POLS 435: Political Communication
Professor Anika Leithner
In this course, we will study:
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How political communication and various forms of media shape civic life, elections, and policy decisions, and what this means for the health of democratic institutions and decision-making.
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How citizens, journalists, and elected officials make sense of and use political messages. Specifically how news, advertising, and entertainment media shape political perceptions, emotions, and behavior and what this means for effective communication strategy.
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How soft news and late night comedy along with blogs and social networking sites have shaped campaign strategy and news coverage; how citizens use this political information, and what it means for both campaign strategy but also civic life.
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How social communication influences political power in America, e.g. by highlighting the bias in language, language as a determinant of access to resources, and the role of gender and race in communication.
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How political communication in America compares to other countries around the world.