Communicating Politics (L2155)

15 credits, Level 5

Spring teaching

Communication is power. The ways in which political ideas are communicated conditions the terrain on which politics takes place, rendering some forms of action possible and legitimate while constraining others. To understand this process, Communicating Politics equips you with the tools to analyse the communication of political messages, thereby enhancing their understanding of how verbal and non-verbal forms of language shape and reproduce power relationships. We will apply the tool kit to a range of actors involved in the communication of political ideas (such as politicians, news outlets, and artists) as well as a range of communication methods (such as speeches, TV, photographs, and music).

Contact hours and workload

This module is approximately 150 hours of work. This breaks down into about 22 hours of contact time and about 128 hours of independent study. The University may make minor variations to the contact hours for operational reasons, including timetabling requirements.

We regularly review our modules to incorporate student feedback, staff expertise, as well as the latest research and teaching methodology. We’re planning to run these modules in the academic year 2024/25. However, there may be changes to these modules in response to feedback, staff availability, student demand or updates to our curriculum.

We’ll make sure to let you know of any material changes to modules at the earliest opportunity.