MASS MEDIA & PUBLIC OPINION

Class meets: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 3:30-4:45 p.m. TLC 222 (note classroom change)
Office hours: Mondays & Wednesdays, 10-11:30 a.m., Wednesdays, 2-3:30 p.m.
Instructor: Kenton Bird Office: Admin 347 Phone: 885-4947, kbird@uidaho.edu

The site has been updated with new dates for team presentations.

Philosophy & objectives

This course is intended to give students an overview of the relationship between public opinion, the news media and public policy.  We will discover how public opinion is created by newsmakers and audiences; how mass media activity creates opinion; how public opinions can seem contradictory, and how to measure public opinion.  As part of our study of how to influence public opinion, we will examine news coverage and commentary about politics in this presidential election year. The course has the following learning outcomes:

$          To acquaint students with the nature of public opinion, using theories and case studies from psychology, sociology, political science, media effects and journalism.  Assessment: class discussions, individual and group projects, essay exams.

$          To explore survey methodology, providing a basis for evaluating the validity of polls.  Assessment: individual and group projects.

$          To examine the role of polls, focus groups and other methods of measuring public opinion in American election campaigns.  Assessment: essay exams, research paper.

$          To raise students’ media literacy, allowing them to better exercise their duties as citizens. Assessment: class discussions, news-clipping exercise, exams.