Political Messaging and Public Policy

Catalog description

This course will explore the history, research, and present-day usage of political messaging to achieve public policy aims - from elections to legislative battles in Congress. We'll break down how political actors craft messages across different mediums to activate matrices of voters scattered across the electorate. In doing so, we'll discuss the psychology of voter decision making, the influence of popular culture, changing patterns of media consumption, and how political messaging really works behind the scenes, from ad-making to earned media. Most importantly, we'll draw in outside experts from across the political spectrum to discuss their experience in political communications - offering students a practical view into real-life politicking and an enhanced understanding of the professional landscape. Students will put these ideas into practice through active participation in class discussions and rigorously researched written assignments analyzing real-life political messages.