First-Year Seminar (101-6-22)

Topic

Studying Campaign 2022

Instructors

James N Druckman
Office Hours: http://www.polisci.northwestern.edu/people/core-faculty/james-druckman.html

Meeting Info

Scott Hall 107 Burdick Room: Mon, Wed 2:00PM - 3:20PM

Overview of class

What explains the current state of our political system? How do political campaigns work? Are voters manipulated by slick media-based campaigns? What about campaign ads? Do polls help or harm voters? How do we study political campaigns? These are some of the questions that we will explore in the class "Studying Campaign 2022." The goal of the seminar is to enhance our understanding of the contemporary political environment, how politicians conduct campaigns, how campaigns and media coverage affect voters, and how we study campaign dynamics. We will not only examine the academic literature on these topics, but we also will follow the ongoing events of the 2022 congressional campaigns. Through a combination of group projects (e.g., analyzing campaign websites, a survey), short assignments, and essays, we will learn what makes a campaign effective and to understand campaigns.

Evaluation Method

Essays, group projects, website analyses

Class Materials (Required)

None

Class Attributes

WCAS First-Year Seminar

Enrollment Requirements

Enrollment Requirements: Reserved for First Year & Sophomore only
Add Consent: Department Consent Required
Drop Consent: Department Consent Required