POL504 Political attitudes and public opinion

Faculty of Social Studies
Autumn 2009
Extent and Intensity
1/1. 9 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
doc. PhDr. Lukáš Linek, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Mgr. Kateřina Vráblíková, Ph.D. (seminar tutor)
Guaranteed by
prof. PhDr. Ing. Ondřej Císař, Ph.D.
Division of Politology – Department of Political Science – Faculty of Social Studies
Contact Person: Mgr. Lucie Pospíšilová
Timetable
Tue 16:00–17:40 U41
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
At the end of the course the students are able to: 1) explain problems related to measurement of public opinion. 2) Students are able to characterize the nature of public opinion, interpret concept of value/attitude systems structure and explain formation of political attitudes. 3) Simultaneously, alumni are able to critically evaluate specific concepts such as political sophistication, legitimacy, institutional trust, political culture etc.
Syllabus
  • 1. Introduction
  • 2. Political attitudes and values: conceptualization and measurement
  • 3. Social cognition and schema. Public opinion
  • 4. Attitudes and non-attitudes – what is public opinion?
  • 5. Value/attitude systems structure
  • 6. Formation of political attitudes
  • 7. Political sophistication
  • 8. Attitudes towards political system, institutions and actors
  • 9. Working week
  • 10. Norms of good citizenship and Political tolerance
  • 11. Political culture
  • 12. Does public opinion matter for policy?
  • 13. Course wrap-up
Literature
  • Citizenship and involvement in European democracies : a comparative analysis. Edited by Jan van Deth - José Ramón Montero Gibert - Anders Westholm. New York: Routledge, 2007, xxiv, 476. ISBN 9780415412315. info
  • The Oxford handbook of political behavior. Edited by Russell J. Dalton - Hans-Dieter Klingemann. 1st pub. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007, xvi, 992. ISBN 9780199566013. info
  • ZALLER, John. The nature and origins of mass opinion. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1992, xiii, 367. ISBN 9780521407861. info
Teaching methods
lectures, seminars, seminar discussion
Assessment methods
Short position papers: Students have to submit five position papers that will discuss the literature for respective seminar. The paper should be one page long, single-spaced (ap. 500 words) and has to be submitted to IS until 8 am of the day of the seminar. The submission of five papers is a necessary condition for taking the exam.

Exam: Students can get 0-20 points. The written test will consist of four open questions (0-5 points) that will cover the discussed topics. Evaluation: 20-19 points A, 18-17 points B, 16-15 points C,14-13 points D, 12 points E, 11 points and less F.
Language of instruction
Czech
Further Comments
Study Materials
The course is taught annually.
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2010, Autumn 2011, Autumn 2012, Autumn 2013, Autumn 2014, Autumn 2015, Autumn 2016, Autumn 2017, Autumn 2018.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Autumn 2009, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/fss/autumn2009/POL504