Public Comm Natl Security

1.5 Credits · Level: Graduate, Juris Doctor, Undergraduate

This course will examine the importance of public communications to national security, with a special focus on the degree to which communications strategy not only shapes national security strategy but under-girds its actual success. Through case-study analysis -- bolstered by relevant guest speakers, readings, media consumption and in-class discussion -- students will examine real-world events and policies that shaped public perception and were shaped by that same perception in return. We will explore the use of public communications and influence in intelligence and military communities in terms of specific strategies, effects, and issues. And we will also study the importance of public diplomacy in the digital age, the effect that social media has played on the execution of policy, the role of leadership and inter agency coordination, as well as the impact of propaganda and fake news on government credibility. Students will be expected to complete written and oral assignments commensurate with a practical understanding of how communications strategy and tactics are applied in the policy-making process.