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Syllabus Advanced Issues in Political Communication - 50950
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Last update 06-10-2021
HU Credits: 2

Degree/Cycle: 2nd degree (Master)

Responsible Department: Communication & Journalism

Semester: 1st 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, 12:00-13:00, room 5408

Teaching Staff:
Dr. Eran Amsalem

Course/Module description:
In this course, students will learn key concepts in political communication and will discuss the new and important trends in current research in this area. The knowledge students gain from the course will be the basis for their continued studies in political communication.

Course/Module aims:

Learning outcomes - On successful completion of this module, students should be able to:
Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:
1. Know and define key concepts in political communication.
2. Understand and describe important trends in the field of political communication.
3. Develop critical thinking and analysis skills towards research in the field.
4. Point at gaps and theoretical questions in the field that haven’t been sufficiently addressed.

Attendance requirements(%):
80%

Teaching arrangement and method of instruction:

Course/Module Content:
1. Political communication – key concepts and definitions
2. The mediatization of politics
3. Press independence
4. How political actors use the media
5. Political communication effects
6. Framing effects: Advanced topics
7. Interpersonal political communication
8. Comparative political communication
9. Avenues for future research in political communication

Required Reading:
Cook, T. E. (2005). Governing with the news: The news media as a political institution (2nd ed.). Chicago: University of Chicago press. Read Chapter 4.
Mazzoleni, G., & Schulz, W. (1999). “Mediatization” of politics: A challenge for
democracy? Political Communication, 16(3), 247-261.
Balmas, M., Sheafer, T., & Wolfsfeld, G. (2015). Enemies also get their say: Press performance during political crises. International Journal of Communication, 9, 154–174.
Bennett, W. L. (1990). Toward a theory of press-state relations in the United States. Journal of Communication, 40(2), 103–125.
McGregor, S. (2020). “Taking the temperature of the room”: How political campaigns use social media to understand and represent public opinion. Public Opinion Quarterly, 87, 236-256.
Van Aelst, P., & Walgrave, S. (2016). Information and arena: The dual function of the news media for political elites. Journal of Communication, 66(3), 496-518.
Feezell, J. T. (2018). Agenda setting through social media: The importance of incidental news exposure and social filtering in the digital era. Political Research Quarterly, 71(2), 482-494.
Scheufele, D. A., & Tewksbury, D. (2007). Framing, agenda setting, and priming: The evolution of three media effects models. Journal of Communication, 57(1), 9-20.
Cacciatore, M. A., Scheufele, D. A., & Iyengar, S. (2016). The end of framing as we know it… and the future of media effects. Mass Communication and Society, 19(1), 7-23.
Druckman, J. N., Peterson, E., & Slothuus, R. (2013). How elite partisan polarization affects public opinion formation. American Political Science Review, 107(1), 57-79.
Druckman, J. N., Levendusky, M. S., & McLain, A. (2018). No need to watch: How the effects of partisan media can spread via interpersonal discussions. American Journal of Political Science, 62(1), 99-112.
Mutz, D. C., & Mondak, J. J. (2006). The workplace as a context for cross-cutting political discourse. The Journal of Politics, 68(1), 140-155.
Hallin, D. C., and Mancini, P. (2004). Comparing media systems: Three models of media and politics. New York: Cambridge University Press. Read Chapter 4.
Powers, M., & Benson, R. (2014). Is the Internet homogenizing or diversifying the news? External pluralism in the US, Danish, and French press. The International Journal of Press/Politics, 19(2), 246-265.
Valenzuela, S., Halpern, D., Katz, J.E., & Miranda, J.P. (2019). The paradox of participation versus misinformation: Social media, political engagement, and the spread of misinformation. Digital Journalism, 7(6), 802-823.
Van Aelst, P., Strömbäck, J., Aalberg, T., Esser, F., De Vreese, C., Matthes, J., ... & Stanyer, J. (2017). Political communication in a high-choice media environment: a challenge for democracy? Annals of the International Communication Association, 41(1), 3-27.

Additional Reading Material:

Course/Module evaluation:
End of year written/oral examination 0 %
Presentation 35 %
Participation in Tutorials 10 %
Project work 45 %
Assignments 10 %
Reports 0 %
Research project 0 %
Quizzes 0 %
Other 0 %

Additional information:
 
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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