Cross-cutting political experience: Engaging with our political opponents

Lecturer and Course Designer

In the midst of today’s intense political climate, we embark on a timely exploration into the complex dynamics of engaging with political opposites. The goal of this seminar is to equip the students with the necessary tools to understand, engage with, and navigate the world of political opinions and disagreements. We begin by diving into conception of political opinions and how inherent differences shape the landscape of political discourse. We then dive into the psychology behind cross-cutting political experiences, gaining insight into how own mindsets shape our critical political interactions. Our exploration continues into the various settings of political confrontations, from personal discussions to media exposures, understanding their unique impacts and dynamics. We also ask about the effects of political disagreement and uncover actionable strategies for resolving these conflicts constructively.The course goes beyond theoretical explorations and includes active engagement with real-world examples through guest lectures and interactive activities. Assessments will include a mix of class assignments and a final project focused on the practical application of learned theories.

Political Persuasion

Lecturer and Course Designer

This course focuses on the persuasive role of communication and provides an overview of some of the main dynamics in the persuasion process. By incorporating classic and contemporary theories of persuasion, the seminar analyzes the various factors that render a message persuasive (or not). These include (a) the source; (b) the message; (c) the message transportation, mobilization strategies; (d) the receivers; and (e) the psychological mechanisms that underlie these communication processes. The course combines theoretical lectures with practice-based sessions, where the students use their theoretical knowledge to analyze real-world examples and create a persuasive campaign on their own.

Experiments in Communication Science

Lecturer and Course Designer

This seminar comprises three interconnected components that mirror the typical phases of an experiment. In the initial planning phase, students acquire the theoretical and methodological foundations necessary for planning and preparing an experiment. The execution phase introduces them to specific tools required for conducting an experiment. Finally, in the analysis phase, students learn how to handle, evaluate, and interpret experimental data. Throughout the seminar, students are actively involved in designing and executing their own experiments, providing a hands-on opportunity to apply their knowledge and skills in a practical setting.

Classical Theories of Communication Science

Lecturer and Course Designer

This course probes into the critical questions at the heart of political communication science: How do we consume media? Who decides what topics are covered in the news? Do we all process new information in the same way? How can targeted communication influence people’s opinions? These are among the many inquiries that the seminal works in political communication address. The seminar is dedicated to the ‘grand theories’ that continue to shape research today. It has a dual purpose: firstly, to engage directly with the original texts, tracing their evolution over the decades and shedding light on their current applications and relevance. Secondly, the course aims to unlock the scientific argumentation within these works, both structurally and content-wise, enabling a critical discussion. The general structure of the seminar involves a collaborative discussion of the weekly readings during the first half of the session, critically evaluating the main concepts, their relevance, and applicability. The second half of the session is student-led, designed to discuss a more contemporary study that builds upon, recontextualizes, or further develops the weekly theory.