developments in political psychology, with an emphasis on theory-building, critical evaluation, and research design. Students engage with quantitative and qualitative scholarship to interrogate how psychological processes—such as cognition, emotion, personality, and identity—interact with social and political contexts to shape political behavior. The course aims to develop students’ ability to critically assess dominant theoretical frameworks, evaluate their methodological foundations and cultural scope, and formulate original research questions that advance the study of political psychology across diverse contexts.

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

• 1) Critically situate major theories and debates in political psychology within the broader interdisciplinary landscape of political science and psychology.
• 2) Evaluate and compare competing psychological explanations of political behavior, identifying their underlying assumptions, mechanisms, and limitations.
• 3) Interrogate the cross-cultural applicability of political psychology research, particularly the transfer of predominantly US-based theories to non-Western contexts such as Turkey.
• 4) Formulate theoretically grounded and methodologically informed research proposals that contribute to scholarly debates in political psychology.