The Psychology of Communication About Politics in America (AMSTUD 124L, COMM 164, COMM 264, POLISCI 124L, POLISCI 324L, PSYCH 170)

4–5 credits · Undergraduate

Focus is on how politicians and government learn what Americans want and how the public's preferences shape government action; how surveys measure beliefs, preferences, and experiences; how poll results are criticized and interpreted; how conflict between polls is viewed by the public; how accurate surveys are and when they are accurate; how to conduct survey research to produce accurate measurements; designing questionnaires that people can understand and use comfortably; how question wording can manipulate poll results; corruption in survey research.