| Course Name | Public Opinion |
| Code | Semester | Theory (hour/week) | Application/Lab (hour/week) | Local Credits | ECTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSIR 554 | Fall/Spring | 3 | 0 | 3 | 7.5 |
| Prerequisites | None | |||||
| Course Language | English | |||||
| Course Type | Elective | |||||
| Course Level | Second Cycle | |||||
| Mode of Delivery | - | |||||
| Teaching Methods and Techniques of the Course | ||||||
| Course Coordinator | - | |||||
| Course Lecturer(s) | ||||||
| Assistant(s) | - | |||||
| Course Objectives | The aim of this course is to examines the nature of public opinion across countries. The class will focus on the conceptualization, measurement and formation of public attitudes. Students will discuss the strucutre and dynamics of voting behavior, party preferences and public support for various issues including wars, foreign policy and the EU. |
| Learning Outcomes | The students who succeeded in this course;
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| Course Description | Students discuss the structure and dynamics of public opinion around the world. |
| Related Sustainable Development Goals |  |
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| Core Courses | |
| Major Area Courses | X | |
| Supportive Courses | ||
| Media and Managment Skills Courses | ||
| Transferable Skill Courses |
| Week | Subjects | Required Materials |
| 1 | Introduction | |
| 2 | Does Public Opinion Matter? | Gilens, M. 2005. “Inequality and Democratic Responsiveness.” Public Opinion Quarterly 69(5): 778-96. Jacobs, L. R., and Shapiro, R. 2000. |
| 3 | Measuring Public Opinion with Surveys | Straits ve Singleton, Jr. (2011) Social research: approaches and fundamentals, chp.8 Smith, Tom W. and Frederick D. Weil (1990) Finding public opinion data: A guide to sources. Public Opinion Quarterly 54(4): 609-626. |
| 4 | Economic Self-Interest | Citrin, J., and Green, D.. 1990. “The Self-Interest Motive in American Public Opinion.” Research in Micropolitics 3: 1-28. |
| 5 | Group Identities | Conover, PJ. 1984. “The Inuence of Group Identi_cations on Political Perception and Evaluation.” Journal of Politics, 46(3):760-785, 1984. Kramer, R.M. and Brewer, M.B. 1984. “Effects of Group Identity on Resource Use in a Simulated Commons Dilemma.” J Pers Soc Psychol, 46(5):1044-57, 1984. Brady, H.E. and Sniderman, P.M. 1985. “Attitude Attribution: A Group Basis for Political Reasoning.” American Political Science Review, 79(4):1061-78. |
| 6 | The Media | Iyengar, S., Peters, M.D. and Kinder, D.R. 1982. “Experimental Demonstrations of the \Not-So-Minimal" Consequences of Television News Programs.” American Political Science Review, 76(4):848-858. Bartels, L.M. 1993. Messages Received: The Political Impact of Media Exposure.” American Political Science Review, 87(2):267-285. Nelson, T.E., Clawson, R. A., and Oxley, Z.M. 1997. “Media Framing of a Civil Liberties Conict and Its Effect on Tolerance.” American Political Science Review, 91:567-584. |
| 7 | Public Opinion and Foreign Affairs | Peffley, M., and Hurwitz, J. 1992. “International Events and Foreign Policy Beliefs: Public Responses to Changing Soviet-U.S. Relations.” American Journal of Political Science 36 (2): 431-461. |
| 8 | Midterm | |
| 9 | Partisanship, Voter Turnout and Vote choice | Kalaycıoğlu, E. 1999."The Shaping of Party Preferences in Turkey: Coping with the Post-Cold War Era" New Perspectives on Turkey, 20: 47-76. Çarkoğlu, A. 2008. "Ideology or Economic Pragmatism?: Profiling Turkish Voters in 2007," Turkish Studies, 9(2): 317 -344. |
| 10 | Turkish public attitudes toward the EU | Kentmen, Ç. 2008. “Determinants of Support for EU Membership in Turkey: Islamic Attachments, Utilitarian Considerations and National Identity.” European Union Politics 9(4): 487 - 510. de Vreese, C. H., Boomgaarden, H. G. And Semetko, H. A. 2008. “Hard and Soft: Public Support for Turkish Membership in the EU.” European Union Politics, 9(4): 511-530. |
| 11 | European attitudes toward Turkey’s EU Membership | de Vreese, C. H. and Boomgaarden, H. G. 2006. Media Effects on Public Opinion about the Enlargement of the European Union. Journal of Common Market Studies. 44(2): 409-436. |
| 12 | Public Opinion and Democratic Values | Norris, P. (1999) ‘Introduction: The growth of critical citizens?’ In: P. Norris (ed) Critical Citizens: Global Support for Democratic Governance. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 1-28. |
| 13 | Public opinion and war | Hurwitz, J., Peffley, M. and Seligson, M. 1993. “Foreign Policy Belief Systems in Comparative Perspective: The United States and Costa Rica.” International Studies Quarterly 37 (3): 245-270. |
| 14 | Review for the final | |
| 15 | Final examination | |
| 16 | Review of the Semester |
| Course Notes/Textbooks | All course readings are available at the University Library and as open sources. |
| Suggested Readings/Materials | Gilens, M. 2005. “Inequality and Democratic Responsiveness.” Public Opinion Quarterly 69(5): 778-96. Jacobs, L. R., and Shapiro, R. 2000. Politicians Don’t Pander: Political Manipulation and the Loss of Democratic Responsiveness. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Chapter 8. Asher, H. 2001. Polling and the Public: What Every Citizen Should Know. Washington DC: Congressional Quarterly Press. Chapters 3 and 8. Citrin, J., and Green, D.. 1990. “The Self-Interest Motive in American Public Opinion.” Research in Micropolitics 3: 1-28. Conover, PJ. 1984. “The Inuence of Group Identi_cations on Political Perception and Evaluation.” Journal of Politics, 46(3):760-785, 1984. Kramer, R.M. and Brewer, M.B. 1984. “Effects of Group Identity on Resource Use in a Simulated Commons Dilemma.” J Pers Soc Psychol, 46(5):1044-57, 1984. Brady, H.E. and Sniderman, P.M. 1985. “Attitude Attribution: A Group Basis for Political Reasoning.” American Political Science Review, 79(4):1061-78. Iyengar, S., Peters, M.D. and Kinder, D.R. 1982. “Experimental Demonstrations of the Not-So-Minimal" Consequences of Television News Programs.” American Political Science Review, 76(4):848-858. Bartels, L.M. 1993. Messages Received: The Political Impact of Media Exposure.” American Political Science Review, 87(2):267-285. Nelson, T.E., Clawson, R. A., and Oxley, Z.M. 1997. “Media Framing of a Civil Liberties Conict and Its Effect on Tolerance.” American Political Science Review, 91:567-584. Esmer, Y. 1995. "Parties and the Electorate: A Comparative Analysis of Voter Profiles of Turkish Political Parties," in Çiğdem Balim et. al. (eds.) Turkey: Political, Social and Economic Challenges in the 1990s. Leiden, New York, Köln: E. J. Brill. 5. Kalaycıoğlu, E. 1999."The Shaping of Party Preferences in Turkey: Coping with the Post-Cold War Era" New Perspectives on Turkey, 20: 47-76. Çarkoğlu, A. 2008. "Ideology or Economic Pragmatism?: Profiling Turkish Voters in 2007," Turkish Studies, 9(2): 317 -344. Peffley, M., and Hurwitz, J. 1992. “International Events and Foreign Policy Beliefs: Public Responses to Changing Soviet-U.S. Relations.” American Journal of Political Science 36 (2): 431-461. de Vreese, C. H. and Boomgaarden, H. G. 2006. Media Effects on Public Opinion about the Enlargement of the European Union. Journal of Common Market Studies. 44(2): 409-436. Norris, P. (1999) ‘Introduction: The growth of critical citizens?’ In: P. Norris (ed) Critical Citizens: Global Support for Democratic Governance. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 1-28. Hurwitz, J., Peffley, M. and Seligson, M. 1993. “Foreign Policy Belief Systems in Comparative Perspective: The United States and Costa Rica.” International Studies Quarterly 37 (3): 245-270. |
| Semester Activities | Number | Weigthing |
| Participation | 1 | 20 |
| Laboratory / Application | ||
| Field Work | ||
| Quizzes / Studio Critiques | ||
| Portfolio | ||
| Homework / Assignments | 1 | 20 |
| Presentation / Jury | ||
| Project | ||
| Seminar / Workshop | ||
| Oral Exam | ||
| Midterm | 1 | 20 |
| Final Exam | 1 | 40 |
| Total |
| Weighting of Semester Activities on the Final Grade | ||
| Weighting of End-of-Semester Activities on the Final Grade | ||
| Total |
| Semester Activities | Number | Duration (Hours) | Workload |
|---|---|---|---|
| Course Hours (Including exam week: 16 x total hours) | 16 | 3 | 48 |
| Laboratory / Application Hours (Including exam week: 16 x total hours) | 16 | ||
| Study Hours Out of Class | 13 | 7 | 91 |
| Field Work | |||
| Quizzes / Studio Critiques | |||
| Portfolio | |||
| Homework / Assignments | 1 | 20 | |
| Presentation / Jury | |||
| Project | |||
| Seminar / Workshop | |||
| Oral Exam | |||
| Midterms | 1 | 30 | |
| Final Exams | 1 | 36 | |
| Total | 225 |
| # | Program Competencies/Outcomes | * Contribution Level | ||||
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
| 1 | To be able to improve theoretical and conceptual proficiencies on Political Science and International Relations and use them competently. | |||||
| 2 | To be able to evaluate critically the relationships between various factors in the field of Political Science and International Relations such as structures, actors, institutions and culture. | |||||
| 3 | To be able to determine and question the theoretical and empirical gaps in Political Science and International Relations literature. | |||||
| 4 | To be able to identify the political and cultural conditions that generate discrimination mechanisms based on race, ethnicity, gender and religion at national and international levels. | X | ||||
| 5 | To be able to gather and analyze data by using scientific research methods. | X | ||||
| 6 | To be able to analyze and evaluate the historical continuity and changes observed in the relations between the actors and institutions of national and international politics. | |||||
| 7 | To be able to present individual research and contemporary developments in Political Science and International Relations in written, oral, and visual forms. | X | ||||
| 8 | To be able to take responsibility in generating solutions to the problems that arise in relation to the politics in daily life. | |||||
| 9 | To be able to determine the institutional and political instruments for conflict resolution in domestic and international politics. | X | ||||
| 10 | To be able to prepare a thesis/term project about Political Science and International Relations based on scientific criteria. | |||||
| 11 | To be able to follow new research and developments in Political Science and International Relations and participate the debates in academic meetings through a foreign language. | |||||
| 12 | To be able to have ethical, social and scientific values in the stages throughout the processes of gathering, interpreting, disseminating and implementing data relevant to Political Science and International Relations. | |||||
*1 Lowest, 2 Low, 3 Average, 4 High, 5 Highest
