Course Description
Mass Media & Politics, POL 165V
Organization of and decision making within the media; media audiences and the effect of the media on attitudes and behavior; the relationship of the government to the media (censorship, secrecy, freedom of the press, government regulation); the media in election campaigns
Key Information
Credit: 4 quarter units /
2.67 semester units credit
UC Davis, POLS
Course Credit:
Upon successful completion, all online courses offered through cross-enrollment provide UC unit credit. Some courses are approved for GE, major preparation and/or, major credit or can be used as a substitute for a course at your campus.If "unit credit" is listed by your campus, consult your department, academic adviser or Student Affairs division to inquire about the petition process for more than unit credit for the course.
UC Berkeley:
Unit Credit
UC Davis:
General Education: SS, WE.
Major Requirement: Political Science Major: Upper Division, American Politics Concentraction; Communication Major: Upper Division, Alternative Elective;
UC Irvine:
Unit Credit
UC Los Angeles:
Unit Credit
UC Merced:
Upper Division Unit Credit (See your Academic Advisor)
UC Riverside:
General Education: POSC Elective units
UC San Diego:
General Education: Revelle: 1 course toward Social Science (no major overlap); TMC 1 course toward upper division disciplinary breadth if noncontiguous to major; Warren - May be counted depending on major/PofC/AS, Transfer students may use for UD GE depending on major; Muir: one course in a Social Science theme in "Government and Economics"; Sixth - 1 course towards Social Analysis;
Major Requirement: UCSD Political Science major, upper-division elective (letter grade of C- or better)
UC San Francisco:
Unit Credit
UC Santa Barbara:
Unit Credit
UC Santa Cruz:
Unit Credit
Prerequisites
POL 001 recommended.
Course Fees
None!
More About The Course
This course examines the role of the mass media in democratic politics in the United States, and the topic could not be more timely. Although media and politics have always been intertwined, the outsized role of social media, entertainment news, and fake news put into sharp relief the fact that we cannot understand politics without understanding media.
Course Creator

Amber Boydstun
Amber Boydstun is a Professor of Political Science, Affiliated Faculty in the Department of Communication, and Chancellor's Fellow at UC Davis. If politics is about 'who gets what, when, and how' (Lasswell 1936), then political science is, in large part, the study of how scarce resources get distributed. These resources take many forms: money, votes, and troops are just a few. Professor Boydstun's research centers on the distribution of an especially scarce resource: attention. She studies the causes, dynamics, and political effects of media attention and media framing. She also loves giraffes.
Amber Boydstun is a Professor of Political Science, Affiliated Faculty in the Department of Communication, and Chancellor's Fellow at UC Davis. If politics is about 'who gets what, when, and how' (Lasswell 1936), then political science is, in large part, the study of how scarce resources get distributed. These resources take many forms: money, votes, and troops are just a few. ...
Amber Boydstun is a Professor of Political Science, Affiliated Faculty in the Department of Communication, and Chancellor's Fellow at UC Davis. If politics is about 'who gets what, when, and how' (Lasswell 1936), then political science is, in large part, the study of how scarce resources get distributed. These resources take many forms: money, votes, and troops are just a few. Professor Boydstun's research centers on the distribution of an especially scarce resource: attention. She studies the causes, dynamics, and political effects of media attention and media framing. She also loves giraffes.