We will investigate these questions in a number of ways. The seminar will read and discuss both qualitative and quantitative analyses of politicians and journalists. In addition, students will undertake individual research projects, using quantitative analysis to investigate a particular topic from class. Finally, groups of students will integrate their findings and present the results to the class for review and discussion.
All research projects will focus on a particular aspect of the interaction between actual politicians and journalists. Students will work together to create data sets for their research projects, containing data on both politicians' actions and journalists' coverage. By building their data sets together, students will develop a better understanding of each other's projects and hopefully offer more constructive suggestions and assistance. I will work closely with students to develop research questions and to conduct the actual analysis. Since the research projects will be quantitative in nature, the seminar will cover several basic statistical concepts and tests common to political science. While quantitative analysis is only one of many useful ways to analyze and understand political events and actions, this approach will be central to the students' work in this course. The class "Methods and Statistics in Political Science" (POL221) provides students with sufficient expertise in statistical analysis for the course, altough POL221 is not a prerequisite for this seminar.
Successful completion of the seminar can provide students with diverse skills that may prove useful after graduation. Most obviously, learning the analytical skills of political science leads to improved critical analysis, particularly in identifying problems and solutions. The seminar also encourages students to develop their skills of written and verbal expression, as well as the ability to work together on group projects. Students will become adept at using two computer programs: Stata for conducting statistical analysis and Power Point for making presentations. Finally, students will learn a great deal about political strategy. This knowledge can prove useful when campaigning for any position, from elective office to a job promotion.
Course Requirements
Each student’s grade for the seminar will be based on several components.
- First short paper (5% of overall grade). Each student will describe the recent political history of an issue currently facing national or international politicians, including coalitions, prominent political positions, and media messages.
- Second short paper (5%). Each student will describe past academic findings on his or her research topic.
- Third short paper (5%). Each student will describe the dependent and independent variables for his or her topic, explaining how the variables are related and how to operationalize them.
- Research paper (50%). Each student completes a major research paper, including revised versions of the short papers with the results of the analysis proposed in those papers. The final paper should be at least 25 pages in length.
- Data collection (5%). Each student will be responsible for collecting data on the actions of politicians or journalists' coverage of those actions. I will evaluate each student's collection of data on the basis of meeting assigned deadlines and adhering to guidelines.
- Group presentation (5%). All students assigned to a particular issue will make a joint presentation of the combined results of their research. On each issue, students will undertake different topics. So, the group presentation will require integration of their results, beyond the level of each individual research paper.
- Preparation and participation (25%). Students are expected to attend every class prepared to discuss the assigned reading. Discussions will incorporate current events, and students should read the New York Times regularly.
Students will receive more details about each assignment in class. All the paper assignments are due at the start of class on the assigned date (unless noted otherwise). Assignments turned in more than 10 minutes after the start of a class period will be considered late. For each 24-hour period that an assignment is late, the grade on that assignment will be penalized by 10 points. Exceptions to the late penalty will be considered for medical and other emergencies; computer problems are not acceptable excuses for late work.
The Honor Code binds all work in the course. In accordance with the Honor Code, all paper assignments must provide appropriate citations for any sources or information included in the paper; failure to provide these citations is a violation of the Honor Code. If you have questions about the appropriate format for citations, make sure that you ask me before turning in the paper. You can also visit the Campus Writing Center for additional assistance with citations (or writing more generally). Unless stated otherwise in class, all work for the course must be completed individually, with each student responsible for his or her own work. The group projects are an important exception to this requirement for individual work. In addition, students can often improve their papers by getting classmates to read and comment on them. I encourage this peer review, but students must cite in their paper the names of any other students who have read and commented on that paper.
The numerical grade for any assignment may range from outstanding (above 90) to failing (55). Note that the failure to turn in any assignment (paper, presentation, exam, or in-class activity) will result in a numerical grade of 0 for that assignment. When calculating final grades, I calculate the overall numerical averages and use the following table to convert them to letter grades:
| Letter scale |
Numerical ranges for final grades |
| A |
>92 |
| A- |
>=90, <=92 |
| B+ |
>=87, <90 |
| B |
>82, <87 |
| B- |
>=80, <=82 |
| C+ |
>=77, <80 |
| C |
>72, <77 |
| C- |
>=70, <=72 |
| D+ |
>=67, <70 |
| D |
>=60, <67 |
| F |
<60 |
Assigned Readings
The course requires seven books, which are listed below. These books are available for purchase in the Davidson College bookstore.
Bennett, W. Lance, Regina Lawrence, and Steven Livingston, When the Press Fails
Wolfsfeld, Gadi, Media and the Path to Peace
Entman, Robert, Projections of Power
Lippmann, Walter, Liberty and the News
Bernays, Edward, Propaganda
Gans, Herbert, Deciding What's News
Baker, C. Edwin, Media Concentration and Democracy
In the course outline below, several readings denoted with a “*”. These readings are available on electronic reserve through the library's web site.
Course Outline
