Download Communication 580

Communication 580
Media and Politics
Spring 2010
Thomas A. Hollihan
740-3947; [email protected]
Office Hours: Mondays & Wednesdays 2-4
& by appointment
This class considers how various changes in media practices, candidate strategies, and
new communication technologies have altered the practice of politics and influenced citizen
behaviors.
In any democracy the people surrender power to those whom they elect to govern. Our
elected representatives pass the laws under which we live and we are expected to acknowledge
their legitimate authority to enforce those laws. These laws cover a full range of human
experience including such issues as where we may park our cars, how fast we are permitted to
drive, compulsory schooling for our children (and control over the content they are taught),
decisions about the substances which we can ingest, demands that we pay taxes, and even
committing us to military actions that risk our lives and the lives of our loved ones. By
participating in the democratic process — for most Americans this means only casting an
occasional vote — we are affirming support for that process and helping to assure its
continuance. If a substantial percentage of the citizenry come to doubt the legitimacy of the
political system, lose confidence in the integrity of their elected officials, begin to disregard the
laws or withhold their taxes, or even if people merely stop turning out to vote, our democracy
will eventually unravel. History tells us that in societies where democratic governments fail the
result tends toward anarchy, fascism, or revolution in some other form.
Political campaigns and elections are thus important public rituals that preserve the
political system by giving the citizens in a democracy a measure of control and power over their
leaders. The campaigns help to maintain the illusion of political equality, and of meaningful
citizen participation. By monitoring a campaign, listening to mediated arguments, observing
"spot" TV ads, attending a campaign rally or event, but most importantly, by casting one’s vote,
participatory democracy (or at least what passes for democracy in the United States) is enacted.
During political campaigns citizens divide themselves into dramatically different and
sometimes seemingly incompatible ideological factions, each committed to the election of a
candidate who best reflects their particular world views. Following the election, however,
citizens are expected to put aside their differences and to acknowledge the legitimacy of the
system and the rightful authority of those who won the elections. People and governments
organize and maintain their connections to each other through shared communications, and the
conduct and process of democratic rule thus center on the ability to create mutual respect for and
commitment to shared values — values that are expressed through public discourse. The study
of the messages that shape and express our political choices, of the technologies that carry those
1
messages to the public, and of the strategies that have guided their creation, gives us great insight
into the values, beliefs, attitudes and aspirations of our society. The challenges of pulling
together a deeply divided and often alienated electorate are great. Political communication is
also about managing events that candidates and elected officials cannot control. For example,
questions about President Bush’s legitimacy that might have been expected to linger as a result
of the disputed election in Florida in 2000 were quickly put aside following the September 11,
2001 tragedy. The tragedy left him with an entirely different set of problems and concerns that
he needed to address in order to inspire people’s confidence and successfully prosecute the war
in Iraq. By emphasizing the continuing threat of terrorism, Bush and Cheney were narrowly reelected in 2004, but the second term proved even more difficult than the first had been. The
prolonged conflict in Iraq, the worsening situation in Afghanistan, the problems created by the
slow and ineffective responses to the disaster of Hurricane Katrina, and the economic crisis
created new challenges to the Bush administration. President Bush’s support as measured by
public opinion polls sank to perhaps the lowest level ever recorded in the history of modern
polling. As might be expected, the recently completed 2008 presidential campaign waged by
Senators Barack Obama and John McCain was very much impacted by these events. This
election became for many a referendum on the effectiveness of the Bush presidency.
The first year of the Obama administration has also proven difficult. The President has
struggled with a weak economy, the ongoing military conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan,
continuing threats of terrorism, and a deeply divided Congress. The debates over revisions to the
American health care system have been especially acrimonious, and Obama’s poll numbers have
also dropped sharply. In recent days the media have been filled with stories focused on the
problems the Democrats will have in holding on to their filibuster-proof majority in the Senate.
The practice of political campaigning and of governance has changed significantly in
recent years. Candidates increasingly rely on the media to reach voters, the media landscape has
itself been changed in the era of the Internet, political parties have lost influence, and voters are
exposed to an ever increasing barrage of political advertisements. Polls suggest that many
Americans have become increasingly distrustful of all politicians, and a cynical and antigovernment ideology has become popular.
Students in this class will explore a variety of different theoretical approaches to the
study of political campaign communication. We will discuss how campaigns are planned and
developed, how strategies are formed, and how the news media comes to shape public opinion.
We will also discuss how elected officials use the strategies developed in waging campaigns to
govern once they assume office.
Texts:
Hollihan, Thomas A. (2008). Uncivil wars: Political campaigns in a media age, 2d. ed.
New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s.
Howard, Philip N. (2006). New media campaigns and the managed citizen.
2
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Patterson, Thomas E. (2003). The vanishing voter: Public involvement in an age of
uncertainty. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.
Trent, Judith S. & Friedenberg, Robert V. (2008). Political campaign communication:
Principles and practices. Lanham, MD: Rowman-Littlefield.
Westen, Drew. (2007). The political brain: The role of emotion in deciding the fate of
the nation. New York: Public Affairs.
In addition, there will be a few other assigned readings that I will circulate. I also encourage you
to faithfully keep up with current political issues and events by reading the Los Angeles Times,
appropriate news magazines (Time, Newsweek, US News), and attending to the electronic media
(pay special attention to political blogs and Websites).
Assignments:
1. Major Paper (40% of final grade). You have many options with this paper. One option is to
focus your paper on one or more of the political communication theories that we read about
and/or discuss in class. Your objective would be to summarize, critique, and extend or further
enrich this theory. You might, for example, discuss how one or more developments in the use of
new communication technologies impacted contemporary political campaigns. A second option
is to undertake a case study analysis. This paper could focus, for example, on how the Obama
administration communicated with the public regarding a particular issue or set of issues (e.g.,
the prosecution of the war in Afghanistan, the broader conflict against terrorism, the health care
debate, the environmental issue, etc.). Or you might discuss the strategies that were used by one
or more candidate(s) who sought office in the 2008 presidential election. Finally, you might
consider proposing a communication-centered plan to rehabilitate the practice and vitality of
electoral politics in the U.S. or overseas. Such a paper should demonstrate your understanding of
the theories of campaign communication and of the current political conditions.
You should get prior approval for the selection of your topic. The paper should demonstrate
your familiarity with the literature on political campaign communication, your knowledge of the
subject, and an awareness of political issues and ideologies. All papers should cite research
materials from the textbooks and the relevant academic journals. To receive an ‘A’ your paper
must make a significant and original contribution to our understanding of your topic. Doctoral
student papers should be suitable for submission to an academic conference or journal. The
paper is due on April 12th. Time permitting; each student should be prepared to present a
brief summary of their paper on that day. 20 pages maximum.
2. Media Communication Critique (10% of final grade). This paper should analyze and critique
news media coverage of some issue, candidate, or controversy. The paper could focus on a
3
single media story or source, or could be a comparative study of several different media sources.
The paper should be a maximum of 5 pages long, and is due on February 22nd.
3. All students should pay careful attention to daily news coverage of political issues. You
should read at least the first two sections of the Los Angeles Times (news and editorial sections)
daily. You are encouraged to also examine other leading newspapers, Web sites, and broadcast
sources for news and political information. Our goal is to create a “conversational commons” to
discuss current political events. We will spend some time in each class period discussing the
events of the preceding week.
4. Reinventing Politics Discussion (10% of final grade). All students will be assigned to a group
of 3-4 participants that will be asked to make a fifteen minute presentation with power point
slides on the topic of suggested communication-based reforms that might rehabilitate the practice
of politics in the US. These presentations will occur on April 26th.
5. Final Examination (40% of final grade). A 2 hour essay examination will occur on May 10th.
Tentative Daily Schedule:
January 11
Introductions
January 18
Martin Luther King Holiday
January 25
Political Action is Communicative Action
The Permanent Campaign
Hollihan, Chapters 1 & 2
Trent & Friedenberg, Chapters 1 & 2
Patterson, Chapters 1, 2 & 4
February 1
Political Socialization
Hollihan, Chapter 3
Western, Chapters 1-5
February 8
Candidate Image
Hollihan, Chapter 4
Trent & Friedenberg, Chapters 3 & 6
February 15
President’s Day Holiday
February 22
The Role of the News Media
Hollihan, Chapter 5
Patterson, Chapter 3
Trent & Friedenberg, Chapter 4
March 1
Political Advertising
4
Hollihan, Chapter 6
Trent & Friedenberg, Chapters 5 & 10
March 8
Public Opinion Polling
Hollihan, Chapter 7
Popkin (on reserve)
March 15
Spring Break — No Class
March 22
New Technologies and Campaigns
Hollihan, Chapter 8
Howard, Chapters 1-5
March 29
Political Debating
Hollihan, Chapter 9
Trent & Friedenberg, Chapter 8
April 5
Campaign Finance
Hollihan, Chapter 10
Drew, pp. 3-85 (on reserve)
April 12
Campaigning and Governing
Hollihan, Chapter 11
April 19
The Crisis in American Democracy
Hollihan, Chapter 12
Patterson, Chapter 5
April 26
Reinventing Politics
Student Reports
Patterson, Chapter 6
May 10
Final Examination
5