Elective course - Social Technologies
Course content
The Psychology of Corruption explores the psychological mechanisms that help explain why individuals and groups engage in, tolerate, or resist corrupt practices, despite moral, legal, and social implications. The course integrates perspectives from cognitive, social, moral, personality, and cultural psychology, and draws on contemporary empirical research, including cross-cultural and big-data approaches.
The course treats corruption not only as a moral or legal problem, but as a complex psychological and systemic phenomenon shaped by identity, power, and perceived norms. Students will work with empirical studies, case analyses, and applied examples from both WEIRD and Global South contexts to understand how attitudes toward corruption develop and how they can be changed.
Throughout the course, we will link theory and research to practice-oriented questions such as: How do people justify corrupt acts? How do social norms and institutions shape tolerance toward corruption? How can psychological insights inform interventions aimed at reducing corruption and strengthening integrity in organizations and societies?
Topics:
- Introduction to the psychology of corruption
- WEIRD vs. Global South perspectives on corruption
- Power, morality, and moral disengagement on corruption
- Cognitive biases and decision making in corrupt behavior
- Gender and personality in attitudes toward corruption
- Conformity, social norms and group dynamics in attitudes toward corruption
- Migration and social identity in attitudes toward corruption
- Typology of corruption tolerance
- Measuring corruption tolerance
- Psychological interventions to reduce corruption and corruption tolerance
The course is open to:
- Bachelor Programme in Psychology
Full-degree students enrolled at the Faculty of Social Science, UCPH
- Bachelor and Master Programmes in Psychology
- Master Programme in Social Data Science
- Master programme in Political Science
The course is open to:
- Exchange and Guest students from abroad
By the end of the module, students will be able to:
- describe and account for relevant concepts and themes covered by the elective course
- describe and account for relevant methodological approaches in relation to the subject matter for the elective course
- explain contexts, analyse and conduct procedures relevant to the elective course under supervision
- discuss themes/problems relevant to the elective course or interpret cases/data related to the elective course.
Interactive lectures introducing key theories, concepts, and
empirical findings
Case-based class discussions of real-world corruption scenarios
Small-group exercises (e.g., jigsaw activities based on pre-class
readings)
Short student presentations on selected empirical articles or cases
Online quizzes (e.g., Kahoot) to reinforce core
concepts
List of papers in the course room at Absalon.
The final syllabus will consist of approximately:
a. 600 standard pages for BA students
b. 800 standard pages for MA students
and will include a combination of mandatory (600 pages) and self-selected literature (200 pages). At least one-third of the self-selected literature will be primary research articles.
Student must pass social psychology and cognitive psychology course before enrolling to this course.
Registration period May 15 - June 1
- Full-degree students – sign up at Selfservice on KUnet
- Exchange and guest students from abroad – sign up through Mobility Online and Selfservice
The dates for the exams are found here Exams – Faculty of Social Sciences - University of Copenhagen (ku.dk)
Please note that it is your own responsibility to check for overlapping exam dates.
- ECTS
- 7,5 ECTS
- Type of assessment
-
Home assignment
- Type of assessment details
- The exam consists of a written home assignment based on a set
exam question. The assignment must:
Analyze one or more corruption-related or corruption tolerance-related cases or empirical findings using relevant psychological theories and research, and proposed an intervention program.
Extent of the assignment:
BA students (7.5 ECTS):
1 student: max. 8 standard pages
2 students: max. 12 standard pages
3 students: max. 14 standard pages
MA students (7.5 ECTS):
1 student: max. 12 standard pages
2 students: max. 15 standard pages
3 students: max. 18 standard pages - Examination prerequisites
-
The student have minimum 75% attendance requirement for classes
To be eligible for the exam, the student must:
• Fulfil the general 75% attendance requirement for elective courses, and
• Submit at least 80% of the weekly response papers (e.g., 8 of 10), and
• Deliver one short in-class presentation (individually or in a small group).These activities are assessed as approved/not approved and do not count towards the final grade, but they are compulsory exam prerequisites.
Require at least one response paper to be a mini “intervention critique/proposal”.
In your analysis, you must also briefly discuss how attitudes toward corruption or integrity have been measured in at least one of the studies you draw on, and how this affects the interpretation of the findings.
- Aid
- All aids allowed
Regarding the use of generative AI: Bachelor i Psykologi - KUnet
- Marking scale
- 7-point grading scale
- Censorship form
- No external censorship
- Exam period
-
Exam information:
The examination date can be found in the exam schedule here
The exact time and place will be available in Digital Exam from the middle of the semester.
- Re-exam
-
Reexam information:
The reexamination date/period can be found in the reexam schedule here
Criteria for exam assessment
Students are assessed on the extent to which they master the learning outcome for the course.
To obtain the top grade “12”, the student must with no or only a few minor weaknesses be able to demonstrate an excellent performance displaying a high level of command of all aspects of the relevant material and can make use of the knowledge, skills and competencies listed in the learning outcomes.
To obtain the passing grade “02”, the student must in a satisfactory way be able to demonstrate a minimal acceptable level of the knowledge, skills and competencies listed in the learning outcomes.
- Category
- Hours
- Class Instruction
- 30
- Seminar
- 30
- Preparation
- 140
- Exam
- 6
- English
- 206
Kursusinformation
- Language
- English
- Course number
- APSB21775U
- ECTS
- 7,5 ECTS
- Programme level
- Bachelor
Full Degree MasterMaster’s minor subject
- Duration
-
1 semester
- Placement
- Autumn
- Studyboard
- Department of Psychology, Study Council
Contracting department
- Department of Psychology
- Department of Political Science
- Social Data Science
Contracting faculty
- Faculty of Social Sciences
Course Coordinator
- Ardian Rahman Afandi (3-6677664575787e33707a336970)
Er du BA- eller KA-studerende?
Kursusinformation for indskrevne studerende