ASTK15378U COURSE: An American Perspective on Political Campaigns

Volume 2015/2016
Education

Bachelorlevel: 10 ECTS


Masterlevel: 7,5 ECTS

Content

The course will examine the operations and tactics of modern political campaigns in the United States and explore the effects - positive and negative - that the campaigns have on the surrounding citizenry. Furthermore, the course will look at the ways in which such tactics are increasingly influencing political campaigns in Denmark and Sweden.

 

 

The course will include:

  • An overview of how political campaigning has evolved historically in the United States.

  • Excerpts from classic campaign literature such as White’s ‘The Making of a President’ and Heilemann & Halperin’s ‘Game Change’.

  • Real-life examples of effective campaigns, negative campaigning, controversial campaign strategies and methods, and the ways in which the rise of round-the-clock news coverage and the rapidly growing reach of social media have influenced and continue to influence campaigning.

     

     

    Covered Topics/Course Sections

  • Brief history of political campaigns in the United States

  • Modern campaign operations and tactics

  • Voter behavior patterns and causes

  • Money in campaigns

  • Advertising in campaigns

  • On-the-ground operations, volunteers

  • Cultural impact of modern campaigns

  • A brief look at political campaigns in Denmark and Sweden - are American tactics taking over? When can they be useful - and when are they incompatible with Scandinavian politics?

  • Category
  • Hours
  • Class Instruction
  • 28
  • Total
  • 28
Credit
7,5 ECTS
Type of assessment
Oral examination
Oral
Marking scale
7-point grading scale
Censorship form
External censorship
Criteria for exam assesment
  • Grade 12 is given for an outstanding performance: the student lives up to the course's goal description in an independent and convincing manner with no or few and minor shortcomings
  • Grade 7 is given for a good performance: the student is confidently able to live up to the goal description, albeit with several shortcomings
  • Grade 02 is given for an adequate performance: the minimum acceptable performance in which the student is only able to live up to the goal description in an insecure and incomplete manner