PSPS 1000

zero-sum game

a mathematical representation in which one actor's gain or loss is exactly balanced by another actor's gain or loss. If one actor gains 3 in an exchange, the other actors losses 3

hyper-partisanship

a political environment in which party-line voting is strong and political parties increasingly see their party opponents as enemies to be bested. Cooperation across party lines is rare in a hyper-partisan environment

bipartisanship

cooperation or collaboration among the two major parties in America's two-party system

“bargaining model”

style of governing in which a small number of political elites develop compromises on legislation and policy that will have bipartisan support

“going public”

a style of governing in which individual politicians speak directly to the public and their constituents in an effort to boost their approval ratings. Higher approval from the public can then be used as leverage to best your opponents and win on policy

deliberative theories of democracy

a justification for democracy in which the democratic process is valued because participants can communicate, understand each other, and come to some form of consensus through deliberation

majoritarian systems of government

system of government in which candidates with the most votes in an election win that district's single seat, and other candidates with less votes win no seats in government

proportional systems of government

a system of government in which a percentage of seats won by a party in the legislature roughly mirrors the number of votes cast for that party

game theory

mathematical models that seek to understand strategic interactions between rational decision-makers

rational self-interest

the principle that it is always rational to act in one's self-interest

identity politics

a tendency to engage in politics on the basis of certain characteristics of identity, such as race or ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, etc.

independent variable

an explanation or cause of an observable fact or event in our social world

dependent variable

the effect or outcome of a particular social phenomena. In social science inquiry, a dependent variable is an observable fact or event requires some explanation or cause

falsifiability

the idea that theories that explain some observable fact or event must always carry the potential of being false

normative

a concept in which humans judge some actions desirable and others undesirable

equity

a quality of fairness and impartiality, as distinct from equality

feminism

a comprehensive range of political or social movements and ideologies that advocate for women's equality and gendered justice, which generally include various critiques of patriarchy

patriarchy

a political, social, or economic system of male domination in which women experience varying degrees of unequal rights, opportunities, and access to goods and resources

coercive social institutions

institutions designed to constrain individual behavior or coerce individuals into behavior that is not in their self-interest

left-wing ideology

a wide range of political beliefs associated with social equality and egalitarianism and generally opposed to social hierarchies

right-wing ideology

a wide range of political beliefs associated with traditionalism, social hierarchy, and authority

public good

a good that is produced for everyone, cannot exclude anyone

collective action problems

problems only accomplished through collective actions (ex. mitigating climate change)

UTC PSPS mission statement

The UTC Department of PSPS equips people to examine, refine, and promote, through political and voluntary action, their conceptions of a good society.

constructive dialogue

a form of conversation in which people with different perspectives try to understand each other—without giving up their own beliefs—in order to live, learn, or work together

confirmation bias

the tendency to interpret information in a way that aligns with our existing beliefs

the elephant and the rider

the metaphor explaining how much more powerful our automatic thinking is than our controlled thinking

intuitions first, reasoning second

the principle for understanding how our thinking works most of the time

echo chambers

increasingly surrounded by information that confirms what we already believe, while opposing views are quietly filtered out

extreme views are the loudest

the “other side,” it’s often the loudest, most extreme version

moral foundations theory

a framework that helps explain why people can disagree so deeply—and sincerely—about important issues

care

foundation that focuses on protecting others from harm and showing compassion toward those who are suffering or vulnerable

fairness

foundation that focuses on justice, equality, and reciprocity. It also underlies honesty and integrity

liberty

foundation that centers on autonomy and personal freedom, driving the desire to resist oppression

loyalty

foundation that emphasizes deep connections to groups like family, community, or nation, fostering patriotism, selflessness, and teamwork

authority

foundation that underlies the ideas the ideas for respect for traditions, laws, and legitimate leaders, such as elders or experts

sanctity

foundation that leads us to view certain things as pure or sacred and to feel moral concern when they’re violated—examples include religious or national symbols, nature, and the human body

moral empathy gap

the tendency to misunderstand or dismiss the moral values driving someone else’s beliefs, especially when those beliefs conflict with ours

the perception gap

our tendency to assume that people from other groups hold views that are more extreme than they actually are