Studies in American Culture (310-0-20)
Topic
Press and Presidential Elections
Instructors
Lawrence L Stuelpnagel
847/491-3468
McCormick Foundation Building/4-135
Office Hours: Gladly By Appointment
Meeting Info
Locy Hall 214: Tues, Thurs 11:00AM - 12:20PM
Overview of class
Presidential elections are hard fought and can be controversial. In the 2016 election polls showed Hillary Clinton would win yet Donald Trump emerged victorious in the Electoral College while losing the popular vote. In 2000 George W. Bush also lost the popular vote but he was ultimately chosen the victor. The fallout from the recount and the Supreme Court decision that gave Bush the victory is still being debated and studied. In 2008 America elected its first African American President, Barack Obama and reelected him in 2012.
This class will examine presidential elections and how they have evolved since 1952 the first year TV advertising began to have an impact on the races. This class will challenge some of the myths about elections and their outcomes. We will also examine the 2008 campaign, which was dubbed the "YouTube" election and was historic by virtue of its outcome, the candidates who ran and the impact the Internet and new technologies had on the race. In 2012 the Obama campaign had the most intense "ground game" of any campaign in history, we will examine how the campaign succeeded in this effort. In 2016 Donald Trump bypassed typical advertising methods of reaching voters by unleashing a torrent of Twitter messages, and finding a willing press that was, at least in the primaries, willing to give him uncritical or challenging coverage.
Registration Requirements
Attendance at first class is required
Learning Objectives
There are several learning goals for this class. The first is to give you a historical context for how the modern presidential campaign has evolved from 1952 to the present day. The second is to give you insights about campaign messages and behavior and how those actions shape press and social media coverage of a candidate or issue. The first two goals are meant to help you achieve the third goal, which is to help you become more critical consumers of both campaigns and the media. If you are planning to go into politics or journalism this class is also meant to give the necessary background for creating new ideas for using the tools of those two careers. Your writing assignments are designed for you to clearly articulate those new ideas or reflect on previous campaigns.
Class Materials (Required)
Kate Kenski, Bruce Hardy and Kathleen Hall Jamieson. The Obama Victory: How Media, Money, and Message Shaped the 2008 Election. Oxford University Press, 2010. ISBN 978-0195399561
Class Notes
Attending the first class is mandatory