Examines the influence of entertainment media on political news, opinion, knowledge, and behavior.

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

• Recognize how, why, and with what significance the boundaries between news and entertainment have blurred
• Identify and describe the effects of entertainment on journalism, citizenship, and politics, as well as the theories used to explain these effects
• Develop persuasive, evidence-based arguments about the intersection of entertainment and politics and its implications for public discourse and engagement
• Evaluate how political entertainment texts construct political reality and encourage audiences to make meaning of politics
• Apply theories and concepts from research in communication, media studies, and political science in order to develop an entertainment-based political strategy or media product