PS 411: Public Opinion and the Media in American Politics| Spring 2020
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. North Carolina State University PS 411: Public Opinion and the Media in American Politics | Spring 2020 .½ Caldwell Hall 212 ./ MW 3:00pm–4:15pm .g Dr. William Pollock . Office Hours: MW 1:30–2:30pm Q . WMPolloc@ncsu.edu . Office: Caldwell Hall 209D Course Description This course provides an overview of academic research on American public opinion and the influence of the media on public attitudes. Additionally, we will discuss various aspects of survey design and public opinion research methodology. Topics of the course include political attitude formation, aggregate level opinion patterns, biases in political thought, voter response to misinformation, and the role of the media agenda setting and framing. Learning Objectives Throughout the semester, students will learn about the fundamental theories explaining patterns of public opinion, and will gain experience thinking about causal relationships. Exposure to the course materials will contribute to your capacity to comprehend scholarly work, as well as your appreciation for scientific methods and the research process more generally. The final project involves developing a theory/hypothesis relating to political attitudes, creating a survey questionnaire to test the theory, and programming the questionnaire using the online survey platform Qualtrics. Thus, students will gain experience and practical skills in every phase of the research process.
PS 411: Public Opinion and the Media | Spring 2020
Course Materials
There is no required textbook for this course.
I will assign a variety of scholarly articles and book chapters as readings throughout the semester. These
readings will be made available via Moodle. For some reading assignments, students will be asked to turn in
a question, quote, or comment (“QQC”) of interest from the reading. QQC assignments should be thoughtful
reflections on the reading, and will be turned in on the course Moodle site.
Course Requirements
Reading
All readings listed on the syllabus are required. Readings must be completed before the class sessions for
which they are assigned.
Any additional readings (such as current news articles or commentary) will be announced through email or
in class, and will be made available on Moodle.
For some reading assignments, students will be asked to turn in a question, quote, or comment (“QQC”) of
interest from the reading. QQC assignments should be thoughtful reflections on the reading, and will be
turned in on the course Moodle site.
Attendance and Participation
Students are expected to attend every class session. Attendance will be taken from time to time throughout
the semester. Students are allowed two absences (excused or unexcused) without penalty. Each additional
absence beyond the second one will result in a deduction from the attendance/participation grade equal to
a 1% reduction of the final grade. Excused absences must be discussed with me, and require documentation
of a legitimate reason for missing class.
Course meetings will frequently include class-wide discussions. Student participation in classroom dis-
cussions is highly encouraged, and required if our discourse is to be useful toward achieving the learning
objectives. Discussion participants will be respectful and tactful toward others in any comments made
during class. Participation will be graded based on the frequency, appropriateness, and substance of each
student’s contribution to classroom discussions throughout the semester. In-class distractions such as cell
phone use, inappropriate computer usage, talking out of turn, tardiness, lack of engagement, or incivility
will result in a reduction of the attendance/participation grade.
Finally, QQC assignments (see “Reading” section) will contribute to each student’s attendance/participation
grade.
Exams
There will be one midterm exam, as well as a final exam. Students are expected to arrive on time for
scheduled exams. I will stop handing out exams after the first student has completed his or her test and has
left the room.
Make-up exams will only be allowed due to a legitimate, documented reason for absence. Excused absences
from tests must be discussed with the instructor on a case-by-case basis. You must notify me of your
2PS 411: Public Opinion and the Media | Spring 2020
circumstances prior to the original test date in order to receive a make-up exam. Exceptions will
only be made if prior notification was impossible.
In-Class Assignments
Students will complete graded assignments during class sessions throughout the semester. These assign-
ments will be completed either individually or in groups, and are designed to develop comprehension of
course concepts and encourage students to think critically about our topics of discussion. Each student’s
group will be determined by the instructor. Group assignments will be graded based on both the group
submission and individual team member evaluatioins submitted by each group member.
In-class assignments missed due to absence will be unavailable to make up. However, assignments missed
due to an excused absence will be be dropped from final grade calculations. Excused absences from in-class
assignments must be discussed with the instructor on a case-by-case basis. You must notify me of your
circumstances prior to the assignment in order for it to be excused. Exceptions will only be made
if prior notification was impossible.
Quizzes
There will be quizzes administered throughout the semester. These assignments will generally cover key
topics of the day’s assigned readings. Quizzes will typically be administered during the first fifteen minutes
of class. Students who arrive late to class after quizzes have been turned in will not be permitted to take
the quiz, and will receive a grade of zero.
The combined average score of all quizzes will count for 15% of the final grade. Each student’s lowest quiz
grade will be dropped at the end of the semester. Thus, any one excused or unexcused absence from a quiz
day will not affect your grade. Any missed quizzes beyond your first quiz absence will count as zeroes
against your average unless you contact me with a legitimate, documented reason for absence. Excused
absences from quizzes must be discussed with the instructor on a case-by-case basis. You must notify me
of your circumstances prior to the quiz in order for it to be excused. Exceptions will only be made
if prior notification is impossible.
Semester Project
Over the course of the semester, students will complete a research design on a public opinion topic of their
own choosing. This project will involve describing a research question and relevant literature, designing a
survey experiment to address the research question, and programming the survey questionnaire in the
online survey platform Qualtrics. Additional details and a grading rubric for the semester project will be
provided during the semester.
3PS 411: Public Opinion and the Media | Spring 2020
Grading
Students’ final course average will be calculated based on the following weights:
Midterm Exam: 20%
Final Exam: 25%
Semester Project: 20%
In-Class Assignments: 10%
Attendance and Participation: 10%
Quiz Average: 15%
Course grades will be assigned on the following scale:
97% or higher: A+
93 A
90 A-
88 B+
83 B
80 B-
78 C+
73 C
70 C-
68 D+
63 D
60 D-
Less than 60%: F
These percentages represent the minimum score required for each grade. Final course averages will not be
rounded up or down. Grades are not negotiable based on personal circumstances. Extra credit will not be
awarded on an individual basis.
Course Schedule
Week 1 (Jan. 6–8): Course introduction, Overview of Syllabus, Survey Research
Groves 2011
Week 2 (Jan. 13–15): Survey Research (continued)
Biemer 2010
Week 3 (Jan. 20–22): Attitude Formation
Zaller & Feldman 1992
Monday, Jan. 20: No Class (Martin Luther King, Jr. Day)
Week 4 (Jan. 27–29): Attitude Formation (continued)
Lodge, Steenbergen, & Brau 1995
Week 5 (Feb. 3–5): Motivated Reasoning
Taber & Lodge 2016
Week 6 (Feb. 10–12): Aggregate Opinion
Page & Shapiro Chs. 1–2
4PS 411: Public Opinion and the Media | Spring 2020
Week 7 (Feb. 17–19): Political Knowledge
Barabas et al. 2014
Week 8 (Feb. 24–26): Test 1 Week
Monday, 2/24: Test 1 Review
Thursday, 2/26: Test 1
Week 9 (Mar. 2–4): Information Bias
Gaines et al. 2007
Week 10 (Mar. 9–11): Spring Break
Week 11 (Mar. 16–18): Misinformation
Jerit & Zhao 2020
Week 12 (Mar. 23–25): Polarization
Bail et al. 2018
Week 13 (Mar. 30–Apr. 1): Public Opinion and Public Policy
Stimson, MacKuen, & Erikson 1995
Week 14 (Apr. 6–8): Media Agenda Setting
Iyengar, Peters, & Kinder 1982
Week 15 (Apr. 13–15): Media Framing
Chong & Druckman 2007
Week 16 (Apr. 20–22): Incivility
Mutz & Reeves 2005
Finals Week
Monday, 5/4: Final Exam (1:00pm-4:00pm)
Schedule subject to change with notice by instructor.
Bibliography
Bail, Chrostopher A., Lisa P. Argyle, Taylor W. Brown, John P. Bumpus, Haohan Chen, M. B. Fallin Hunzaker,
Jaemin Lee, Marcus Mann, Friedolin Merhout, and Alexander Volfovsky. 2018 “"Exposure to opposing
views on social media can increase political polarization.” Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences 115 (37) 9216–9221.
Barabas, Jason, Jennifer Jerit, William Pollock, and Carlisle Rainey. 2014. “The Question(s) of Political
Knowledge.” American Political Science Review 108 (4): 840–855.
Biemer, Paul P. 2010. “Overview of Design Issues: Total Survey Error.” In Handbook of Survey Research. 2nd
ed. Edited by Peter V. Marsden and James D. Wright. Bingley: Emerald Group.
Chong, Dennis and James N. Druckman. 2007. “Framing Public Opinion in Competitive Democracies.”
American Political Science Review 101 (4): 637–655.
Gaines, Brian J., James H. Kuklinski, Paul J. Quirk, Buddy Peyton, and Jay Verkuilen. 2007. “Same Facts,
Different Interpretations: Partisan Motivation and Opinion on Iraq.” Journal of Politics 69 (4): 957–974.
5PS 411: Public Opinion and the Media | Spring 2020
Groves, Robert M. 2011. “The Eras of Survey Research.” Public Opinion Quarterly 75 (5): 861–871.
Iyengar, Shanto, Mark D. Peters, and Donald R. Kinder. “Experimental Demonstrations of the ‘Not-So-
Minimal’ Consequences of Television News Programs.” American Political Science Review 76 (4):
848–858.
Jerit, Jennifer and Yangzi Zhao. 2020. “Political Misinformation.” Annual Review of Political Science
[forthcoming]
Lodge, Milton, Marco R. Steenbergen, and Shawn Brau. 1995. “The Responsive Voter: Campaign Information
and the Dynamics of Candidate Evaluation.” American Political Science Review 89 (2): 309-326.
Mutz, Diana C. and Byron Reeves. 2005. “The New Videomalaise: Effects of Televised Incivility on Political
Trust.” American Political Science Review 99 (1): 1-15.
Page, Benjamin I. and Robert Y. Shapiro. 1993. The Rational Public: Fifty Years of Trends in Americans’ Policy
Preferences. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Stimson, James A., Michael B. MacKuen, and Robert S. Erikson. 1995. “Dynamic Representation.” American
Political Science Review 89 (3): 543–565.
Taber, Charles S and Milton Lodge. 2006. “Motivated SKepticism in the Evaluation of Political Beliefs.”
American Journal of Political Science 50 (3): 755–769.
Zaller, John, and Stanley Feldman. 1992. “A Simple Theory of the Survey Response: Answering Questions
versus Revealing Preferences.” American Journal of Political Science 36 (3): 579-617.
Academic Integrity
This course will follow the provisions of the Code of Student Conduct, which can be found on the Office of
Student Conduct Web Site: https://policies.ncsu.edu/policy/pol-11-35-01/.
Evidence of copying, plagiarism, or any use of unauthorized aid on exams, quizzes, assignments, or written
work will be referred to the Office of Student Conduct as a violation of the Code of Student Conduct.
Honor Pledge
Your signature on any test or assignment indicates "I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid on
this test or assignment."
Students with Disabilities
Reasonable accommodations will be made for students with verifiable disabilities. In order to take advantage
of available accommodations, students must register with the Disability Resource Office at Holmes Hall,
Suite 304, Campus Box 7509, 919-515-7653. For more information on NC State’s policy on working with
students with disabilities, please see the Academic Accommodations for Students with Disabilities Regulation
(REG02.20.01) (https://policies.ncsu.edu/regulation/reg-02-20-01/).
6PS 411: Public Opinion and the Media | Spring 2020
Electronically-Hosted Course Components
Students may be required to disclose personally identifiable information to other students in the course,
via electronic tools like email or web-postings, where relevant to the course. Examples include online
discussions of class topics, and posting of student coursework. All students are expected to respect the
privacy of each other by not sharing or using such information outside the course.
Non-Discrimination Policy
NC State provides equal opportunity and affirmative action efforts, and prohibits all forms of unlawful
discrimination, harassment, and retaliation ("Prohibited Conduct") that are based upon a person’s race,
color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age (40 or older), disability, gender identity,
genetic information, sexual orientation, or veteran status (individually and collectively, "Protected Status").
Additional information as to each Protected Status is included in NCSU REG 04.25.02 (Discrimination,
Harassment and Retaliation Complaint Procedure). NC State’s policies and regulations covering discrim-
ination, harassment, and retaliation may be accessed at http://policies.ncsu.edu/policy/pol-04-25-05 or
https://oied.ncsu.edu/divweb/. Any person who feels that he or she has been the subject of prohibited
discrimination, harassment, or retaliation should contact the Office for Equal Opportunity (OEO) at 919-
515-3148.
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