https://at-ceu.studyguide.timeedit.net/modules/POLS5352?type=COREThis is an introductory course in political behavior and communication that explores how citizens engage with the political world and how the media shapes their behavior. The course serves four interrelated goals. First, it seeks to give an opportunity to students to familiarize themselves with some classic and new approaches to the behavioral foundations of politics. Second, through the close reading of empirical research, students are expected to develop a feel to identify strength and weaknesses in arguments and inferences based on data. Finally, a more nuanced understanding of how ordinary people behave in the political world should inform participants understanding of the constraints on political systems posted by citizens themselves. Finally, through class assignments students will develop analytical and communication skills to apply these concepts to solve practical problems.The course will be organized around two broad topics. First, we will consider citizens and explore how they acquire, process and discuss political information and how this translates to voting behavior. Second, we will consider the media and discuss the various ways in which it shapes the attitudes and behaviors of citizens. The course will mostly rely on research on USA politics - due to the generally higher quality of data and methods - but we will discuss how some of the results may generalize to other contexts.