The specific availability for this course is not currently known. If you would like to know if this course will be offered during your session, please contact us.
This course will focus on both empirical and armchair studies of German national character, as well as assumptions regarding the nationalities represented in the class.
The concept of "national character" has fallen into disrepute in social psychology. For decades now, research has focused on national (or ethnic, or racial) stereotypes, with the implication that "national character" does not exist and thus is not a useful term. Only in recent years have we seen an emergent interest in stereotype accuracy and the possibility that there may be some substance to many stereotypical beliefs. In this seminar-type class, we will study how "national character" has been treated in psychology, and we will try to find out if it makes sense to resuscitate it. Substantively, we will focus on both empirical and armchair studies of German national character, as well as assumptions regarding the nationalities represented in the class.
