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SoSe 24: Political Communication and the American Public Sphere

Curd Benjamin Knüpfer

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This MA-level seminar will provide students with an introduction to the concept of “political communication” – both as a practice as well as a sub-discipline of political science. Through readings and live online sessions, students will develop an understanding of the concept of the “public sphere” and forms of communication between political elites, news media, and citizens/the electorate. In doing so, the course seeks to outline the distinctions as well as the interaction between political rhetoric, mediated discourse, and public deliberation. The core readings will be primarily focused on US politics and the American media system. Special emphasis will be given to the ongoing transformation of a digital media environment along with the challenges this might pose for democratic governance. In response to class readings and discussions, students are meant to reflect about their own research questions and will be encouraged to actively think about how to operationalize the various concepts and dynamics addressed in the individual sessions. To obtain participation credit, course participants will be expected to take an active part in class via regular attendance (more than 70 %) and closely familiarizing themselves with all of the required reading material. This familiarity will be demonstrated by filling out an online questionnaire before each of our sessions. To obtain full credit, students must additionally present core readings, complete homework assignments, and prepare a 20-page term paper during the semester. Non-negotiable deadline for full paper submission will be August 15th. PLEASE NOTE: This class will take place in person at the JFKI. There is a limit of 35 students for this class. If you sign up but end up not taking the class, please remember to un-enroll from via the campus management system, so that others might have a chance to take your place. close