Emotions in Politics and Political Communication (254E25)

Aarhus University, Department of Political Science

Author

Tobias Widmann

General Information

Time: Autumn semester 2025, Tuesdays 12:00 - 15:00

Location: 1330-038 Undervisningslokale

Instructor: Tobias Widmann (Office: 1340-138)

Course Content

For centuries, scholars considered political emotions either dangerous or unnecessary for a well-functioning democracy. Traditional models of political decision-making assume that citizens form opinions through conscious thought, viewing emotions as obstacles to rational analysis. Today, however, emotions are increasingly recognized as a fundamental driving force behind political behavior and communication. In this course, “Emotions in Politics and Political Communication,” we explore the transformative role that emotions play in our political landscape. By integrating insights from political psychology with contemporary analyses of media, public discourse, and political dynamics, the course offers a comprehensive examination of how emotions shape individual cognition and behavior, as well as collective societal processes.

The first section of the seminar lays the groundwork by introducing core concepts in political psychology and the nature of emotions. We will investigate how affect influences key processes such as information processing, attitude formation and change, and political behavior. These sessions aim to reveal the subtle yet powerful ways in which emotions inform individual political decision-making.

The second section shifts focus to the collective impact of emotions. Here, we examine how emotions fuel collective action and shape social cohesion and norms. The sessions highlight both the positive, unifying power of emotions in mobilizing support for a common cause and their potentially detrimental effects, such as fostering polarization and contributing to the rise of populist and radical political movements.

Drawing on a diverse array of literature and case studies, this course equips students with the analytical tools needed to critically assess the intersections between emotion, politics, and media.

Learning Outcomes

After having participated actively in the course, the student will be able to:

  • Define and articulate key concepts related to emotions and the role of affect in politics and political communication.
  • Evaluate the impact of emotion on information processing, attitude formation, and political behavior.
  • Evaluate how emotions shape collective action, foster social cohesion, and contribute to societal polarization, including through digital platforms.
  • Integrate and apply interdisciplinary theoretical frameworks from political psychology, communication studies, and related fields to assess empirical case studies on political emotions.
  • Independently formulate and refine research questions that explore the impact of emotions on political and societal processes.
  • Communicate and justify research designs and findings on political emotions effectively in clear, well-structured academic writing.

Course Structure

Week 1: Introduction: Political Psychology and Emotions

  • Cottam, M. L., Mastors, E., Preston, T., & Dietz, B. (2015). Introduction to political psychology. Routledge. (Chapter 1 & 3). PDF file on Brightspace.

  • Huddy, L., Sears, D. O., & Levy, J. S. (2013). The Oxford handbook of political psychology. Oxford University Press. (Chapter 1 + Chapter 6) E-book available: https://academic-oup-com.ez.statsbiblioteket.dk/edited-volume/34379

  • Marcus. 2000. “Emotions in Politics.” Annual Review of Political Science 3 (1): 221–50. https://research-ebsco-com.ez.statsbiblioteket.dk/c/naajr6/viewer/pdf/mra2s4egbr?route=details

Week 2: Emotion and Information Processing/Seeking

  • George E., M., & Michael B., M. (1993). Anxiety, Enthusiasm, and the Vote: The Emotional Underpinnings of Learning and Involvement During Presidential Campaigns. 87(3). https://doi.org/10.2307/2938743

  • H Valentino, N. A., Hutchings, V. L., Banks, A. J., & Davis, A. K. (2008). Is a worried citizen a good citizen? Emotions, political information seeking, and learning via the internet. Political Psychology, 29(2), 247–273. 26 pages
    https://doi-org.ez.statsbiblioteket.dk/10.1111/j.1467-9221.2008.00625.x

  • Gadarian, Shana Kushner, and Bethany Albertson. 2014. “Anxiety, Immigration, and the Search for Information: Anxiety, Immigration, and the Search for Information.” Political Psychology 35 (2): 133–64.
    https://doi-org.ez.statsbiblioteket.dk/10.1111/pops.12034

Week 3: Emotions and Attitude Formation/Change

Week 4: Emotions and Political Behavior/Mobilization

  • Brader, Ted. “Striking a Responsive Chord: How Political Ads Motivate and Persuade Voters by Appealing to Emotions.” American Journal of Political Science 49, no. 2 (2005): 388–405.17 pages.
    https://doi-org.ez.statsbiblioteket.dk/10.1111/j.0092-5853.2005.00130.x

  • Vasilopoulos, Pavlos, George E. Marcus, Nicholas A. Valentino, and Martial Foucault. 2018. “Fear, Anger, and Voting for the Far Right: Evidence From the November 13, 2015 Paris Terror Attacks.” Political Psychology 0 (0) - 40(4), 679-704. https://doi.org/10.1111/pops.12513.

  • Valentino, N. A., Brader, T., Groenendyk, E. W., Gregorowicz, K., & Hutchings, V. L. (2011). Election Night’s Alright for Fighting: The Role of Emotions in Political Participation. The Journal of Politics, 73(1), 156–170. https://doi-org.ez.statsbiblioteket.dk/10.1017/S0022381610000939

  • Phillips, Joseph, and Eric Plutzer. 2023. “Reassessing the Effects of Emotions on Turnout.” The Journal of Politics, January 18, 723816 – 85(3), 1094-1106. https://doi.org/10.1086/723816.

Week 5: Research Design Session

Week 6: Emotions in Elite Communication

  • Osnabrügge, Moritz, Sara B. Hobolt, and Toni Rodon. 2021. “Playing to the Gallery: Emotive Rhetoric in Parliaments.” American Political Science Review, 1–15 - 115(3), 885-899. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0003055421000356.

  • Gerstlé, Jacques, and Alessandro Nai. 2019. “Negativity, Emotionality and Populist Rhetoric in Election Campaigns Worldwide, and Their Effects on Media Attention and Electoral Success.” European Journal of Communication 34 (4): 410–44. https://doi.org/10.1177/0267323119861875.

  • Gennaro, Gloria, and Elliott Ash. 2022. “Emotion and Reason in Political Language.” The Economic Journal 132 (643): 1037–59. https://doi.org/10.1093/ej/ueab104.

Optional Reading:

  • Widmann, Tobias. 2021. “How Emotional Are Populists Really? Factors Explaining Emotional Appeals in the Communication of Political Parties.” Political Psychology 42 (1): 163–81. https://doi.org/10.1111/pops.12693. 18 pages. OK

Week 7: Emotions Online

  • Rathje, Steve, Jay J. Van Bavel, and Sander van der Linden. 2021. “Out-Group Animosity Drives Engagement on Social Media.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 118 (26), e2024292118. 9 pages. https://www-pnas-org.ez.statsbiblioteket.dk/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2024292118

  • Robertson, Claire E., Nicolas Pröllochs, Kaoru Schwarzenegger, Philip P√§rnamets, Jay J. Van Bavel, and Stefan Feuerriegel. 2023. “Negativity Drives Online News Consumption.” Nature Human Behaviour 7 (5): 812-22. 10 pages. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-023-01538-4

  • Brady, William J., Killian L. McLoughlin, Mark P. Torres, Kara F. Luo, Maria Gendron, and M. J. Crockett. 2023. “Overperception of Moral Outrage in Online Social Networks Inflates Beliefs about Intergroup Hostility.” Nature Human Behaviour, April, 1-11 – 7, 917–927. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-023-01582-0

Week 8: Emotions, Polarization, and (Democratic) Norms

  • Webster, Steven W. 2020. American Rage. Cambridge University Press. (Chapter 1 + 5) 26 pages + 22 pages. E-book available: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108868303

  • Huddy, Leonie, Lilliana Mason, and Lene Aarøe. 2015. “Expressive Partisanship: Campaign Involvement, Political Emotion, and Partisan Identity.” American Political Science Review 109 (1): 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0003055414000604.

  • Clifford, Scott. 2019. “How Emotional Frames Moralize and Polarize Political Attitudes.” Political Psychology 40 (1): 75–91. https://doi.org/10.1111/pops.12507.

Week 9: Emotions, Radical Politics, and Populism I

  • Cramer, K. J. (2016). The politics of resentment: Rural consciousness in Wisconsin and the rise of Scott Walker. University of Chicago Press. Chapters 1 (pp.1-25), 3 (pp.45-89), and 8 (pp.208-226). 50 pages total available on Brightspace (1-25, 45-69). Self copying of the pages 70-89 + 208-226 in the book on semester shelf.

  • Hochschild, A. R. (2018). Strangers in their own land: Anger and mourning on the American right. The New Press. Chapters 1 (pp. 3-24), 9 (pp. 135-152), 14 (pp. 207-220), and 15 (pp. 221-230). 21 + 17 + 13 pages. E-book available: https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.ez.statsbiblioteket.dk/lib/asb/detail.action?docID=5180127

  • Wodak, Ruth. 2021. The Politics of Fear: The Shameless Normalization of Far-Right Discourse. SAGE Publications Ltd. (Chapter 2: Theories and Definitions: The Politics of Identity).
    E-book available: https://doi.org/10.4135/9781529739664

Week 10: Emotions, Radical Politics, and Populism II

  • Rico, Guillem, Marc Guinjoan, and Eva Anduiza. 2017. “The Emotional Underpinnings of Populism: How Anger and Fear Affect Populist Attitudes.” Swiss Political Science Review 23 (4): 444–61. https://doi.org/10.1111/spsr.12261.

  • Rhodes-Purdy, Matthew Henry, Rachel Navarre, and Stephen Utych. 2021. “Populist Psychology: Economics, Culture, and Emotions.” The Journal of Politics, May 6, 715168. https://doi.org/10.1086/715168.

  • Salmela, Mikko, and Christian von Scheve. 2018. “Emotional Dynamics of Right- and Left-Wing Political Populism.” Humanity & Society 42 (4): 434–54. https://doi.org/10.1177/0160597618802521.

Week 11: Emotions: Bridging the Divide

  • Santos, Luiza A., Jan G. Voelkel, Robb Willer, and Jamil Zaki. 2022. “Belief in the Utility of Cross-Partisan Empathy Reduces Partisan Animosity and Facilitates Political Persuasion.” Psychological Science, 33(9), 1557-1573 ahead of print, August 30. Sage CA: Los Angeles, CA. https://doi.org/10.1177/09567976221098594.

  • Stancato, Daniel M., and Dacher Keltner. 2021. “Awe, Ideological Conviction, and Perceptions of Ideological Opponents.” Emotion 21 (1): 61–72. https://doi.org/10.1037/emo0000665. 11 pages.
    No access though APA. Use https://www.proquest.com/docview/2271952058

  • Pradella, Lea. n.d. When Out-Partisans Understand: The Impact of Out-Party Empathy on Third-Person Observers. Working Paper, PDF on Brightspace.

Week 12: Project Presentations I

No readings this week

Week 13: Project Presentations II

No readings this week

Week 14: Wrap up

No readings this week. We will identify the key takeaway points of the course and discuss them together.