printer friendly pageCOMM 251: The First Amendment: Freedom of Speech and Press (COMM 151, ETHICSOC 151, POLISCI 125P)
(Graduate students enroll in 251.
COMM 151 is offered for 5 units,
COMM 251 is offered for 4 units.) The First Amendment: Freedom of Speech and Press (
Law 7084): Introduction to the constitutional protections for freedom of speech, press, and expressive association. All the major Supreme Court cases dealing with issues such as incitement, libel, hate speech, obscenity, commercial speech, and campaign finance. There are no prerequisites, but a basic understanding of American government would be useful. This course is crosslisted in the university and undergraduates are eligible to take it. Elements used in grading: Law students will be evaluated based on class participation and a final exam. Non-law students will be evaluated on class participation, a midterm and final exam, and nonlaw students will participate in a moot court on a hypothetical case. Non-law students will also have an additional one hour discussion section each week led by a teaching assistant. Cross-listed with Communication (
COMM 151,
COMM 251) and Political Science (
POLISCI 125P).
Last offered: Spring 2022
COMM 253B: Free Speech, Democracy and the Internet (COMM 153B)
Crosslisted with
LAW 7082. This course will cover contemporary issues in regulation of the Internet. Topics will include disinformation, polarization, privacy, competition, transparency, advertising, security, and algorithmic ranking. Guest speakers from academia, NGOs, and industry will present on these topics in each class session, followed by a discussion. Students will be responsible for one-page papers each week on the readings and a research paper to be turned in at the fall paper deadline. This class is crosslisted in the university and undergraduates are eligible to take it. Elements used in grading: Attendance, Written Assignments, Final Paper.
Last offered: Autumn 2022
COMM 254: The Politics of Algorithms (COMM 154, CSRE 154T, SOC 154, SOC 254C)
(Graduate students enroll in 254.
COMM 154 is offered for 5 units,
COMM 254 is offered for 4 units.) Algorithms have become central actors in today's digital world. In areas as diverse as social media, journalism, education, healthcare, and policing, computing technologies increasingly mediate communication processes. This course will provide an introduction to the social and cultural forces shaping the construction, institutionalization, and uses of algorithms. In so doing, we will explore how algorithms relate to political issues of modernization, power, and inequality. Readings will range from social scientific analyses to media coverage of ongoing controversies relating to Big Data. Students will leave the course with a better appreciation of the broader challenges associated with researching, building, and using algorithms.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 4
COMM 258: Censorship and Propaganda (COMM 158)
(Graduate students enroll in
COMM 258.
COMM 158 is offered for 5 units,
COMM 258 is offered for 4 units.) While the internet and other digital technologies have amplified the voice of ordinary citizens, the power of governments and other large organizations to control and to manipulate information is increasingly apparent. In this course, we will examine censorship and propaganda in the age of the internet and social media. What constitutes censorship and propaganda in the digital age? Who conducts censorship and propaganda, and how? What are the consequences and effects of censorship and propaganda in this era of information proliferation? How have censorship and propaganda changed from previous eras? Students will take a hands-on, project-based approach to exploring these questions.
Terms: Aut
| Units: 4
COMM 262: Campaigns, Voting, Media, and Elections (AMSTUD 162B, COMM 162, POLISCI 120B)
(Graduate students enroll in
COMM 262.
COMM 162 is offered for 5 units,
COMM 262 is offered for 4 units.) This course examines the theory and practice of American campaigns and elections. First, we will attempt to explain the behavior of the key players -- candidates, parties, journalists, and voters -- in terms of the institutional arrangements and political incentives that confront them. Second, we will use current and recent election campaigns as "laboratories" for testing generalizations about campaign strategy and voter behavior. Third, we examine selections from the academic literature dealing with the origins of partisan identity, electoral design, and the immediate effects of campaigns on public opinion, voter turnout, and voter choice. As well, we'll explore issues of electoral reform and their more long-term consequences for governance and the political process.
Terms: Win
| Units: 4-5
COMM 264: The Psychology of Communication About Politics in America (COMM 164, POLISCI 124L, POLISCI 324L, PSYCH 170, PUBLPOL 164)
Focus is on how politicians and government learn what Americans want and how the public's preferences shape government action; how surveys measure beliefs, preferences, and experiences; how poll results are criticized and interpreted; how conflict between polls is viewed by the public; how accurate surveys are and when they are accurate; how to conduct survey research to produce accurate measurements; designing questionnaires that people can understand and use comfortably; how question wording can manipulate poll results; corruption in survey research.
Terms: Win
| Units: 4
Instructors:
Krosnick, J. (PI)
;
Dalton, M. (TA)
COMM 266: Virtual People (COMM 166)
(Graduate students register for
COMM 266.
COMM 166 is offered for 5 units,
COMM 266 is offered for 4 units.) The concept of virtual people or digital human representations; methods of constructing and using virtual people; methodological approaches to interactions with and among virtual people; and current applications. Viewpoints including popular culture, literature, film, engineering, behavioral science, computer science, and communication. Note for PhD students in programs other than Communication: instructor permission required.
Last offered: Autumn 2022
COMM 272: Media Psychology (COMM 172)
(Graduate students register for
COMM 272.
COMM 172 is offered for 5 units,
COMM 272 is offered for 4 units.) The literature related to psychological processing and the effects of media. Topics: unconscious processing; picture perception; attention and memory; emotion; the physiology of processing media; person perception; pornography; consumer behavior; advanced film and television systems; and differences among reading, watching, and listening.
Terms: Win
| Units: 4
COMM 273D: Public Affairs Data Journalism I
Even before the ubiquity of Internet access and high-powered computers, public accountability reporting relied on the concerted collection of observations and analytical problem-solving. We study the methods, and the data, used to discover leads and conduct in-depth reporting on public affairs, including election finance and safety regulations. Students gain practical experience with the digital tools and techniques of computer-assisted reporting. Prerequisite: Only open to Journalism M.A. students.
Terms: Aut
| Units: 4
| Repeatable
2 times
(up to 8 units total)
Instructors:
Tumgoren, S. (PI)
COMM 274D: Public Affairs Data Journalism II
Learn how to find, create and analyze data to tell news stories with public service impact. Uses relational databases, advanced queries, basic statistics, and mapping to analyze data for storytelling. Assignments may include stories, blog posts, and data visualizations, with at least one in-depth project based on data analysis. Prerequisites:
COMM 273D or Journalism M.A. student.
Terms: Win
| Units: 4
| Repeatable
2 times
(up to 8 units total)
Instructors:
Phillips, C. (PI)
;
Tumgoren, S. (PI)
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