All democratic societies conduct competitive elections on a regular basis. For many people, the rise of democracy around the world means that even when government actions are disagreeable or contrary to their personal preferences, they are generally viewed as legitimate, provided that the leaders taking the actions were elected in an electoral system widely considered fair. However, the practice of democracy is often messy and imperfect.
This course considers the degree to which political campaigns and communication affect electoral outcomes in particular and the quality of democracy at large. Topics to be covered include the history of political campaigns, recent trends in the media, theories of media effects, the implications for politics of changes in media (e.g., the rise of the Internet, social media and partisan media), the ways in which the news shapes the public's perceptions of the political world, and the general role of campaigns and communication in the democratic process.

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