Political Communication in the US

elective courses

Classroom

The course is designed to teach students the theory and practice of political communication in the US. Its types, symbols, actors and discourse will be presented in different circumstances, time and with relation to the specific target. During classes, students will take on various roles and face different tasks, carried out mainly in the form of group work, which will allow them to better understand the specificity of the issues discussed and find inspiration for the final essay.

The course will cover the following topics:

1. Introduction to Political Communication

2. Political Communication Defined

3. Political Persuasion

4. Partisanship in Political Communication

5. Political Campaigns

6. Political Advertising

7. Presidential Debates

8. Ghostwriting

9. Internet and Social Media Discourse

10. The Role of the First Lady

11. Satire and Parody in Political Communication

12. Political Communication in a Globalized World

13. Crisis Communication

14. Ethics in Political Communication

15. Political Communication in Practice - simulation

Core reading:

A. Davis, Political Communication, A New Introduction for Crisis Times, Cambridge, Polity, 2019.

R.E. Denton, G.C. Woodward, Political Communication in America, New York, Praeger, 1990.

T. Płudowski (red.), American Politics: Media and Election, Adam Marszałek, Toruń, 2005.

D.L. Helfert, Political Communication in Action: From Theory to Practice, Boulder, Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2017.

R.M. Perloff, The Dynamics of Political Communication. Media and Politics in a Digital Age, New York – London, Routledge, 2013.

Further reading:

A. Davis, Political communication and social theory, New York – London, Routledge, 2010.

B. McNair, An introduction to political communication, New York – London, Routledge, 2011.

G.D. Rawnsley, Political communication and democracy, New York, Palgrave Macmillan, 2005.

H.A. Semetko, M. Scammell (red.), The Sage handbook of political communication, Los Angeles, Sage, 2012.

J.S. Tuman, Political communication in American campaigns, Los Angeles, Sage Publications, 2008.

G. Wolfsfeld, Making sense of media and politics: five principles in political communication, New York-London, Routledge, 2011.

After completing the course, the students:

KNOWLEDGE

- have basic knowledge of the definition of political communication, its types, history and evolution

- understand the specifics of political communication in the US

- have basic knowledge of the symbols, political marketing and different actors in political campaign, as well as of the role of the media in image building

SKILLS

- can search, analyse, evaluate, select and use information on political communication from various sources

- can assess the integrity of the politicians’ image and the effectiveness of their political communication

- can distinguish forms of political communication depending on the situation, time and target

SOCIAL COMPETENCES

- are able to receive critically media coverage of political communication in the US

- can take a stand in discussions on the US political communication

- are ready to use knowledge of US political communication in their professional careers

The final evaluation will be based on an essay on a chosen topic related to political communication in the US and the students' active participation during the classes with the following weight:

essay – 50%

active participation – 50%