EEB4332W

Survey of primary literature exploring the potential biological underpinnings of individual differences in political ideology. Students will critically examine peer-reviewed studies of behavioral genetics, physiology, neuroscience, animal behavior, and evolution to evaluate evidence for and against the claims that one’s political ideology is shaped by biology and that people holding conservative and liberal views may be biologically predisposed to experience and interact with the world differently. Students will examine how biological influences on cognition, social and moral attitudes, and behaviors relate to individual differences in political ideology, with the ultimate goal of assessing whether an understanding of the biology of politics is required to fully contextualize political discourse in a democracy.

012001

Every Fall