APSK15775U Elective course - Social Technologies

Volume 2026/2027
Education

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

Curriculum - UCPH

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
Learning Outcome

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.

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.
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
  • Category
  • Hours
  • Class Instruction
  • 30
  • Preparation
  • 140
  • Seminar
  • 30
  • Exam
  • 6
  • Total
  • 206
Written
Oral
Individual
Collective
Feedback by final exam (In addition to the grade)
Credit
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 assesment

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.