Political Communication

The primary objective of this course is to introduce students to the ideas and hypotheses on government and media strategies that have shaped political thought in the United States by considering the origins and purposes of political communication as argued by great political thinkers of the past, conducting an in-depth investigation of the media’s view of politics and its perceived role in the political process, and investigating how politicians view the media and the communication strategies they use to persuade/manipulate the voting public. This course foci are presidential, congressional, and local electoral activities in American politics. Students learn basic methodological tools necessary to perform research in political communication and then conduct original research in the field.