Media and National Security

3 Credits · Level: Graduate

This course introduces students to what is perhaps the single most influential private institution in the American political system, often referred to as the “fourth estate” of American government and the role it plays in both covering and shaping national security. This course examines the major concepts, theoretical frameworks, and substantive issues surrounding the study of the media as a conduit between the people and the government during war and on matters of national security. The aim of this course is to arm students with a wide range of tools to understand, evaluate, and contextualize these interrelationships and their effects on national security. The course will examine how the news media covers war, the military, the intelligence community, and national security decision-making, and in turn, how such media coverage affects these institutions and public opinion. Other course themes include the evolving role of social media, disinformation, portrayals of war and the military in entertainment and pop culture, propaganda and censorship during wartime, and whistle-blowing, leaks, and disclosures of sensitive national security-related information.