Communication Science: Political Communication

Political communication addresses issues at the core of our democracties. It provides a wide understanding of the role and significance of media, journalism and information for public opinion.

In this Master's you will study how interactions between (non-)governmental actors, politicians, journalists and citizens take shape, and what features and effects they have. By using the latest scientific insights, you will learn how (social) media influences political engagement and how citizens' use of media is changing. You will discuss academically who tries to influence the news and how powerful the media actually are and how this differs in different countries.

Many issues are discussed in this track, always in line with recent trends and events, and preferably using an open, international and comparative perspective. Such topics include the emergence of weblogs and citizen journalism, increasing globalisation, agenda-setting and the framing of socially relevant issues by media, politicians, spin doctors and other stakeholders.