Introduction to Political Communication

Course Scope

The purpose of this course is to provide an overview of the role of communication in politics. It shall offer a detailed overview of research on how political communication informs, influences, and legitimizes political decisions in advanced democracies. Topics to be covered include the history of, and recent trends in, the mass media, the impact of news on attitude formation and change, the implications for political communication of changes in media (e.g., the rise of the Internet, social media and partisan media), political parties, movements and campaign communication, and the general role of the media in the democratic process.

Learning Outcomes

Students who complete this course should be able to:

• Understand the dynamics of mutual influence between media and politics
• Apply theories of political communication to real-world events
• Critically assess the impact of political communication on democratic processes

PPT presentations
Interactive surveys and in class games
Open discussions

Références, bibliographie et lectures recommandées

• Perloff, R.M. (2018). The Dynamics of Political Communication, London: Routledge. 
• McNair, B. (2011). An Introduction to Political Communication, London: Routledge. 
• Strömbäck and Esser (2014). “The mediatization of Politics”, in Lundby, K. (ed) Mediatization of Communication. Berlin: De Gruyter
• Mazzoleni, G. and Schulz, W. (1999) "Mediatization" of Politics: A Challenge for Democracy? Political Communication, 16:3, 247-261.

Campus

Solbosch

Méthode(s) d'évaluation

• Examen écrit

Examen écrit

• Question ouverte à réponse courte
• Question fermée à Choix Multiple (QCM)

Course evaluation and assignments

The course evaluation consists of a final, written exam:

• Two open questions (5 points each) one of which is based on the themes and discussions from the lectures, the other based on the content of the compulsory readings.
• Ten multiple-choice questions based on the compulsory readings and in-class presentations (1 point for correct answers, 0 points for no answers or wrong answers).

Langue(s) d'évaluation

• anglais