ENTERTAINMENT AND POLITICS Department of Political Science Central European University MA Programme in Political Science (1- and 2-years) Winter Term 2016/2017 (2 credits) Instructor: José Pereira (jose.santana@eui.eu) Class meetings: Mondays, 13.30-15.10 Office hours: Mondays 15.30-17.00 (schedule a meeting at least 48 hours in advance via e- mail) Introduction This course provides an overview of the main theoretical and empirical contributions to the understanding of the relationship between entertainment and politics, a key feature of contemporary political communication in several democracies. Key concepts such as politization of the private persona, celebrization of politics, lifestyle politics, commodification of politics and audience democracy are critically examined. The empirical research on these and related issues will be dissected. Recent real-world examples of the approximation of the spheres of entertainment and politics are systematically analyzed. Lastly, the impact of this trend in terms of quality of democracy is discussed. Learning outcomes By the end of the course, students are expected to have: A thorough knowledge of the scientific literature on the relationship between entertainment and politics. The ability to assess, balance and contrast the weaknesses and strengths of different positions in contemporary debates about the relationship between entertainment and politics. An understanding of the research skills necessary to the analysis of this phenomenon in contemporary democracies. 1
Assessment and requirements Participation in discussions and exercises (10%). Presentation (20%). Students are required to present a research article in class (Weeks 9-11). The list of papers to be chosen for the presentations is presented below. The presentation schedule will be set in Week 1, therefore students are expected to come to class with a list of two or three articles that they would like to present. Mid-term written, closed-book, exam (25%), covering the main theoretical frames and concepts as well as the research discussed in class, in Week 8. A final 3000 words essay (45%). The essay's topic needs to be approved by the instructor. Students are expected to submit the title, preliminary structure and bibliography (4-6 references) before Week 8. The deadline for submitting the essay (via e-mail) is March 31. Academic dishonesty will be severely punished. All students must read the mandatory articles/chapters before the class. Attendance of 90% of the classes is necessary to get a grade. Bibliography Baumgartner, J. & Morris, J. S. (2008). One "nation" under Stephen? The effects of The Colbert Report on American Youth. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 52, 622-643. Campus, D. (2010). Mediatization and personalization of politics in Italy and France: The cases of Berlusconi and Sarkozy. The International Journal of Press/Politics, 15 (2), 219-235. Delli Carpini, M. X., & Williams, B. A. (2001). Let us infotain you: Politics in the new media age. In W. L. Bennett & R. M. Entman (Eds.), Mediated Politics: Communication in the Future of Democracy (pp.160-181). Cambridge, UK/ New York: Cambridge University Press. Jackson, D. J. (2009). Entertainment & politics: The influence of pop culture on young adult political socialization (2nd Ed). New York: Peter Lang Publishing. Jebril, N., Albaek, E., & de Vreese. C. H. (2013). Infotainment, cynicism and democracy: The effects of privatization vs. personalization in the news. European Journal of Communication, 28(2), 105-121. LaMarre, H., 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(2), pp. 212-231. Landreville, K. D., Holbert, R. L., & LaMarre, H. L. (2010). The influence of late-night TV comedy viewing on political talk: a moderated-mediation model. International Journal of Press/Politics, 15(4), 482-498. Manin, B. (1996). Principles du gouvernement représentatif. Paris: Flammarion. Mazzoni, M., & Ciaglia, A. (2014). How Italian politics goes popular: Evidence from an empirical analysis of gossip magazines and TV shows. Journal of Cultural Studies, 17(4), 381-398. Stanyer, J. (2012). Intimate politics: Publicity, privacy and the personal lives of politicians in media saturated democracies. Cambridge: Polity. Thussu, D. K. (2007). News as entertainment: The rise of global infotainment. London: Sage. Van Zoonen, L. (2005). Entertaining the citizen: when politics and popular culture converge. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. 2
Course programme Week 1 Introduction (9 January) Week 2 Entertainment and Politics: A Conceptual Map (16 January) Baum, M. A. & Jamison, A. (2011). Soft news and the four Oprah effects. In G. Edwards, L. Jacobs & R. Shapiro (eds.), Oxford Handbook of American Public Opinion and the Media (pp. 121-137). Oxford: Oxford University Press. Holbert, R. L. (2005). A typology for the study of entertainment television and politics. American Behavioral Scientist, 49(3), 436-453. Week 3 Fictional Political Content and its Effects (23 January) Bailey, M. (2011). The uses and abuses of British political fiction or how I learned to stop worrying and love Malcolm Tucker. Parliamentary Affairs, 64(2) 281-295. van Zoonen, L. & Wring, D. (2012). Trends in political television fiction in the UK: Themes, characters and narratives, 1965 2009. Mass Culture & Society, 34(3), 263-279. Week 4 Political Satire and its Effects (30 January) Baumgartner, J. C., Morris, J. S., & Walth, N. L. (2012). The Fey effect: Young adults, political humour and perceptions of Sarah Palin in the 2008 presidential election campaign. Public Opinion Quarterly, 76(1), 95-104. Coleman, S., Kiuk, A., & van Zoonen, L. (2009). Laughter and liability: The politics of British and Dutch television satire. British Journal of Politics and International Relations 11, 652-665. Week 5 Celebrity Politicians (6 February) Street, J. (2004). Celebrity politicians: Popular culture and political representation. British Journal of Politics and International Relations, 6, 435-452. Street, J. (2012). Do celebrity politics and celebrity politicians matter? British Journal of Politics and International Relations, 14, 346-356. 3
Week 6 Political Gossip and Political Scandals (13 February) Langer, A. I. (2009). The politicization of private persona: Exceptional leaders or the new rule? The case of the United Kingdom and the Blair effect. The International Journal of Press/Politics 15(1), 60-76. Maier, J. (2011). The impact of political scandals on political support: An experimental test of two theories. International Political Science Review, 32(3), 283-302 Week 7 Citizens, Fans or Spectators? (20 February) Inthorn, S., & Street, J. (2011). Simon Cowell for prime minister? Young citizens attitudes towards celebrity politics. Media, Culture and Society, 33(3), 1-11. Prior, M. (2005). News vs. entertainment: How increasing media choice widens gaps in political knowledge and turnout. American Journal of Political Science, 49(1), 577-592. Week 8 Midterm Exam (27 February) Week 9 Case Study of Fictional Political Content: House of Cards vs. The West Wing (6 March) Gierzynski, J. et al. (2015). Game of Thrones, House of Cards and the belief in a just world. Paper repared for presentation at the 2015 Annual Meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association. Holbert, R. L., Pillion, O., Tschida, D. A., Armfield, G. G., Kinder, K., Cherry, K., & Daulton, A. (2003). The West Wing as endorsement of the American presidency: Expanding the domain of priming in political communication. Journal of Communication, 53, 427-443. Morris, J. M., & Evans (2014). Our House of Cards? Political Fiction and Regime Change. Paper prepared for presentation at the Western Political Science Association Conference. Week 10 Case Study of Political Satire: The Daily Show (13 March) Baumgartner, J., & Morris, J. S. (2006). The Daily Show effect: Candidate evaluations, efficacy, and American youth. American Politics Research, 34(3), 341-367. Cao, X. (2010). Hearing it from Jon Stewart: The impact of the Daily Show on public attentiveness to politics. International Journal of Public Opinion Research, 22(1), 26-46. Feldman, L. & Young, D. N. (2008). Late-night comedy as a gateway to traditional news: An analysis of time trends in news attention among late-night comedy viewers during the 2004 presidential primaries. Political Communication, 25(4), 401-422. 4
Week 11 Case Study of Celebrity Politicians: Italy (20 March) Bordignon, F. (2014). Matteo Renzi: A "Leftist Berlusconi" for the Italian Democratic Party? South European Society and Politics, 19(1), 1-23. Ciaglia, A., & Mazzoni, M. (2015). The politization of entertainment media: A study of the Italian tabloid Chi during the 2013 electoral campaign. Journalism, 16(6), 812-829. Mancini, P. (2011). Between commodification and lifestyle politics: Does Silvio Berlusconi provide a new model of politics for the twenty-first century? Oxford : Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism (pp. 17-58). Week 12 Is the Link Between Entertainment and Politics Good or Bad for Democracy? (27 March) Exercise: Debate in class 5