Political communication

The program deals with Political communication, political psychology and public opinion, while systematically examining political and psychological aspects of new media.

The media nowadays constitutes a main factor in mediating between civilians, leaders and political establishments.

The goal of the program is to provide a theoretical and practical framework to understanding the relationships between the media and politics, while focusing on the psychological aspects of communications and politics, political communications in the digital era, public opinion and and media influences on public opinion, processes of persuasion and changing attitudes, social and political psychology in the media and in digital political participation both in Israel and in a comparative prospective.

 

Along with classic topics in political communications and in political psychology, such as media personalization of leaders, media consumption and changing attitudes, voter behaviour, and non-verbal communication in political spheres- the program also focuses on updated areas such as digital political participation, internet protest and resistance, mobilization of social change through new media platforms, digital journalism, social media mapping, digital campaigns and political and psychological aspects of new media.

 

Combined with the theoretical level, the program includes topics and skills which have a practical dimension to them: political advisory, spokesmanship, marketing and constructing political images in the digital age, building political campaigns, social and political uses of social media, analysis and conclusions from public opinion surveys, and the principles of writing and producing digital journalism.

The programs’ teachers are leading experts in the fields of political communications, political psychology, public opinion and digital political participation, as well as leading personas in the fields of political advisory, digital political marketing and building political campaigns.

Graduates of the program are working in academic and applied research, in governmental offices, in advertising, and as strategic and political consultants and campaign directors.