COMM 7510: Media and Politics University of Utah, Fall 2014 Friday 1:00-4:00, LNCO 2630

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1 COMM COMM 7510: Media and Politics University of Utah, Fall 2014 Friday 1:00-4:00, LNCO 2630 Professor: Kevin Coe, Ph.D. Office: LNCO 2615 Office Phone: Office Hours: M & W, 3:00-4:00, and by appt. kevin.coe@utah.edu (response w/in 24 hours, M-F) Course Website: Canvas (utah.instructure.com) Overview This course examines the interaction of media, politics, and public opinion, thus providing a survey of the field of political communication. It focuses on the American context, though international contexts will sometimes serve as points of comparison. Emphasis will be given to the role of a free press in democratic society; the changing audiences for political news; news norms and biases; strategic communication and news autonomy; political discourse; the effects of media messages on citizens engagement with politics; the relationship between political communication and various social groups; the interaction of politics and popular culture; and other selected topics. Most (though not all) of the assigned readings come from a social scientific orientation, but our discussion of concepts and approaches will include a fuller range of views. The course has four primary objectives: 1) To provide students with a critical appreciation of the complex relationship between American politics, mass media, and public opinion, 2) to familiarize students with many of the key concepts, theories, and scholars in the field of political communication, 3) to give students experience conducting publishable research using content analysis, and 4) to encourage students to be active and intelligent participants in democratic society. Readings No textbook is required for this course. Rather, the readings consisting primarily of academic journal articles and book chapters will be made available via library reserves. A link to the reserves is available via Canvas. Specific reading assignments are listed on the Course Calendar below. Readings should be completed by the beginning of class on the day they are listed. Assignments Participation. This is a seminar course, so its success depends on the active participation of everyone involved. Active participation includes being in class (on time), regularly contributing to discussion in a manner that reflects a close reading of the assigned material, and treating your classmates with respect. Engaging in inappropriate or disrespectful behaviors during class (e.g., sleeping, working on assignments for other courses, texting, surfing the web) will not be tolerated and will substantially decrease your participation score.

2 COMM Additionally, students are required to prepare two discussion questions for class each day. These questions should a) focus on one (or more) of the readings for that day, b) reflect something the student finds interesting/challenging/problematic about the content and would be interested in discussing further, and c) be ed to kevin.coe@utah.edu at least one hour prior to the start of class. Response Papers. Two times during the semester students will write a brief critique of the readings for that day. These response papers, which should be roughly two double-spaced pages long, should not merely summarize the assigned readings. Rather, they should critically analyze and discuss the central ideas and arguments advanced in one or more of the readings. Students turning in a reaction paper should be prepared to share their main ideas with the rest of the class to stimulate broader discussion. Literature Review. Students will complete one major paper, an extensive literature review on a single area of political communication research (20-25 double-spaced pages, plus a minimum of 25 references). The focus of this review is up to the student, but should be approved by the instructor. A brief presentation of the review is also required, the effectiveness of which will factor in to the paper grade. Reviews should discuss in detail at least one relevant theory. A detailed assignment sheet and sample literature review will be provided to students. Coding. Students will participate in a research project that will lead directly to at least one coauthored publication. Part of this project will require students to code textual material (i.e., to conduct a content analysis). The exact parameters of this coding will be developed as a group, and student interests will be taken into account. The completion and accuracy of assigned coding will make up this portion of the course grade. Grading Grades are determined on the basis of participation (20%), two response papers (10% each), a literature review (40%), and coding (20%). The grading scale is as follows: A 93 or above B C D A B C D B C D E 59 or below Late assignments will be dealt with at my discretion and will receive dramatically reduced grades. You should notify me of any problems as soon as they occur. Student Conduct All students will be strictly held to the standards of conduct and academic integrity set forth in the University s Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities. Students are advised to carefully review this code (available at Please also note that audio or video recording during class is not allowed without the instructor s written consent.

3 COMM Content Accommodation The University of Utah recognizes that students sincerely-held core beliefs might make it difficult for students to fulfill some requirements of some courses or majors. It is the student s obligation to determine, before the last day to drop courses without penalty, when course requirements conflict with the student s sincerely-held core beliefs. If such accommodations are desired, students should carefully review the university policy (available at and consult with the instructor. Disability Accommodation The University of Utah seeks to provide equal access to its programs, services, and activities for people with disabilities. If you need accommodation in this class, reasonable prior notice must be given to the Center for Disability Services, 162 Olpin Union Bldg, (V/TDD), CDS will work with you and the instructor to make arrangements for accommodations. All written information in this course can be made available in an alternative format with prior notification to the Center for Disability Services. Course Calendar (Please note that this schedule is tentative. Any changes will be announced in class or via .) Aug. 29 Course Introduction Benoit, W. L. (2011). Content analysis in political communication. In E. P. Bucy & R. L. Holbert (Eds.), The sourcebook for political communication research: Methods, measures, and analytical techniques (pp ). New York, NY: Routledge. Moy, P., Bimber, A., Rojecki, A., Xenos, M., & Iyengar, S. (2012). Shifting contours in political communication research. International Journal of Communication, 6, Sep. 5 News Media in a Democracy Bennett, W. L. (2003). The burglar alarm that just keeps ringing: A response to Zaller. Political Communication, 20, Donohue, G. A., Tichenor, P. J., & Olien, C. N. (1995). A guard dog perspective on the role of media. Journal of Communication, 45, Graber, D. A., & Holyk, G. G. (2011). The news industry. In R. Y. Shapiro & L. R. Jacobs (Eds.), American public opinion and the media (pp ). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. Hamilton, J. T. (2011). What s the incentive to save journalism? In R. W. McChesney & V. Pickard (Eds.), Will the last reporter please turn out the lights: The collapse of journalism and what can be done to fix it (pp ). New York, NY: The New Press. Zaller, J. (2003). A new standard of news quality: Burglar alarms for the monitorial citizen. Political Communication, 20,

4 COMM Sep. 12 News Audiences in a Changing Environment Bakker, T. P., & de Vreese, C. H. (2011). Good news for the future? Young people, internet use, and political participation. Communication Research, 38, Gil de Zúñiga, H., Veenstra, A., Vraga, E., & Shah, D. (2010). Digital democracy: Reimagining pathways to political participation. Journal of Information Technology & Politics, 7, Mayer, J. D., & Cornfield, M. (2008). The Internet and the future of media politics. In M. J. Rozell & J. D. Mayer, Media power, media politics (2 nd ed.) (pp ). Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield. Prior, M. (2007). Post-broadcast democracy: How media choice increases inequality in political involvement and polarizes elections. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press. Chapter 1: Introduction (pp. 1-26). Stroud, N. J. (2011). Niche news: The politics of news choice. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. Chapter 3: Using niche news (pp ). Sep. 19 News Norms and Biases Bennett, W. L. (2011). News: The politics of illusion (9 th ed.). New York, NY: Longman. Chapter 2: News stories: Four information biases that matter (pp ). D Alessio, D. (2012). Media bias in presidential election coverage: Evaluation via formal measurement. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books. Chapter 4: Are the media biased (pp )? Gilens, M., & Hertzman, C. (2000). Corporate ownership and news bias: Newspaper coverage of the 1996 Telecommunications Act. Journal of Politics, 62, Lule, J. (2001). Daily news, eternal stories: The mythological role of journalism. New York: Guildford. Chapter 1: Seven master myths in the news (pp ). Ryfe, D. M. (2012). Can journalism survive? An inside look at American newsrooms. Malden, MA: Polity Press. Chapter 4: Habits (56-83). Sep. 26 Strategic Communication and News Autonomy Althaus, S. L. (2003). When news norms collide, follow the lead: New evidence for press independence. Political Communication, 20, Bennett, W. L., Lawrence, R. G., & Livingston, S. (2007). When the press fails: Political power and the news media from Iraq to Katrina. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press. Chapter 3: None dare call it torture: Abu Ghraib and the inner workings of press dependence (pp ). Coe, K., & Bradshaw, S. C. (2014). Toward a fuller understanding of the echoing press: Presidential addresses and the New York Times, Communication Theory, 24, Cook, T. (2005). Governing with the news: The news media as a political institution. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press. Chapter 6: The uses of news: Theory and (presidential) practice (pp ). Entman, R. M. (2004). Projections of power: Framing news, public opinion, and U.S. foreign policy. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press. Chapter 1: Projecting power in the news (pp. 1-28).

5 COMM Oct. 3 Political Discourse Graber, D. A. (1976). Verbal behavior and politics. Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press. Chapter 1: Importance of verbal behavior in politics (pp. 3-21). Hart, R. P., Childers, J. P., & Lind, C. J. (2013). Political tone: How leaders talk and why. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press. Chapter 3: Partisanship and the balanced tone (59-88). Stuckey, M. E. (2005). One nation (pretty darn) divisible: National identity in the 2004 conventions. Rhetoric & Public Affairs, 8, West, D. M. (2014). Air wars: Television advertising and social media in election campaigns (6 th ed.). Los Angeles, CA: CQ Press. Chapter 4: Ad messages (49-72). Zarefsky, D. (2004). Presidential rhetoric and the power of definition. Presidential Studies Quarterly, 34, Oct. 10 Oct. 17 NO CLASS: NICD Research Convening NO CLASS: Fall Break Oct. 24 Political Communication Effects I Druckman, J. N., & Holmes, J. W. (2004). Does presidential rhetoric matter? Priming and presidential approval. Presidential Studies Quarterly, 34, Nelson, T. E., Clawson, R. A., & Oxley, Z. M. (1997). Media framing of a civil liberties conflict and its effect on tolerance. American Political Science Review, 91, Neuman, R. W., Guggenheim, L., Mo Jang, S., & Bae, S. Y. (2014). The dynamics of public attention: Agenda setting theory meets big data. Journal of Communication, 64, Scheufele, D. A., & Tewksbury, D. (2007). Framing, agenda setting, and priming: The evolution of three media effects models. Journal of Communication, 57, Zaller, J. R. (1992). The nature and origins of mass opinion. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press. Chapter 3: How citizens acquire information and turn it into public opinion (pp ). Oct. 31 Political Communication Effects II Barnhust, K. G. (2011). The new media affect and the crisis of representation for political communication. International Journal of Press/Politics, 16, Druckman, J. N., & Parkin, M. (2005). The impact of media bias: How editorial slant affects voters. Journal of Politics, 67, Jamieson, K. H., & Hardy, B. W. (2008). Unmasking deception: The function and failures of the press. In D. A. Graber, D. McQuail, & P. Norris (Eds.), The politics of news, the news of politics (pp ). Washington, DC: CQ Press. Scheufele, D. A. (2008). Spiral of silence theory. In W. Donsbach & M. W. Traugott (Eds.), The Sage handbook of public opinion research (pp ). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Zaller, J. (1998). The rule of product substitution in presidential campaign news. The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 560,

6 COMM Nov. 7 Political Communication and Social Groups Coe, K., & Schmidt, A. (2012). America in black and white: Locating race in the modern presidency, Journal of Communication, 62, Horn Sheeler, K., & Vasby Anderson, K. (2013). Woman president: Confronting postfeminist political culture. College Station, TX: Texas A&M University Press. Chapter 5: Bodies politic: Porning the presidential body (pp ). Meeks, L. (2012). Is she man enough? Women candidates, executive political offices, and news coverage. Journal of Communication, 62, Price, V., Nir, L., & Cappella, J. N. (2005). Framing public discussion of gay civil unions. Public Opinion Quarterly, 69, Valentino, N. A., Hutchings, V. L., & White, I. K. (2002). Cues that matter: How political ads prime racial attitudes during campaigns. American Political Science Review, 96, Nov. 14 Political Communication and Pop Culture Baum, M. A. (2003). Soft news and political knowledge: Evidence of absence or absence of evidence? Political Communication, 20, Baym, G. (2005). The Daily Show: Discursive integration and the reinvention of political journalism. Political Communication, 22, Brewer, P. R., Young, D. G., & Morreale, M. (2013). The impact of real news about fake news : Intertextual processes and political satire. International Journal of Public Opinion Research, 25, LaMarre, H. L., Landreville, K. D., & Beam, M. A. (2009). The irony of satire: Political ideology and the motivation to see what you want to see in The Colbert Report. International Journal of Press/Politics, 14, Prior, M. (2003). Any good news in soft news? The impact of soft news preferences on political knowledge. Political Communication, 20, Nov. 21 Nov. 28 Dec. 5 Dec. 12 NO CLASS: NCA Convention NO CLASS: Thanksgiving Break Students Choice: Topic(s) TBA Course Conclusions: Papers and Presentations Due Please note that your continued enrollment in this course constitutes an agreement to abide by the policies and procedures explained in this syllabus.