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COMM 3340 Detailed and Continually Updated Course Assignments

NOTE: Information about all course assignments is posted on this page. This includes reading assignments, quiz schedule and information, and structured term paper assignments and due dates.

Reading Assignments and Power Points

Note: All readings are due 1 week after they are assigned.

Week 1
26-Aug
  • Class activities: Introduction
  • PowerPoints: .PDF, .PPT
  • Readings
    • No readings assigned
28-Aug Week 2
2-Sep
  • Class activities: Analysis of Political Convention Materials, Conflict Assessment Criteria
  • PowerPoints: .PDF, .PPT
4-Sep
  • Class activities: "Color" and "Play-by-Play" News Commentary
  • PowerPoints: .PDF, .PPT
  • Readings
    • Ralph Negrine and James Stanyer -- INTRODUCTION: POLITICAL COMMUNICATION TRANSFORMED?
      • 1 -- Walter Lippmann -- PUBLIC OPINION -- 13
      • 2 -- Robert McChesney -- RICH MEDIA, POOR DEMOCRACY -- 14
      • 3 -- Jens Klaehn -- A CRITICAL REVIEW AND ASSESSMENT OF HERMAN AND CHOMSKY'S 'PROPAGANDA' MODEL -- 18
      • 5 -- James Curran -- RETHINKING MEDIA AND DEMOCRACY -- 27
      • 6 -- Gianpietro Mazzoleni and Winfried Schulz II. -- 'MEDIATIZATION' OF POLITICS: A CHALLENGE FOR DEMOCRACY? -- 32
      • 7 -- David Swanson -- THE POLITICAL-MEDIA COMPLEX AT 50 -- 37
      • 8 -- Jay Blumler and Dennis Kavanagh -- THE THIRD AGE OF POLITICAL COMMUNICATION: INFLUENCES AND FEATURES -- 41
      • 9 -- Jay Blumler and Michael Gurevitch -- POLITICIANS AND THE PRESS: AN ESSAY ON ROLE RELATIONSHIPS -- 49
      • 10 -- Timothy Cook -- GOVERNING WITH THE NEWS: THE NEWS MEDIA AS A POLITICAL INSTITUTION -- 54
      • 14 -- Oscar Gandy -- BEYOND AGENDA SETTING: INFORMATION SUBSIDIES AND PUBLIC POLICY -- 75
Week 3
9-Sep
  • Class activities: What you are looking for from political candidates. and
  • PowerPoints: .PDF, .PPT
11-Sep Week 4
16-Sep
  • Class activities: The danger of panic inducing political communication, reporting the economic crisis, ranking
  • PowerPoints: .PDF, .PPT
18-Sep:
  • Class activities: NO Class because of the football game
  • Listenings (alternative class)
  • Readings (from Political Communication Reader)
    • 16 -- Elihu Katz -- PLATFORM AND WINDOWS: BROADCASTING'S ROLE IN ELECTION CAMPAIGNS -- 85
    • 17 -- Holli Semetko, Jay Blumler, Michael Gurevitch, I David Weaver, Steve Barkin and G. Cleveland Wilhoit -- THE FORMATION OF CAMPAIGN AGENDAS -- 89
    • 18 -- Kathleen Hall Jamieson -- PACKAGING THE PRESIDENCY: A HISTORY AND CRITICISM OF PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN ADVERTISING -- 93
    • 19 -- Margaret Scammell -- THE WISDOM OF THE WAR ROOM: US CAMPAIGNING AND AMERICANIZATION -- 98
    • 20 -- Ralph Negrine and Stylianos Papathanassopoulos -- 41 THE 'AMERICANIZATION' OF POLITICAL COMMUNICATION: A CRITIQUE -- 102
    • 21 -- David Swanson and Paolo Mancini -- POLITICS, MEDIA AND MODERN DEMOCRACY: AN INTERNATIONAL STUDY OF INNOVATIONS IN ELECTORAL CAMPAIGNING AND THEIR CONSEQUENCES -- 106
    • 22 -- Pippa Norris -- A VIRTUOUS CIRCLE: POLITICAL COMMUNICATIONS IN A POSTINDUSTRIAL SOCIETIES III -- 110
Week 5
23-Sep
  • Class activities: Communication and the economic crisis, ranking political communication reforms
  • PowerPoints: .PDF, .PPT
25-Sep
  • Class activities: Class cancelled: instructor illness
  • Readings
    • To give you a little more time to get your notes together for next week's quiz and for you to complete the term paper project, readings for this week will be relatively light and there will be no readings for next week.
    • Selling Washington By Elizabeth Drew -- This article illustrates two important aspects of political communication. First, it describes corrupt processes which make political decisions harm the general welfare and are made away from public scrutiny. The article itself, however, is an excellent example of investigative reporting -- our principle defense against corruption.
    • Free Funch David Cay Johnston -- Bill Moyers Interview listen or read transcript -- This is another excellent example of quality investigative reporting and consequences of poor political communication.
Week 6
30-Sep
  • Class activities: Outfoxed?
  • PowerPoints: .PDF, .PPT
2-Oct
  • Class activities: Network Bias, American Renewal Network Exercise
  • PowerPoints .PDF, .PPT
  • Readings
    • No readings for next week. Prepare for the quiz and work on the Term Paper I project.
Week 7
7-Oct
  • Class activities: Quiz, Bill Moyers, John Stewart Video
9-Oct
  • Class activities: Political Cartoon, Statistics, Intro to the Boulder Comprehensive Plan Game
  • PowerPoints .PDF, .PPT
  • Study Question #1: What do you see as the most positive forms of political communication and advocacy exhibited by the organizations and websites that I'm asking you to review this week and next.? The most negative forms?
  • Study Question #2: What do you see as the most useful lesson to emerge from the discussion of Boulder political issues and the comprehensive plan game?
  • Readings
    We are now going to start looking at political communication as a tool for advancing particular political goals. For readings, the first step is to look at the websites of major political advocacy groups to see how they do it. I would like you to spend a total of an hour and a half exploring the web sites of the following political action committees. Look at their calls for action, their campaigns, and their press releases. Try understand what they have in common as well as their differences. Focus on how they communicate their ideas and to whom.
Week 8
14-Oct 16-Oct
  • Class activities: Constructive confrontation
  • PowerPoints: .PDF, .PPT
Week 9
21-Oct
  • Class activities: Political power options, PBA Plastics video and exercvse
  • PowerPoints: .PDF, .PPT
  • Study Question #3: What do you see as the most important insights into the relationship between the mass media and political campaigns embodied in this week's articles?
  • Study Question #4: What do you see as the most useful insights associated with the "Constructive Confrontation" slideshow / lecture, the discussion of power options, and our consideration of "how far is too far" in the use of negative campaign tactics?
  • Readings
    • 23 -- Leon Mayhew -- THE NEW PUBLIC: PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION AND THE MEANS OF SOCIAL INFLUENCE -- 119
    • 26 -- David Farrell, Robin Kolodny and Stephen Medvic -- REIGN PARTIES AND CAMPAIGN PROFESSIONALS IN A DIGITAL AGE: POLITICAL CONSULTANTS IN THE UNITED STATES AND THEIR COUNTERPARTS OVERSEAS -- 132
    • 27 -- Fritz Plasser with Gunda Plasser -- GLOBAL POLITICAL CAMPAIGNING: A WORDWIDE ANALYSIS OF CAMPAIGNING PROFESSIONALS AND THEIR PRACTICES -- 138
    • 29 -- Margaret Scammell -- POLITICAL MARKETING: ISSUES FOR POLITICAL SCIENCE -- 150
    • 30 -- Paul F. Lazarsfeld, Bernard Berelson and Hazel Gaudet -- THE REINFORCEMENT EFFECT 159
    • 32 -- Maxwell E. McCombs and Donald L. Shaw -- THE AGENDA-SETTING FUNCTION OF MASS MEDIA -- 170
    • 33 -- Justin Lewis, Michael Morgan and Andy Ruddock -- IMAGES/ISSUES/IMPACT: THE MEDIA AND CAMPAIGN '92 -- 176
    • 36 -- Elihu Katz and Daniel Dayan -- THE 'LANDSLIDE EFFECT' -- 195
    • 37 -- Robert D. Putnam -- TECHNOLOGY AND MASS MEDIA -- 203
23-Oct
  • Class activities: Introduction of Term Paper Project II, How Far is Too Far Political Campaigning
  • PowerPoints: .PDF, .PPT
Week 10
28-Oct
  • Class activities: Designing Communication Plans, the Truman Training
  • PowerPoints .PDF, .PPT
  • Study Question #5: What do you see as the most useful insights to emerge from the Truman Training materials and the Pew Election Game?
30-Oct
  • Class activities: Preparation for Pew Election Game, The White House Project, Political Television
  • PowerPoints .PDF, .PPT
  • Study Question #6: What are the essential differences in the debate approach to political discourse? How is it better? Worse? Would it be possible to have this kind of discussion in the larger political arean? What about the Federal legislative process do you think that the public needs to better understand?
  • Readings
    • Intelligence Squared Debates Select one of the debates on this list and listen to the edited (~1 hour) version of the debate (see link at the top of the page) and answer the study question.
    • To get a little bit better understanding of the full scope of the Federal Government's Legislative Process spend about 15 minutes looking at the GPOAccess Guide to Federal Legislation.
Week 11
4-Nov
  • Class activities: Pew Election Game
  • PowerPoints .PDF, .PPT
6-Nov
  • Class activities: Polling, Obama 2004 Speech, Transition Priorities
  • PowerPoints .PDF, .PPT
  • Readings
    • No Readings: Work on your papers for next week (Nov 11)
Week 12
11-Nov
  • Class activities: Project III Introduction, Truman Speaking Techniques, Kennedy Speech, Fenton Communications, Communication Matrix
  • PowerPoints .PDF, .PPT
  • Study Questions 2 #1: Based on the readings and class activities how do you see political communication is being altered by the Internet and the tendency of campaigns to focus on personalities and not issues.
  • Study Questions 2 #2: Based on class activities and the political consulting website (which we will continue to look at next week), what political communication techniques do you see as effective (in both honest and deceptive ways).
13-Nov
  • Class activities: Politics and Tyranny, Protest Songs, Internet and Politics, Spin Doctoring
  • PowerPoints .PDF, .PPT
  • Readings
    • The development of political communication materials is a highly competitive (and lucrative) business. To be successful political communication consultants have to be able to persuade potential clients that they can deliver compelling materials. To do this, political consulting firms post samples of their work on the web. This link takes you to a directory of those firms. I would like you to browse this directory to get a sense of the scope of the "industry" and, especially, look at the samples that they post of their work. Hopefully, you will find ideas that you can incorporate into your final class project.
      http://www.dmoz.org/Society/Politics/Consultants/
    • From Political Communication Reader look at the following articles that explore two aspects of political communication that we've not yet discussed the role of celebrities and scandals and the impact of the Internet. (Keep in mind that the Internet articles in this 2007 book are a bit dated. Be critical in your evaluation of what they have to say and note how fast changing technology can make predictions seem silly and how some predictions stand the test of time very well.
      • 43 -- Darrell M. West and John Orman -- THE EVOLUTION OF CELEBRITYHOOD 239
        • -->
      • 46 -- Larry J. Sabato, Mark Stencel and S. Robert Lichter -- OUT OF ORDER -- 256
      • 47 -- John B. Thompson -- THE NATURE OF POLITICAL SCANDAL -- 261
      • 51 -- Tiffany Danitz and Warren P. Strobel -- NETWORKING DISSENT: CYBER ACTIVISTS USE THE INTERNET TO PROMOTE DEMOCRACY IN BURMA -- 290
      • 52 -- Michael Cornfield, Jonathan Carson, Alison Kalis 214 and Emily Simon -- BUZZ, BLOGS, AND BEYOND: THE INTERNET AND THE NATIONAL DISCOURSE IN THE FALL OF 2004 -- 296
Week 13
18-Nov
  • Class activities: Global Warming Communication, King "I Have a Dream"
  • PowerPoints .PDF, .PPT
20-Nov
  • Class activities: Consensus Building, Protest Movements (Pray the Devil Back to Hell, Code Pink)
  • PowerPoints .PDF, .PPT
  • Readings No readings for Thanksgiving Holiday
Week 14
2-Dec
  • Class activities:
  • PowerPoints .PDF, .PPT
  • Readings -- Do one of the following two assignments:
    • Letter Assignment:
      Spend 30 minutes looking at letters from the following sources: Study Questions 2 #3a: List the mistakes that you see people making and the things that people do that are especially persuasive. Write your own letter on whatever topic you want. 200 word maximum.

      === OR ===

    • Reading Assignment
      Look at the following articles.
      • 34 -- Joseph N. Capella and Kathleen Hall Jamieson -- COGNITIVE BASES FOR FRAMING EFFECTS -- 181
      • 39 -- David Buckingham -- TALKING NEWS, TALKING POLITICS -- 214
      • 40 -- Jeffery P. Jones -- AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT WITH POLITICALLY INCORRECT -- 220
      • 49 -- W. Lance Bennett -- COMMUNICATING GLOBAL ACTIVISM: STRENGTHS AND VULNERABILITIES OF NETWORKED POLITICS -- 277
      • 50 -- Howard Rheingold -- SMART MOBS: THE POWER OF THE MOBILE MANY -- 284
      Study Questions 2 #3b: What do you see as the most insightful in the above articles?
4-Dec
  • Class activities: Software Tools, Making a Difference, Satire
  • PowerPoints .PDF, .PPT
Week 15
9-Dec
  • Class activities: Constructive Politics Game
  • PowerPoints .PDF, .PPT
11-Dec
  • Class activities: Lobbying, Public Hearings, Newseum Exercise
  • PowerPoints .PDF, .PPT

No Final Exam -- All papers due Wednesday, December 17 8AM by E-mail or in the Communication Office in Hellems

Quizzes and "Things I Want to Remember" Assignments

The quizzes and Things I Want to Remember Assignments are designed to reward those who have done the reading, paid attention in class, and taken notes.


Quizzes Replaced with "Things I Want to Remember" Assignment

For those of you who were not in class on Tuesday, October 28 (and, for those of you who were) we decided to make a major change in the quiz portion of the class grade. While the first quiz will still count, the remaining two quizzes have been replaced with a do-at-home, "Things I Want to Remember" assignment which will be handed in as an addendum to the remaining two structured term paper projects.

For this assignment I am asking you to send me your notes on what you see as most important insights that you learned from each set of readings (and related class activities). More specifically, I'm asking you to address a series of study questions, the first set of which are appended.

As you can see, the study questions raise a general topic and then ask you what you see as the most important ideas related to that topic. I expect to receive about 200 words on each of about 6-8 study questions associated with each of the two "Things I Want to Remember" assignments.

The workload should be comparable to what you would have spent preparing for the quizzes. You should feel free to write in an outline / short phrase, rather than sentence, format. Your notes can be quite informal as long as they are understandable. While your notes should demonstrate that you have read, understood, and thought about the material, you should also feel free to be critical and to explore the relationship between the materials and current events. I expect different students to focus on different things.

As long as it's clear that you have read and understood the material, you can be assured of getting a "B." "A"s will be reserved for those who exhibit some fairly sophisticated and creative insights.

The quizzes were discontinued after the first quiz and replaced with the above "Things I Want to Remember" Assignment
The quizes will consist of unlimited multiple-choice questions of varying degrees of difficulty. They will ask about the major ideas raised in particular readings, particular lectures, or particular videos. They will also ask about the meaning of key concepts. Evaluation of your in depth understanding of the major ideas presented in class will, however, be left to the term paper project.

The first 30 minute, open book / notes quiz was held on October 7. The next "Things I want to Remember" assignment will due on November 11.

Structured Term Paper I

  • Term paper #1 due October 9.
  • All papers should be sent to crc@colorado.edu and should include COMM3340 Term Paper #1 in the subject line.
  • If, for any reason, you are not able to hand this paper in on time please contact me before the paper is due about making alternative arrangements.
  • The tentative due dates for the remaining papers are: November 6, December 13.
  • More information about this assignment has been provided in class. Contact the instructor if you have questions.
  • Target Length 2000 words
  • Essay test style (light wordsmithing)
  • Include at least 15 citations (50% class / 50% readings) that demonstrate your understanding of class concepts. -- Use numbered footnotes in text with listing at the end of the assignment -- Informal footnote style is OK just so I can understand what you mean. Cite all direct quotes!
  • Use section headings
  • The paper should describe your 4 best ideas for improving political communication in the United States.
  • Your ideas could be ideas suggested by others or your own original thoughts.
  • Each idea write-up should include:
    • A description of problem that you are trying to overcome and/or goal of your proposal
    • A summary of what you think needs to be done
    • An explanation of why and how your project would make things better
    • An example of how it would work (which may be fiction or non-fiction)
  • Information sources:
      Materials presented in class
    • Lecture
    • Media
    • Readings (listenings)
    • Your creative ideas
      • A few outside sources. This isn’t a research paper!
  • Additional informaiton is found on the course requirements page.

Structured Term Paper II

  • Term paper #2 due November 11.
  • All papers should be sent to crc@colorado.edu and should include COMM3340 Term Paper #2 in the subject line.
  • If, for any reason, you are not able to hand this paper in on time please contact me before the paper is due about making alternative arrangements.
  • The tentative due dates for the remaining paper is December 13.
  • More information about this assignment has been provided in class. Contact the instructor if you have questions.
  • Target Length 2000 words
  • Essay test style (light wordsmithing)
  • Include at least 15 citations (50% class / 50% readings) that demonstrate your understanding of class concepts. -- Use numbered footnotes in text with listing at the end of the assignment -- Informal footnote style is OK just so I can understand what you mean. Cite all direct quotes!
  • Use section headings
  • The paper should describe a communication plan for a major political advocacy campaign.
  • Your campaign plan should not be just a report on an existing campaign. It can and should incorporate ideas from existing campaigns as well as your own creative ideas.
  • Your paper should include some general background information:
    • A short description of goal of your campaign and the people who are participating and supporting your efforts as well as and even shorter description of opposing groups and the reasons for their opposition.
    • A short summary of the political "power contests" that are part of your campaign.
  • The primary focus of you paper should be on answering the following questions about your communication strategy.
    • Influence Target(s) -- Who are you trying to influence? Why?
    • Desired Action(s) -- What do you want them to do (or not do)? Why?
    • Connection Strategy(s) -- How are you going to connect with them enough for them to seriously consider your message?
    • Trust Building Strategy(s) -- How are you going to gain their trust?
    • Argument(s) -- How / what are you going to communicate at the level of rational argument?
    • Emotional Appeal(s) -- How / what are you going to communicate at the emotional level?

Final Class Communication Project (Same as Structured Term Paper III)

  • Goal: Development of political communication materials to support a particular political campaign.
  • Due December 16 Midnight
  • Early submission (for possible redo) deadline 8AM Dec 4
    • .
  • NO EXTENSIONS!!!!
  • No FINAL EXAM!!!!
  • Send to crc@colorado.edu -- I will also accept paper copies
  • Target level of effort equivalent to 2000 words
  • Communication materials should be carefully written and proofed. Commentary on the materials can be written in essay test style (light wordsmithing).
  • Include at least 15 citations (50% class / 50% readings) that demonstrate your understanding of class concepts
  • This project should build on the communication plan you developed for the last project.
  • You should create the following materials:
    • Policy brief
    • Letter to members of Congress or guest opinion for newspaper or political speech (e.g. public hearing)
    • Newspaper or magazine ad
    • Television / Flash ad (story board or optional you tube video)
    • Talk to me if you would like to do something different
  • Accompanying your materials you should include a short summary explaining what you did and why (this is where the citations go). This can build on the second project.
  • In crafting you materials you should be clear about your:
    • Influence Target(s) -- Who are you trying to influence? Why?
    • Desired Action(s) -- What do you want them to do (or not do)? Why?
    • Connection Strategy(s) -- How are you going to connect with them enough for them to seriously consider your message?
    • Trust Building Strategy(s) -- How are you going to gain their trust?
    • Argument(s) -- How / what are you going to communicate at the level of rational argument?
    • Emotional Appeal(s) -- How / what are you going to communicate at the emotional level?
  • Talk to me if you would prefer to do a communication research project.


Communications 3340 -- Political Communication
Guy Burgess -- burgess@colorado.edu -- 303-492-1635