Time Schedule:
Walter Lance Bennett
POL S 590
Seattle Campus
Analysis of behavioral research in selected fields of political science.
Class description
Description: This course will turn the city of Seattle into a communication observatory. The focus will be on community, communication and civic engagement. In particular, we will explore ways in which communication processes (ranging from deliberation, to news consumption, to Internet chats) affect political identity, images of community, and interest in government and civic activity. A particular focus will be on who is included and who is excluded from representations of (what kinds of) community. Topics covered include theories of social capital, civic engagement, civic journalism, and bases of political identifications. In addition, problems of youth disengagement will be featured, with opportunities to explore the effects of a city-wide high school civics curriculum that will be geared to the fall mayoral campaign. The curriculum features both experiential engagement with the mayoral race, and the use of the Internet to follow and react to the campaigns.
Student learning goals
General method of instruction
This course satisfies the research practicum requirement for the Political Communication interdisciplinary Ph.D. program.
Recommended preparation
Text: Readings include: Robert Putnam, Bowling Alone; E. J. Dionne, Jr., Community Works: The Revival of Civil Society in America; Theodore Glasser, ed., The Idea of Public Journalism, and a reading packet. Students will design and begin an original research project.
Class assignments and grading
