MA Political Psychology

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Full time according to Funding Council definitions

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This course offers a unique opportunity to study how psychological insights can throw light on politics. What are the roots of political violence? What drives shifts in public opinion? Why do some people become activists, while others never get involved? How does propaganda work? What is the appeal of the political ideologies to which some devote their lives? What makes for effective political leadership? Is the future democratic?

Psychology can make a vital contribution to developing answers to these and many other questions of importance to all those interested in the future of their societies. Political psychology is a well-established branch of psychology, yet there are very few places in the world where a Master’s in the subject can be taken. Bournemouth University is now offering such a course, based on the in-depth expertise of the team who will provide it.

The course leader is Professor Barry Richards, who has over 30 years’ experience of research and writing in this field, from his edited collection ‘Capitalism and Infancy’ in 1984 to his forthcoming book ‘What is Holding Us Together?’. He has been a leading figure in the application of psychoanalytic theory to the understanding of politics.

The course team also includes Professor Candida Yates, author and editor of books on popular culture, emotion and politics, and Associate Professor Darren Lilleker, a widely-published international leader in the study of political communication. These and other teaching staff bring a broad range of perspectives to the course, and enable it both to focus on the psychological dimensions of politics and also to see psychological factors in their broader societal contexts. Our psychologies need specific study, but are part of our societies and cultures.

If you are considering postgraduate research on a topic which involves looking psychologically at politics, or are intending to work in the political field itself (whether as activist, consultant, researcher or in some other role), this course offers a highly relevant, challenging and rich encounter with leading edge theory and research at the complex intersections of psychology and politics.

See more course details

Image description — Students in the library

Key information

Next start date:

January 2019, September 2019

Location:

Bournemouth University, Talbot Campus

Duration:

1 year full-time

Entry requirements:

For 2019 entry: A Bachelors Honours degree with 2:2 in any subject. For more information check out our full entry requirements.

International entry requirements:

If English is not your first language you'll need IELTS (Academic) 6.5 with a minimum of 6.0 in each component of writing, speaking, listening and reading. For more information check out our full entry requirements.

Course details

On this course you will be taught by a range of staff with relevant expertise and knowledge appropriate to the content of the unit. This will include senior academic staff, qualified professional practitioners, demonstrators, technicians and research students.

Download the programme specification (pdf 144kb)

Core units

Issues & Debates in Political Psychology: combines the study of classical texts and topics in political psychology with presentations of current research by members of the course team and other faculty. It places the psychology of politics in the context of major political issues, and links it to other disciplinary approaches.
The Psychodynamics of Political Culture and Society: offers a new interdisciplinary perspective on the psycho-dynamics of contemporary political culture. The unit applies a psychosocial, interdisciplinary approach that draws on theories and methods in psychoanalysis, cultural and media studies and political sociology to explore the cultural and emotional processes that shape our relationship to politics in the late modern, media age.
The Psychology of Democracy: offers an in-depth examination of the origins and factors that shape feelings and attitudes towards the institutions and processes within a democratic state. Covering the influence that political campaigns and media play, the unit analyses how the way people feel about and understand their place within the democracy system shapes the different forms and levels of participation they contribute to democratic life, from simple thinking about the news through to street activism.
The Psychology of Fundamentalism & Political Violence: uses a psychosocial understanding of fundamentalism in the analysis of a wide range of terrorist movements and other extremisms. It examines the social and political contexts that define different extremist ideologies, and outlines their common ground in the fundamentalist state of mind.
Research Imagination: prepares you for the Final Project, through an overview of the methods and processes of social science research and workshops in which you will consider the application of methods to your topics of interest.
Final Project: you will choose your topic in consultation with academic staff, and will be guided in the application to a study of that topic of research findings and theoretical concepts from all the taught units. The Project can be either a 15,000-word dissertation or a 10,000-word journal paper plus presentation.

Option units

Choose one of the following option units:

Political Marketing & Campaigning: You will explore the historical development of political marketing, its impact on how politics is positioned, ‘sold’ and understood by the electorate; its theoretical foundations and the major critiques of it. The unit will also explain and explore contemporary political campaign strategies, the techniques and tools of implementation and, the desired impacts (and evaluation methods) of such activities.
Diplomacy & International Relations: The unit will enable you to develop critical awareness and knowledge of the contemporary global politics and to be able to analyse world politics as settings for international political communication.
Political Journalism: Explore the reporting of contemporary politics in an international context, including traditional and alternative news media. Topics include journalism and war and peace, journalism and diplomacy, the role of citizen journalism, journalism ethics and law, and media ownership.
Media & Crisis: You will gain an understainding of the function and role of the media during crises. Review the various theoretical perspectives on crisis reporting and the impact of media coverage of national and international crises on audiences.
Youth Culture & Media: Investigates the kinds of media platforms and practices that make youth culture move, examining how cultural forms travel, catch on, and spread from city to city, from nation to nation. The unit draws from a range of media practices from blogging to music videos to street art, focusing in particular on how youth culture travels transnationally via media and mediated exchange.
Digital Media Literacies: During this unit you will appraise analytical and theoretical perspectives on the changing nature of literacy in the context of technological change and the mediation of life. In addition you will conduct empirical and reflexive research into digital media literacy and present the outcomes through an appropriate dissemination mode.
Media, Power & Conflict: This unit explores debates around the media’s relation to power and developments in the public sphere in a rapidly evolving media ecology. It examines the nexus of politics, private and state power, the public and the media in local, national and international contexts.

Please note that option units require minimum numbers in order to run and may only be available on a semester by semester basis. They may also change from year to year.

Programme specification

Programme specifications provide definitive records of the University's taught degrees in line with Quality Assurance Agency requirements. Every taught course leading to a BU Award has a programme specification which describes its aims, structure, content and learning outcomes, plus the teaching, learning and assessment methods used.

Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the programme specification, the information is liable to change to take advantage of exciting new approaches to teaching and learning as well as developments in industry. If you have been unable to locate the programme specification for the course you are interested in, it will be available as soon as the latest version is ready. Alternatively please contact us for assistance.

Your application

How and when to apply

There is no application deadline for this course. However, if you will need a visa to come to the UK to study, think carefully about the length of time it will take for your visa application to be processed and make sure your visa will be ready in time for the beginning of your course.

Click the green ‘Apply now’ button to submit your application free of charge online through myHub, our application portal. You will create your own myHub account so that you can track the progress of your application. Don’t forget to save your application as you go; you can return to it at as many times as you want before you submit it. For more information visit our How to apply section.

Entry requirements

General entry requirements

International entry requirements

If English is not your first language, you will need to provide evidence that you can understand English to a satisfactory level. English language requirements for this course are normally:

IELTS (Academic) 6.5 with a minimum of 6.0 in each component, or equivalent.

View further information about our English language requirements.

Bournemouth University International College offers a number of pre-sessional English and preparatory programmes to prepare international students for postgraduate study at BU. Admission to the degree is guaranteed on successful completion of your course to the required level.

You can also find further details of the international qualifications we accept, and what level of study they apply to, on our international entry requirements page.

Careers

Potential career paths

This course offers a highly relevant, challenging and rich encounter with leading-edge theory and research at the complex intersections of psychology and politics. It provides an interdisciplinary basis for doctoral research in many areas, and will be an attractive basis for the development of careers in academia and research.

It also provides a suitable basis for entry to, or professional development within, careers in political and policy research, strategic work for campaigning groups, and political journalism, as well as offering insights and support for those engaged in democratic participation as professional or local politicians.

Further study

Costs and fees

You can find full information about the deposits required and how to pay your fees in our postgraduate fees and funding section, including details of the Postgraduate Loan (subject to fee status).

All fees are quoted in pounds sterling and are per annum. Fees quoted are for tuition only unless stated otherwise. Your tuition fees will be the same for each year of your course.

Find out more about living expenses for postgraduate students

No hidden extras

What’s included in your tuition fee?

Your tuition fee covers expenses associated with your course including tuition materials, access to facilities, mandatory field trips and the following:

One set of study-related consumables such as a memory stick/ DVD
Materials for laboratory and field-based teaching activity
Support for finding placements (UK or abroad) and fieldwork, and non-financial support whilst on placement.
A range of student services – advisors, help desks, counsellors, placement support and careers service
The Library – access to a wide range of electronic resources (databases, e-journals and e-books), print and multimedia collections, subject librarians and study spaces
IT labs (some open 24/7), wireless network, AV equipment to borrow
Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) scheme
Disability and additional learning support
The BU Language Centre to help you develop/improve foreign or English language skills
24 hours a day, 365 days a year security team.

Costs of living and other expenses you need to consider

Additional costs

We are committed to offering you value for money and ensuring there are no hidden costs while you are studying with us, therefore we have listed below any additional costs you may incur that are not covered by your tuition fee:

Accommodation and living costs. Our accommodation price guide can be found on our website.
Optional fieldwork travel, outdoor wear and footwear (where applicable)
Text books, general stationery and other supplies. Our award-winning library is stocked with a large range of text books and online resources, free of charge. The Students’ Union shops stock a wide range of stationery supplies on both campuses.

Repeat units

Deposits

International (non-EU) students need to pay a non-refundable £2,000 deposit to secure their place on a postgraduate course. You will need to pay your deposit by the date stated in your offer letter. The remainder of your fee will be payable on registration/enrolment. There are two exceptions to the non-refundable rule on the deposit:

You fail to meet the academic or English requirements of your offer
You are refused a visa to enter the UK, provided the reason for the refusal is not a fraudulent application.

Financial help available from BU

Our staff

On this course you will be taught by staff with relevant expertise and knowledge appropriate to the content of the unit. This could include senior academic staff, qualified professional practitioners and research students, many of whom are actively engaged in research and/or professional practice which is integrated into the teaching of this course. Please note that teaching staff can change.

Prof Barry Richards – Programme Leader

Barry Richards joined Bournemouth University as Professor of Public Communication in 2001, having previously been Professor of Human Relations at the University of East London.

After a first degree in psychology he trained and worked as a clinical psychologist in the NHS before becoming a lecturer and taking a PhD in sociology. At the University of East London he led the establishment of psychosocial studies as an interdisciplinary teaching programme and research paradigm, while researching and writing in a number of areas including popular culture, advertising, consumer behaviour, political leadership, and the rise of 'therapeutic' culture. At Bournemouth he has been developing psychosocial approaches in the field of media and communication, and has been involved in research on emotion in political communication, on journalism and emotional literacy, and on terrorism. From 2007 to 2010 he served as Deputy Dean of the Media School.

He is a founding editor of the journal 'Media, War and Conflict' (Sage), and on the editorial boards of `Psychoanalysis and Culture', the `European Journal of Psychotherapy and Counselling', and `Free Associations'. His current work focuses on psychological factors and on the role of media in the development of political extremism.

View Prof Barry Richards’ staff profile

Course changes

Changes in 2017

Date	Changes to this course
12/12/2017	Where the change was made: In the programme specification which you can view here. Change: The Political Psychology and Sociology and The Psychodynamics of Political Culture units are now merged into one unit titled The Psychodynamics of Political Culture and Society. Previous text: Political Psychology and Sociology unit and Sociology unit. For more details please refer to the programme specification.

Date

Changes to this course

12/12/2017

Where the change was made: In the programme specification which you can view here.
Change: The Political Psychology and Sociology and The Psychodynamics of Political Culture units are now merged into one unit titled The Psychodynamics of Political Culture and Society.
Previous text: Political Psychology and Sociology unit and Sociology unit. For more details please refer to the programme specification.