POLITICAL SCIENCE AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
Bachelor	TR-NQF-HE: Level 6	QF-EHEA: First Cycle	EQF-LLL: Level 6

Ders Genel Tanıtım Bilgileri

Course Code:

POL4345

Ders İsmi:

Media and Politics

Ders Yarıyılı:

Fall
Spring

Ders Kredileri:

Theoretical	Practical	Credit	ECTS
3	0	3	6

Language of instruction:

English

Ders Koşulu:

Ders İş Deneyimini Gerektiriyor mu?:

Type of course:

Departmental Elective

Course Level:

Bachelor

TR-NQF-HE:6. Master`s Degree

QF-EHEA:First Cycle

EQF-LLL:6. Master`s Degree

Mode of Delivery:

Hybrid

Course Coordinator :

Prof. Dr. EBRU ŞULE CANAN SOKULLU

Course Lecturer(s):

Course Assistants:

Dersin Amaç ve İçeriği

Course Objectives:

This course explores the role of the media in both domestic politics and foreign policy. It looks at how the mass media industry works, how it has changed over time and its impact on politics. Some of the questions this course explores: What role does the media play in a democracy? Does the media affect public opinion? What is fake news and how does it impact democracy? What is the relationship between government and the media? What does it mean for the media to be a business? How does the rise of the ‘new media’ influence the way politics is practiced by politicians and citizens? Does the abundance of media outlets in our digital age necessarily mean more informed public? How does the media facilitate or challenge the constructions based on gender, class, race and ethnicity? What roles does the media play in forming public opinion on foreign policy and at times of war?

Course Content:

Role of the media in a democracy; fake news and democracy; new media, political engagement and mobilization; media under authoritarian regimes; media during elections; news and public opinion; the problem of partisan news; the political economy of the media; media at times of war.

Learning Outcomes

The students who have succeeded in this course;

Learning Outcomes

1 - Knowledge
Theoretical - Conceptual
2 - Skills
Cognitive - Practical
3 - Competences
Communication and Social Competence
Learning Competence
Field Specific Competence
Competence to Work Independently and Take Responsibility

Ders Akış Planı

Week	Subject	Related Preparation
1)	Introduction to the course	Overview of the syllabus, main questions in the literature on media and politics.
2)	News, Truth and the Construction of Social Reality	• Walter Lippmann, “The World Outside and the Pictures in Our Heads,” and “The Nature of News”, Public Opinion, New York: Free Press Paperbacks, 1997, pp. 3-20 and pp. 214-225. • Anthony Pratkins and Elliot Aronson, Age of Propaganda: The Everyday Use and Abuse of Persuasion, New York: Holt Paperbacks, 2001, pp. 71-93. • Robert M. Entman, “The Nature and Source of News,” in The Press, Oxford: Oxford University Press, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005, pp. 48-65.
3)	Media and Democracy	• Shanto Iyengar, Media Politics: A Citizen’s Guide, New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2016, Chapter 2, pp. 19-50. • James Curran, “What Democracy Requires of the Media,” in The Press, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005, pp. 120-140. • Robert Schmuhl and Robert G. Picard, “The Marketplace of Ideas,” in The Press, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005, pp. 141-155. • In class-viewing of the movie All the President’s Men
4)	Quality of News, Media Bias and Democracy	• W. Lance Bennett, News: The Politics of Illusion, Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2016, Chapter 2, pp. 28-57. • Geneva Overholser, “What is Good Journalism?” Vital Speeches of the Day, 69:4, December 1, 2002. • Hunt Allcott and Matthew Gentzkow, “Social Media and Fake News in the 2016 Election,” Journal of Economic Perspectices, 31:2, Spring 2017, pp. 211-236. • Lisa Wedeen, Authoritarian Apprehensions: Ideology, Judgment, and Mourning in Syria, Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2019, pp. 77-106. • Robinson Meyer, “The Grim Conclusions of Largest-Ever Study of Fake News,” The Atlantic, March 8, 2018.
5)	New Media, Citizen Engagement and Mobilization	• Shanto Iyengar, Media Politics: A Citizen’s Guide, New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2016, Chapter 5, pp. 113-147.
6)	Media and Authoritarian Regimes: Case Study of Arab Spring	• Killian Clarke and Korhan Kocak, “Launching Revolution: Social Media and the Egyptian Uprising’s First Movers,” British Journal of Political Science, 2018, pp. 1-21. • Robert Orttung and Christopher Walkerm “Authoritarian Regimes Retool Their Media Control Strategy,” The Washington Post, January 10, 2014. • Recommended: Daniela Stockman and Mary E. Gallagher, “Remote Control: How the Media Sustain Authoritarian Rule in China,” Comparative Political Studies, 44:4, 2011, pp. 436-467.
7)	Media, Campaigning and Elections	• Shanto Iyengar, Media Politics: A Citizen’s Guide, New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2016, Chapters 6 and 7, pp. 148-229.
8)	Q & A Midterm Exam
9)	News and Public Opinion	• Shanto Iyengar, Media Politics: A Citizen’s Guide, New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2016, Chapter 8, pp. 230- 269. • Marshall McLuhan, The Medium is the Massage, California: Gingko Press, 2001.
10)	The Problem of Partisan News	• Kevin Arceneaux and Martin Johnson, Changing Minds or Changing Channels? Partisan News in an Age of Choice, Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2013, Chapters 1-4, pp. 1-90.
11)	The Political Economy of the Media	• Edward S. Herman and Noam Chomsky, Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media, New York: Pantheon Book, 2002, pp. 1-35.
12)	Media and War: Case of 2003 Iraq War	• Shanto Iyengar, Media Politics: A Citizen’s Guide, New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2016, Chapter 4, pp. 93-112. • W. Lance Bennett, Regina C. Lawrence, and Steven Livingston, When the Press Fails: Political Power and the News Media from Iraq to Katrina, Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2007, pp. 1-130. • “From the Editors: The Times and Iraq,” The New York Times, May 26, 2004, • Daniel Okrent, “Weapons of Mass Destruction? Or Mass Distraction?” The New York Times, May 30, 2004. • In-class viewing of the documentary Control Room
13)	The CNN Effect	• Piers Robinson, The CNN Effect: The Myth of News, Foreign Policy and Intervention. London: Routledge, 2002, pp. 1-6; 93-132. • Lyse Doucet, “Syria & the CNN Effect: What Role Does the Media Play in Policy-Making?” Daedalus, 147:1, Winter 2018, pp. 141-157.
14)	The Future of Media and Politics?	• W. Lance Bennett, News: The Politics of Illusion, Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2016, Chapter 8, pp. 207-239. • Francis Fukuyama, Barak Richman, and Ashish Goel, How to Save Democracy from Technology: Ending Big Tech’s Information Monopoly, Foreign Affairs, 100:1, January/February 2021, pp. 98-110. • Overview of the course

Sources

Course Notes / Textbooks:	Iyengar, Shanto. 2016. Media Politics: A Citizen’s Guide. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, (3rd edition)- The book will available online in the library. There will be a coursepack for the course which you need to get from the Copy Center.
References:	There will be additional readings – book chapters, articles, news pieces – as well as videos that will be download to ItsLearning weekly and/or can be located online.

Ders - Program Öğrenme Kazanım İlişkisi

Ders Öğrenme Kazanımları
Program Outcomes
1) Grasp basic theoretical and conceptual knowledge about the field and relations between them at the level of practice.
2) Possess basic knowledge about the causes and effects of political transformations in societies.
3) Possess knowledge about quantitative, qualitative and mixed research methods in social and behavioral sciences.
4) Recognize historical patterns while evaluating contemporary political and social developments.
5) Demonstrate interdisciplinary and critical approach while analyzing, synthesizing and forecasting domestic and foreign policy.
6) Conduct studies in the field professionally, both independently or as a team member.
7) Possess consciousness about lifelong learning based on Research & Development.
8) Communicate with peers both orally and in writing, by using a foreign language at least at a level of European Language Portfolio B1 General Level and the necessary informatics and communication technologies.
9) Apply field-related knowledge and competences into career advancement, projects for sustainable development goals, and social responsibility initiatives.
10) Possess the habit to monitor domestic and foreign policy agenda as well as international developments.
11) Possess competence to interpret the new political actors, theories and concepts in a global era.
12) Evaluate the legal and ethical implications of advanced technologies on politics.

Ders - Öğrenme Kazanımı İlişkisi

No Effect	1 Lowest	2 Low	3 Average	4 High	5 Highest

	Program Outcomes	Level of Contribution
1)	Grasp basic theoretical and conceptual knowledge about the field and relations between them at the level of practice.	5
2)	Possess basic knowledge about the causes and effects of political transformations in societies.	3
3)	Possess knowledge about quantitative, qualitative and mixed research methods in social and behavioral sciences.	3
4)	Recognize historical patterns while evaluating contemporary political and social developments.	3
5)	Demonstrate interdisciplinary and critical approach while analyzing, synthesizing and forecasting domestic and foreign policy.	3
6)	Conduct studies in the field professionally, both independently or as a team member.	3
7)	Possess consciousness about lifelong learning based on Research & Development.	3
8)	Communicate with peers both orally and in writing, by using a foreign language at least at a level of European Language Portfolio B1 General Level and the necessary informatics and communication technologies.	5
9)	Apply field-related knowledge and competences into career advancement, projects for sustainable development goals, and social responsibility initiatives.	3
10)	Possess the habit to monitor domestic and foreign policy agenda as well as international developments.	5
11)	Possess competence to interpret the new political actors, theories and concepts in a global era.	5
12)	Evaluate the legal and ethical implications of advanced technologies on politics.	5

Öğrenme Etkinliği ve Öğretme Yöntemleri

Ölçme ve Değerlendirme Yöntemleri ve Kriterleri

Assessment & Grading

Semester Requirements	Number of Activities	Level of Contribution
Homework Assignments	1	% 20
Midterms	1	% 40
Final	1	% 40
Total		% 100
PERCENTAGE OF SEMESTER WORK		% 60
PERCENTAGE OF FINAL WORK		% 40
Total		% 100

İş Yükü ve AKTS Kredisi Hesaplaması

Activities	Number of Activities	Workload
Course Hours	14	42
Study Hours Out of Class	14	94
Homework Assignments	1	10
Midterms	1	2
Final	1	2
Total Workload		150