61 - 70 of 119 results for: COMM

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. In addition to a final and midterm exam, students participate in a moot court on a hypothetical case. (Grad students register for COMM 251)

This course covers Supreme Court case law concerning governmental powers, equal protection, and certain fundamental rights. The course investigates the constitutional foundation for democratic participation in the United States, covering topics such as the Fourteenth Amendment's protections against discrimination on grounds of race, gender, and other classifications, as well as the individual rights to voting and intimate association, and an introduction to First Amendment rights of free speech and press. Students will be evaluated on class participation, a midterm moot court with both a written and oral component, and a take-home final exam. Lectures will be twice per week and a discussion section once per week.

This course will acquaint students with the changing environment for campaigns posed by the rise of the Internet. So much of the traditional way analysts have understood campaigns has revolved around television as the primary mode of campaign communication. The rise of the Internet, nonlinear television programming, and mobile communication enables new forms of campaigning. This course will examine the relevant social science on these topics, while at the same time bringing in guest lecturers from industry, campaigns, and media. Requirements: Students will be required to complete a 25 page research paper on a topic relevant to the course.

(Same as LAW 7057). The frequency of American elections means that we¿re never that far away from the next contest. This course is situated shortly after the conclusion of the 2018 midterm elections at the very start of the invisible primary that precedes the 2020 presidential campaign. It will provide students with a behind-the-scenes understanding of how campaigns work. Each week, we will explore a different topic related to high-profile campaigns -- policy formation, communications, grassroots strategy, digital outreach, campaign finance -- and feature prominent guest speakers who have served and will serve in senior roles on both Democratic and Republican campaigns. Our goal is to discern the lessons learned from the 2018 midterm elections, and how they will inform our understanding of what will happen in the 2020 presidential contest

Crosslisted with LAW 7082. This course will cover contemporary challenges to democracy presented by the Internet. Topics will include disinformation, polarization, hate speech, media transformation, election integrity, and legal regulation of internet platforms in the U.S. and abroad. Guest speakers from academia 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. Students can take the seminar for either 2 or 3 units, depending on the research paper length. This class is limited to 30 students, with an effort made to have students from SLS (20 students will be selected by lottery) and 10 non-law students by consent of instructor. Elements used in grading: Attendance, Class Participation, Written Assignments, Final Paper.

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.

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.

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.

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.