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Political Communication

Module description

We often think about effective communication in politics in terms of persuading others to a particular point of view through, for instance, electoral campaigning for political parties. This module provokes you to reflect more broadly on the nature of political communication by considering how this unfolds in the context of social differences and political polarisation. We will examine how some significant political communicators (from elected politicians to comedians) seek not only to articulate their political views but to shape the terms of public debate within which these are understood. You will be encouraged to develop your own capacities as a political communicator in your transition to university both by reflecting on the practices and techniques of experienced political communicators and by putting these into practice yourself through participation a group project and developing an individual project.

Module aims - intentions of the module

This module aims to develop your capacities as a political communicator. It aims to support you to make the transition into a successful academic career by helping you to understand, practice and get feedback on range of key skills required to undertake academic work effectively and to manage your workload independently. Political communication requires accuracy, detail, clarity, focus and solid analysis, regardless of its format. By working on these skills in a structured and supportive environment, you will develop your capacity for written and spoken communication, which will underpin your academic work and develop skills for your employability and professional life beyond the university.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. recognise how political communication is both shaped by and has the potential to shape the social conditions in which it is enacted;
• 2. communicate appropriately with peers and non-academic audiences in an inclusive way.

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 3. analyse some exemplary instances of political communication in terms of some key concepts in Politics;
• 4. communicate your ideas about politics in a scholarly way.

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 5. reflect on your own capabilities as a political communicator;
• 6. work in a group to research, plan and deliver a project.

Syllabus plan

Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover most of the following topics:

• What is political communication?
• Civility in polarized times
• Confronting active ignorance
• Embodied communication
• Political uses of anger
• Diplomacy
• Difficult knowledge and political apologies
• Debate, deliberation and citizens’ assemblies
• Political campaign messaging and referenda
• Collaborative working
• Scholarly writing
• Reflective writing
• Critical analysis
• Public speaking
• Speech writing
• Visual communication

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Formative assessment

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Re-assessment notes

Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.

Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be required to redo the assessment(s) as defined above. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 40%.

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

This reading list is indicative - i.e. it provides an idea of texts that may be useful to you on this module, but it is not considered to be a confirmed or compulsory reading list for this module.  =

• Coole, Diana (2007) ‘Experiencing Discourse: Corporeal Communicators and the Embodiment of Power,’ The British Journal of Politics and International Relations 9(3): 413-433.

• Cottrell, Stella (2017) Critical Thinking Skills: Effective Analysis, Argument and Reflection – Macmillan Study Skills. Macmillan Education UK.
• Edyvane, Derek (2020) ‘Incivility as Dissent,’ Political Studies 68(1): 93-109.
• Fischer, Clara. ‘Revealing Ireland's ‘Proper’ Heart: Apology, Shame, Nation.’ Hypatia 32(4): 751–67.
• Hopkins, Diana. and Reid, Tom (2018) The Academic Skills Handbook: Your Guide to Success in Writing, Thinking and Communicating at University. SAGE Publications.

• Hughes, Gareth (2020) Be Well, Learn Well: Improve Your Wellbeing and Academic Performance. Macmillan Study Skills. Macmillan Education UK.
• Kennedy, Sinéad (2022) ‘A Tale of Two Referendums: A Comparative Study of the Anti-Amendment Campaign and Together for Yes,’ Feminist Encounters: A Journal of Critical Studies in Culture and Politics 6(1), 04

• Medina, Jose (2013) The Epistemology of Resistance: Gender and Racial Oppression, Epistemic Injustice, and the Social Imagination. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

• Side, Katherine (2022) ‘Changed Utterly’: The Citizens’ Assembly on the 8th Amendment. Feminist Encounters: A Journal of Critical Studies in Culture and Politics 6(1), 05.

• Srinivasan, Amia (2018) ‘The Aptness of Anger,’ Journal of Political Philosophy 26(2): 123-144.

• Whitten, Suzanne (2023) ‘Critical Republicanism and the Discursive Demands of Free Speech,’ Philosophy & Social Criticism 49(7): 856-880.

• Young, Iris Marion (2002) Inclusion and Democracy. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Key words search

Political theory; political communication; transition to university; academic skills