Topics in Policy Analysis (Half-Term): Political Psychology of Race

This course examines the relationship between racial identity and political behavior in the US, with a focus on how race shapes policy preferences. Topics covered include the psychological foundations of group identity and its relevance to politics; how racial identity can fuel both outgroup prejudice and ingroup favoritism; and how dynamics such as threat, empathy, and ignorance influence intergroup relations and policy preferences. Students develop the skills to evaluate the relevance of race to policy debates, and critically assess how researchers' positionality (as well as our own) might shape the knowledge we encounter and produce.