PMCb1013 Citizens, media and public opinion

Faculty of Social Studies
Autumn 2024
Extent and Intensity
1/1/0. 7 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
Mgr. et Mgr. Karolína Bieliková (lecturer)
Mgr. Lenka Hrbková, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
Mgr. Lenka Hrbková, Ph.D.
Department of Political Science – Faculty of Social Studies
Contact Person: doc. Mgr. et Mgr. Vlastimil Havlík, Ph.D.
Timetable
Mon 12:00–13:40 U23
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is offered to students of any study field.
The capacity limit for the course is 40 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 35/40, only registered: 0/40, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/40
Course objectives
The course objective is to introduce students to the topics related to public opinion, it´s role in democratic politics, citizens´ political behavior, the relationship of the media and political attitudes, public opinion, and political behavior. The course will deal with the main conceptual approaches to public opinion, the role of media and communication in defining and understanding public opinion. Students will be also introduced to the basic models of citizen´s political behavior which can be understood as the key outcome of their systems of political attitudes and opinions. The course will also pay attention the pressing topics of political science and political communication research, such as political polarization, political trust, trust in media, political information and misinformation and the role of political environment and its setting.
Learning outcomes
Students will be able to understand and explain the relationship between citizen´s attitudes, their behavior, and the democratic process. They will get knowledge of important topics of contemporary political science and political communication. They will be able to evaluate existing literature and its conclusions and to apply acquired knowledge to their own research plans. They will be familiar with different methods and approaches to the related research topics.
Syllabus
  • 1. Introduction
  • 2. What is public opinion and why it matters
  • 3. How attitudes are made, information, frames, opinion stability
  • 4. Voting behavior an choice: key concepts
  • 5. How informed are citizens? Information and misinformation
  • 5. Government responsivity to citizens´ preferences
  • 6. Reading week
  • 7. Political polarization
  • 8. Old and new media and political participation and mobilization
  • 9. Political ideologies and attitudes
  • 10. Age, life cycle, young people and politics
  • 11. Political values, modernization, and political culture
  • 12. Final exam
Literature
  • Pop-Eleches G., Tucker, J.A. 2017. Communism´s Shadow. Historical Legacies and Contemporary Political Attitudes. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
  • Iyengar, S., Sood, G., Lelkes, Y. 2012. Affect, Not Ideology: A Social Identity Perspective on Polarization. Public Opinin Quarterly, 76(3), 405-431.
  • Glynn, Carroll J., Herbst, Susan, Lindeman, Mark, O´Keefe, Garret, J., Shapiro, Robert. Y. 2016. Public Opinion, 3rd Edition. New York: Routledge.
  • Lippman, Walter. 1997. Public Opinion (1922). New York: Free Press Paperback.
  • Dahlgren, P. 2009. Media and Political Engagement: Citizens, Communication, and Democracy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  • Fisher, J., FIeldhouse, E., Franklin, N. Gibson, R., Cantijoch, M., Wlezien, C. 2018. The Routledge Handbook of Elections, Voting Behavior and Public Opinion. Oxon: Routledge.
  • Converse, Philip E. 2006. The nature of belief systems in mass publics (1964), Critical Review, 18:1-3, 1-74.
  • Flynn, D.J., Nyhan, B., Reifler, J. 2017. The Nature and Origins of Misperception: Understanding False and Unsupported Beliefs about Politics. Advances in Political Psychology, 38(1), 127-150.
Teaching methods
Lectures, class discussion
Assessment methods
Students will submit a written assignment (max 15 pages). There is a written final exam: four essay-like open-ended questions. 60 points out of 100 needed to pass the course.
Language of instruction
English
Further Comments
Study Materials
The course is taught annually.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
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