Studying attitudes and behavior: Theory and empirical practice (BST320)

What role do gender or racial stereotypes play in politics? Can the "framing" of news stories influence people’s political opinions? Do voters always make rational decisions? And how can we even study these things scientifically?

This course introduces students to current research on these and similar questions about political attitudes and behavior and the psychological, economic, and sociological factors that influence them. Students will also be introduced to surveys and survey experiments as a widely used method to study the drivers of political attitudes and behavior, and they will learn how to design and analyze a survey questionnaire and a simple experiment of their own.

By taking this course, students not only get an overview over current research in political sociology and psychology, but also deepen and expand their knowledge of quantitative research methods. The ability to conduct and analyze surveys and survey experiments is a highly valuable skill in academic and applied fields (e.g., consulting or public opinion and market research).


Course description for study year 2025-2026. Please note that changes may occur.

Facts

Course code

BST320

Version

1

Credits (ECTS)

10

Semester tution start

Autumn

Number of semesters

1

Exam semester

Autumn

Language of instruction

Norwegian

Offered by
Time table

View course schedule

Note

Course does not start before autumn 2027

Content

This course is about people’s attitudes and behavior, the factors that influence what people think and how they behave, and the methods used to study these questions. It is designed to combine theoretical thinking with practical, hands-on skills development.

On the theoretical side, students will be introduced to a range of theories from political science, sociology, economics, and psychology about (political) attitude formation and change, and the factors that influence attitudes and behavior (e.g., stereotypes, ethnic diversity, media communication, or risks).

On the practical side, students learn how to investigate real-world attitudes and behavior using public opinion surveys and survey experiments. Students will learn how to structure survey questionnaires, how to formulate good survey questions, how to design and implement a simple survey experiment of their own, and how to analyze the results of such an experiment.

The overall goal is to equip students with all the hands-on skills they need to be able to independently conduct their own survey and/or survey experiment to study attitudes or behavior. These skills can be directly applied in a BA or MA thesis project, and are directly sought after in different career fields (e.g., public opinion and market research, consulting, or user experience research). Input from professionals who work in these sectors was used to develop this course. By taking this course and completing the assignments, students will also develop important general skills including giving presentations, writing, and reading scientific research.

The course will be taught in English.

Learning outcome

By completing this course, students will achieve the following learning outcomes:

  • Students will have knowledge…
    • … about political, sociological, and psychological theories to explain political attitudes and behavior
    • …about the logic of experiments and their application to social science questions
  • Skills: Students will be able to…
    • …design a survey questionnaire to study social and political attitudes and behavior
    • …design a simple survey experiment
    • …formulate a strategy to analyze the resulting data
    • …conduct the analysis using data analysis software
  • General competencies: Students will develop and deepen competencies in
    • …reading academic literature
    • …formulating research questions
    • …developing research designs
    • …communicating their ideas and findings in writing and with presentations

Required prerequisite knowledge

BST290 Quantitative research methods

Recommended prerequisites

BST105 Introduction to comparative politics

Exam

Written home assignment and survey questionnaire

Form of assessment Weight Duration Marks Aid
Written home assignment 1/2 Letter grades All
Survey questionnaire 1/2 Letter grades All

Coursework requirements

Complusory participation in a seminar with presentation
Mandatory attendance & brief presentation in one course session

Course teacher(s)

Course coordinator:

Carlo Michael Knotz

Method of work

Lectures, discussions, group work, presentations. Students are expected to prepare for each session by reading the assigned readings beforehand, and to participate actively in class.

Course assessment

There must be an early dialogue between the course supervisor, the student union representative and the students. The purpose is feedback from the students for changes and adjustments in the course for the current semester.In addition, a digital course evaluation must be carried out at least every three years. Its purpose is to gather the students experiences with the course.

Literature

Search for literature in Leganto