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Syllabus Political Communication in the 21st Century: Advanced Topics - 50128
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Last update 17-02-2022
HU Credits: 2

Degree/Cycle: 1st degree (Bachelor)

Responsible Department: Communication & Journalism

Semester: 2nd Semester

Teaching Languages: Hebrew

Campus: Mt. Scopus

Course/Module Coordinator: Dr. Eran Amsalem

Coordinator Email: eran.amsalem@mail.huji.ac.il

Coordinator Office Hours: Tuesday, 9:00-10:00, Room 5408

Teaching Staff:
Dr. Eran Amsalem

Course/Module description:
This course reviews some of the major developments in political communication research over the past two decades. The course covers issues such as communication effects on political polarization, the dissemination and correction of political misinformation, the relationship between political communication and the rise of populism, and more.

Course/Module aims:

Learning outcomes - On successful completion of this module, students should be able to:
Describe some of the major developments in the field of political communication over the past two decades.

Attendance requirements(%):

Teaching arrangement and method of instruction: Each class will begin with a lecture, which will be followed by a discussion of the lecture and the weekly assigned readings.

Course/Module Content:
Introduction: Political communication in the 21st century

Political communication and polarization - part 1 (mass media)

Political communication and polarization - part 2 (interpersonal communication)

Political communication and populism

Exposure to diverse views on social media

The effects of the Internet on political engagement

Communication and political knowledge

Political incivility

The dissemination and correction of political misinformation

Psychophysiological research in political communication

Required Reading:
Political communication and polarization - part 1
Wilson, A. E., Parker, V., & Feinberg, M. (2020). Polarization in the contemporary political and media landscape. Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences, 34, 223-228.

Political communication and polarization - part 2
Amsalem, E., Merkley, E., & Loewen, P. J. (2021). Does talking to the other side reduce inter-party hostility? Evidence from three studies. Political Communication, 39(1), 61-78.

Political communication and populism
de Vreese, C. H., Esser, F., Aalberg, T., Reinemann, C., & Stanyer, J. (2018). Populism as an expression of political communication content and style: A new perspective. The International Journal of Press/Politics, 23(4), 423-438.

Exposure to diverse views on social media
Guess, A. M. (2021). (Almost) everything in moderation: New evidence on Americans' online media diets. Advance online publication, American Journal of Political Science. doi:10.1111/ajps.12589

The effects of the internet on political engagement
Tucker, J. A., Theocharis, Y., Roberts, M. E., & Barberá, P. (2017). From liberation to turmoil: Social media and democracy. Journal of Democracy, 28(4), 46-59.

Communication and political knowledge
Kleinberg, M. S., & Lau, R. R. (2019). The importance of political knowledge for effective citizenship: Differences between the broadcast and internet generations. Public Opinion Quarterly, 83(2), 338-362.

Political incivility
Frimer, J. A., & Skitka, L. J. (2018). The Montagu Principle: Incivility decreases politicians’ public approval, even with their political base. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 115(5), 845.

The dissemination and correction of political misinformation
Bago, B., Rand, D. G., & Pennycook, G. (2020). Fake news, fast and slow: Deliberation reduces belief in false (but not true) news headlines. Advance online publication, Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 149(8), 1608-1613.

Psychophysiological research in political communication
Bakker, B. N., Schumacher, G., & Rooduijn, M. (2021). Hot politics? Affective responses to political rhetoric. American Political Science Review, 115(1), 150-164.

Additional Reading Material:

Course/Module evaluation:
End of year written/oral examination 0 %
Presentation 10 %
Participation in Tutorials 0 %
Project work 50 %
Assignments 0 %
Reports 40 %
Research project 0 %
Quizzes 0 %
Other 0 %

Additional information:
Grading will be based on the submission of short responses to the reading material prior to each class (50% of the grade), responding to an article in class once during the semester (10%), and a final paper (50%).
 
Students needing academic accommodations based on a disability should contact the Center for Diagnosis and Support of Students with Learning Disabilities, or the Office for Students with Disabilities, as early as possible, to discuss and coordinate accommodations, based on relevant documentation.
For further information, please visit the site of the Dean of Students Office.
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