Political Communication and Media

Catalog description

Study of rhetorical and communicative dimensions of contemporary political communication with particular attention to electronic media. CAS 530CAS 530: Political Communication and Media (3) This seminar explores the rhetoric of electronically mediated political discourse, including broadcast speeches, news coverage of politics and political campaigns, campaign debates, political advertising, talk radio, and political websites. Addressing key problems and issues in democratic theory and practical politics, the seminar explores questions frequently raised by both scholars and political pundits: How has the character of political discourse changed in the age of electronic media? How have new communicative technologies affected political discourse? Is it possible to have an engaged, informed, and responsible electorate in the age of 30-second Aspot@ ads and journalistic Asound bites?@ What might be done to improve the quality of political discourse and to enhance public deliberation? How might new media technologies be used to combat political alienation and promote civic engagement? The specific focus of the seminar varies by semester. Recent seminars have focused on the rhetoric of presidential campaigns, conceptions of Athe public@ and Apublic opinion@ in the age of mass media and polling, and the political significance of such non-traditional media as motion pictures and websites. Whatever the topic, the focus remains on the impact of mass media on the quality and character of political discourse in America. Students in the seminar will join in a larger scholarly conversation about the impact of new media technologies on democratic politics. Students in CAS 530 will read scholarly works on mass media and politics from a variety of disciplines, as well as more popular writings that have developed influential critiques of contemporary political communication or have advocated reforms in the laws and regulations governing mass media. Given the subject matter, the seminar is necessarily interdisciplinary in approach, and students will be encouraged to take interdisciplinary approaches to their own research and writing for the seminar.