Stanford University Explore Courses

COMM 143W: Communication Policy and Regulation (COMM 243)

Focuses on the development, implementation, and evaluation of policies affecting communication markets. Policy issues include universal service, digital divide, Internet regulation, intellectual property, privacy, television violence, content diversity, media ownership, antitrust, and impact of news on government accountability. Examines political economy of communication policy and the evolution of policies across time.

Last offered: Winter 2016 | UG Reqs: WAY-SI

COMM 151: The First Amendment: Freedom of Speech and Press (COMM 251, POLISCI 125P)

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)

Last offered: Winter 2015

COMM 152: Constitutional Law (COMM 252, POLISCI 126P)

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.

Last offered: Spring 2016 | UG Reqs: WAY-SI

COMM 153: Political Campaigning in the Internet Age (COMM 253)

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.

Terms: Win | Units: 3

Instructors: Ginsberg, B. (PI) ; Persily, N. (PI)

COMM 153A: Policy, Politics, and the Presidency: Understanding the 2016 Campaign from Start to Finish (COMM 253A, POLISCI 72, PUBLPOL 146, PUBLPOL 246)

(Same as LAW 7057). In 2016, Americans will once again go to the polls to select a new president. But what will actually happen behind-the-scenes between now and then is largely a mystery to most. This course will introduce students to the nuts-and-bolts of a presidential campaign. Each week, we will explore a different topic related to running for the presidency -- policy formation, communications, grassroots strategy, digital outreach, campaign finance -- and feature high-profile guest speakers who have served in senior roles on both Democratic and Republican campaigns. Students, guests, and faculty will also participate in discussions on how these topics will relate to the 2016 presidential contest, which will begin in earnest over the course of the quarter.

Terms: Win | Units: 2

Instructors: Persily, N. (PI)

COMM 154: The Politics of Algorithms (COMM 254, SOC 154)

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: 5 | UG Reqs: WAY-SI

Instructors: Christin, A. (PI) ; Fitzgerald, A. (TA)

COMM 157: Information Control in Authoritarian Regimes (COMM 257, COMM 357)

Does information help autocrats and dictators stay in power? Or does information help topple authoritarian regimes? This course will examine how authoritarian regimes try to control information through surveillance, propaganda, and censorship, what influences the effectiveness of these information control measures, and how changes in technology (Internet, social media, mobile) affect the dynamics of information control.

Terms: Aut | Units: 5 | UG Reqs: WAY-SI

Instructors: Pan, J. (PI) ; Gibson, A. (TA)

COMM 160: The Press and the Political Process (COMM 260, POLISCI 323R)

(Graduate students register for COMM 260.) The role of mass media and other channels of communication in political and electoral processes.

Last offered: Spring 2010 | UG Reqs: GER:DB-SocSci, WAY-SI

COMM 162: Campaigns, Voting, Media, and Elections (COMM 262, POLISCI 120B)

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: Aut | Units: 5 | UG Reqs: GER:DB-SocSci, WAY-SI

Instructors: Iyengar, S. (PI)

COMM 164: The Psychology of Communication About Politics in America (COMM 264, POLISCI 124L, PSYCH 170)

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.