Summer 2018 - POL 339 D100

Selected Topics in Comparative Government and Politics (4)

Media and Politics

Class Number: 6001

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    May 7 – Jun 18, 2018: Mon, 1:30–5:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

    May 7 – Jun 18, 2018: Fri, 1:30–5:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

  • Instructor:

    Dominik Stecula
  • Prerequisites:

    Six lower division units in political science or permission of the department.

Description

COURSE DETAILS:

Selected Topics: Media and Politics

Mass media play an increasingly important role in politics, and are a central feature of modern representative democracy. Much of our exposure to politics, as well as other important information comes not from direct experience, but from stories mediated by the press. This course provides an introduction to the themes in the study of mass media and politics, a thriving field of academic research at the time when the media landscape is undergoing immense changes driven by technological progress. 
 
In this course, we will examine the interactions between media and political institutions, actors and processes, in light of theories of journalism, communication and political practice, primarily in the context of the United States. A major objective of this course is to learn to think in systematic and nuanced ways about the media’s coverage of the political world instead of relying on grotesque simplifications that pervade public thinking about the media and their role in politics. We will carefully examine what the media do well and where they fail. Some of the topics explored in this course include: what role do the media play in a democracy?, how do the media cover politics?, how do the media affect public opinion?, how do they affect policymakers?, are the media biased?, are social media news media?, among others.  

There will be two 4-hour lectures each week.  Intersession.

Grading

  • In-class participation 10%
  • Group project 20%
  • Weekly short assignments 10%
  • Short writing assignments (6x 10) 60%

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

"Amusing Ourselves To Death” by Neil Postman

Empirical journal articles will constitute the primary source of readings in this class.

Department Undergraduate Notes:

The Department of Political Science strictly enforces a policy on plagiarism.
For details, see http://www.sfu.ca/politics/undergraduate/program/related_links.html and click on “Plagiarism and Intellectual Dishonesty” .

Registrar Notes:

SFU’s Academic Integrity web site http://students.sfu.ca/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating.  Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.

Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the University community.  Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the University. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the University. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS