Instructor: Daniel Nuckols
Description: As they pertain to the flaws in human thinking and its manipulation, this course will delve into very recent research from cognitive psychology, social psychology, political science, behavioral economics, marketing, decision science, and organizational behavior. We will study how humans quite frequently deviate from “optimal” choices, even while wrongly assuming they are acting “rationally” towards their own self-betterment. Over the past 30-40 years, behavioral scientists have gained deeper insight into what motivates people. Unfortunately, other actors-such as marketers, politicians, businesses, etc.-have adopted this research and, coupled with their own age-hold tactics, spend millions of dollars manipulating our decision-making to their advantage; all the while we remain oblivious to this manipulation. This course hopes to enlighten the student on how best to not be influenced by an environment controlled by others. Therefore, the general course goal is to help you better understand how and why you are being influenced to behave in ways you many times find less than satisfying, if not harmful. By challenging the traditional assumptions surrounding the belief that “you always behave in a way that is best for you,” this course aims to improve the quality of your own decisions and judgements. Applications of the course material to improve your decision-making include: consuming in the marketplace, political movements and voting behavior, policy analysis, health decisions, religious movements, utopian and dystopian movements, international relations, group & crowd behavior, organization of teams, negotiation tactics, risk management, financial markets, selecting intimate partners, among others. Finally, the course will not solely depend on recent research in the cognitive sciences to reflect upon the human condition, but will also give selected treatment to some of the insights offered by great literature, and classic texts that offer contributions from earlier philosophers, political theorists and economists.
Course taken for a SDU grade only.
Meeting Dates: 01/02/2025 – 01/24/2025
Meeting Times: M-F 9:00AM – 12:00PM
Meeting Location: Hopkins 111
Section Requisites: None
Course Fee: None
Out-of-Pocket Expenses: $150