Modern American Political Campaign
Paul Stekler, Sherri Greenberg, Wayne Slater
This course examines how political campaigns are conducted, analyzed, and covered, why campaigns operate the way they do, and the implications for our political system. The course discusses the role of money in politics, the impact of race, the nature and impact of advertising, how polls serve as campaign tools and affect the shape of the campaign agenda and press coverage, the changing nature of the media's role and how people make their political decisions and get information, and the way campaign narratives are told during and after the race. We are concerned with how voter choices are affected by campaigns, the selection of issues and messages and their delivery, and the more recent impact of independent expenditures, the internet, focus groups, push-polls, and more.