Special Graduate Topic in Political Science: Public Opinion
A graduate seminar from MIT OpenCourseWare surveying the major theories and empirical research on public opinion and political behavior. Over twelve weeks the course works through the field's core debates: how citizens form attitudes, how much they actually know about politics, the role of values, group identity, and media in shaping opinion, and how survey researchers measure beliefs that are often unstable or poorly formed. The focus stays mostly on American public opinion, with some comparative readings brought in for contrast, and political participation and voting are touched on only briefly since they are treated as separate subfields. Materials consist of the syllabus and weekly reading lists drawn from foundational and current political science literature, structured as a discussion-based seminar rather than a lecture course. As with all MIT OpenCourseWare offerings, the materials are free to use under a Creative Commons license, though there is no instructor interaction, grading, or certificate attached to this self-study version of the course.