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80668-01 - Seminar: The Political Psychology of Authoritarian Resurgence (1 CP)
| Semester | fall semester 2026 |
| Course frequency | Irregular |
| Lecturers | Angela Leipold (angela.leipold@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | This workshop will be held by Prof. Dr. Pavlos Vasilopoulos (University of York). This workshop aims at offering a rigorous overview of research on the psychology of authoritarianism and its relevance for understanding the recent rise of authoritarian candidates and parties across advanced democracies. The key learning objective is to thoroughly understand the merits and limitations of different theoretical standpoints on the diverse psychological motivations of authoritarian supporters. The workshop is organised along three key themes: The first discusses the long-term psychological disposition of authoritarianism from its conception in the 1950s to its contemporary theoretical and methodological refinements. The second theme investigates the influence of various types of external shocks on mass publics and the effects of different forms of threat on support for authoritarian policies and parties. Finally, the third part discusses research focusing on the recent destigmatisation of authoritarianism as an ideology as well as the erosion of social norms around racism that brings authoritarianism into the political mainstream. The workshop concludes with a group discussion on blind spots in extant literature. Students will be invited to reflect on a future research agenda for the study of authoritarianism as well as to participate in a broader conversation about how authoritarianism can be curbed. Throughout the workshop, the participants will be called to critically engage with the material, both in terms of theory and methods. |
| Bibliography | Key literature: Adorno, T. W., Frenkel-Brunswik, E., Levinson, D. J., & Nevitt Sanford, R. (1950). The authoritarian personality. Harper & Row. Altemeyer, B. (1981). Right-wing authoritarianism. University of Manitoba Press. Feldman, S. (2003). Enforcing social conformity: A theory of authoritarianism. Political Psychology, 24, 41–74. Hetherington, M., & Suhay, E. (2011). Authoritarianism, threat, and Americans’ support for the war on terror. American Journal of Political Science, 55(3), 546-560. Valentim, V. (2024). The normalization of the radical right: A norms theory of political supply and demand (Vol. 7). Oxford: Oxford University Press. Vasilopoulos, P., & Robinson, J. (2025). Authoritarianism, Political Attitudes, and Vote Choice: A Longitudinal Analysis of the British Electorate. Political Behavior, 47(2), 503- 527. |
| Comments | The workshop is offered by the Society and Choice PhD program. Maximum number of participants: 12. Selection criteria: 1. PhD students from the SC-PSY PhD program 2. Master Science Tracker (StO 15) resp. Science Tracker Society and Choice (StO24) 3. Currently a PhD candidate in psychology 4. First come - first served SC-PSY rules for withdrawal, absence, or partial course attendance: If you cannot attend a workshop that you have signed up for, please cancel your course registration as soon as possible by sending an e-mail to angela.leipold@unibas.ch. This will allow other PhD students interested in the course to move up from the waiting list. The SC-PSY strongly values fairness. After the university’s official registration period has ended, cancelled course will be assessed with NE. Course registrations can be cancelled until one week before the workshops begins. In the case of late cancellations, participants will not be considered for course registration in the next three months of the lecture periods and will be removed from the registration list of any course they have signed up during these three upcoming months of the lecture periods. If an urgent, unforeseeable, or inevitable event before or during the workshop prevents a participant from attending, a written and substantiated withdrawal request that includes appropriate documentation (e.g. a doctor’s note) must be submitted to angela.leipold@unibas.ch within two days of the workshop and without being prompted. The program director decides on the approval of the withdrawal request. ECTS-points are awarded only for 100% course attendance. |
| Admission requirements | Doktorat im Bereich Psychologie. Für Masterstudierende im Society&Choice/SWE Science Track: Anmeldung und erfolgreiche Aufnahme in den SWE/S&C Science Track. Siehe: https://psychologie.unibas.ch/de/studium/doktoratsstudium/doktoratsprogramme/sc-psy/science-track/ |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | No specific media used |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| unregelmässig | See individual dates | ||
Dates
| Date | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday 05.11.2026 | 14.00-18.00 | Missionsstrasse 64a, Seminarraum 00.003 |
| Friday 06.11.2026 | 09.00-13.00 | Missionsstrasse 64a, Seminarraum 00.004 |
| Modules |
Doctorate Psychology: Recommendations (PhD subject: Psychology) Modul: Science Track Society and Choice (Master's Studies: Psychology) Module: Science Track in Social, Economic, and Decision Psychology (Master's Studies: Psychology (Start of studies before 01.08.2024)) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment details | Preparation and follow-up of the contents of the workshop as well as active participation. |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration, dereg: cancel course registration |
| Repeat examination | no repeat examination |
| Scale | Pass / Fail |
| Repeated registration | as often as necessary |
| Responsible faculty | Faculty of Psychology, studiendekanat-psychologie@unibas.ch |
| Offered by | Faculty of Psychology |