Political Communication

Semester: Spring 2009
Professor: Bruce Bimber
Course number: POLS 594PC
Description:

This seminar provides a graduate-level overview of the study of political communication. It introduces students to a range of topics, from classic issues in this subfield to current debates and emerging topics associated with "new media." The seminar is open to graduate students regardless of discipline or subfield, though the bulk of the reading addresses political communication in the context of the U.S. The weekly list of topics is as follows:

Political Communication as a Field of Research
Political Discussion and Deliberation
Media and Public Opinion: Classic Effects
Current Research on Framing and its Limits
News
Soft News and Infotainment
Selective Exposure and Political Difference
Media and Political Behavior
New Media I: Overview
New Media II: Civic Engagement

Keywords: cits ucsb bimber politicalcommunication communication