Course description

The course deals with ideas about the power of communications and the ways in which different political actors use that power. It examines how these actors use the media in the political communications, the use of polls, petitions and opinion polls, the roles of journalism and public relations, and the populist communication, especially during elections.

What will you learn

• You will be able to critically assess the role of the communication in the national and international politics;
• You will understand the relationships between the political actors, the media and the citizens in shaping and making decisions;
• You will know the communication tools used by a particular political actor, how to present them to others, and to give suggestions to that actor on how to apply the political communication.

How will you improve

Study course-by-course, through individual learning and with teamwork in real-life situations, under the mentorship of renowned professors from Macedonia and abroad. If your commitments do not allow you to attend the regular classes, study in the virtual classroom of ICS at any time and from anywhere.

Literature

McNair, Brian. (2018) An introduction to political communication (5th edition). London: Routledge Taylor & Francis

Hill, S. J., Lo, J., Vavreck, L., & Zaller, J. (2013). How Quickly We Forget: The Duration of Persuasion Effects From Mass Communication. Political Communication, 30(4)

Gilliam Jr, F. D., & Iyengar, S. (2000). Prime suspects: The influence of local television news on the viewing public. American Journal of Political Science

Anstead, N., & O’Loughlin, B. (2015). Social media analysis and public opinion: The 2010 UK General Election. Journal Of Computer-Mediated Communication, 20(2)

Leeper, T. J., & Slothuus, R. (2014). Political parties, motivated reasoning, and public opinion formation. Political Psychology, 35(S1)

Davies, N. (2009). Flat Earth news: an award-winning reporter exposes falsehood, distortion and propaganda in the global media. London: Vintage

Scammell, M. (2007). Political brands and consumer citizens: The rebranding of Tony Blair. The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 611(1)

Street, J. (2004). Celebrity Politicians: Popular Culture and Political Representation. British Journal Of Politics & International Relations, 6(4)

Negrine, R., (2008) The Transformation of Political Communication. Basingstoke, Hants: Palgrave Macmillan.

Reinemann, C. et al. (2016) “Chapter 2 Populist Political Communication: Towards a Model of Its Causes, Forms, and Effects” in Populist Political Communication in Europe. Routledge

Oliver, J. E., & Rahn, W. M. (2016). Rise of the Trumpenvolk: Populism in the 2016 Election. The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 667(1), 189-206.

Olins, W. (2005) “Chapter 9 Making a National Brand” in The new public diplomacy. soft power in international relations. Basingstoke [UK]; New York : Palgrave Macmillan

Wheeler, M. (2011). Celebrity diplomacy: United Nations’ Goodwill Ambassadors and Messengers of Peace. Celebrity Studies, 2(1)

Yarchi, M (2016) “Terror Organizations’ Uses of Public Diplomacy: Limited versus Total Conflicts”, Studies in Conflict & Terrorism