POL 625 - Ecological Rationality

Students will learn about the major theories of ecological rationality and how they compare to classical conceptions of rationality and to bounded rationality. Students will learn how this approach has influenced research in political science, psychology, and economics. Course topics will include: theoretical foundations of ecological rationality, political decision making as a manifestation of ecological rationality, application to heuristics, the relationship between ecological rationality and prospect theory, applications to risk-taking, applications to behavioral economics, applications to trust and cooperation. At its core, ecological rationality is a vision of human psychology. Thus, this course provides a foundational perspective for our students who are emphasizing political psychology in their studies. The nature of human rationality is also a core topic in behavioral economics and political economy. Thus, this course is also foundational for students emphasizing BPE.

3 credits

Grading Letter graded (A, A-, B+, etc.)