DESCRIPTION:
Welcome to Political Communication, a course that examines the theory and practice of political communication in the United States. A democracy has always depended on open and direct communication between its citizens and those who govern them. In the United States, this has been true since Colonial times. But with innovations in communication technologies, the range, depth, and importance of communication practices have changed in revolutionary ways. Our primary goal in this class is to ask whether or not democracy is made better or worse, helped or hurt, by contemporary communication practices and technologies.
This course is one of several in the CMS “Political Communication” track (and there are no pre-requisites required to take it). The course is divided into three parts and has three learning objectives. Section One will cover “How Political Language Connects with Audiences” and students will identify and compose compelling political phrases and persuasive political speeches. Section Two will cover “How Mediating Leadership Changes It” and students will describe how audiences react to mediated leadership. Section Three will cover “How to Apply Message Principles in Campaign Settings” and students will employ strategies to promote political and personal causes.
TEXTBOOKS:
Book: Hart, Roderick P. (1999). Seducing America: How television charms the modern voter (Revised ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. (ISBN: 0-761-91624-5).
Reading packet: Our reading packet includes selections from: (1) Lehrman, Robert. (2010). The political speechwriter’s companion. Washington D.C.: Congressional Quarterly Press. (2) Luntz, Frank. (2007). Words that work: It’s not what you say, it’s what people hear. New York: Hyperion. (3) Carville, James & Begala, Paul. (2003). Buck up, suck up . . . and come back when you foul up: 12 winning secrets from the war room. New York: Simon & Schuster. (4) Wallack, Lawrence, Woodruff, Katie, Dorfman, Elizabeth, & Diaz, Iris. (1999). News for a change: An advocate’s guide to working with the media Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. (5) Matthews, Christopher. (2009). The hardball handbook: How to win at life. New York: Random House. (ISBN: 978-0-8129-7597-0).
GRADING SYSTEM:
There are 300 points possible in this course. Students can complete three 100 point exams (a combination of short-answer and essay questions) and/or one optional 100 point research paper. If students complete all four assignments, we are happy to drop the lowest grade.
PREREQUISITES/RULES:
Upper-division standing required. Limited enrollment for non-majors.
