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APL 302 Political Communications

Political communications work is fundamental for political campaigns¿whether they are electoral or issue-based. Political campaigns build support for their candidates and/or issues by communicating with the public. They seek to inform, persuade, and mobilize people to take action. In this course, students will learn about the role of political communications on campaign teams. Topics include political messaging and political mobilization, components of a political communications strategy, and effective strategies for engaging with traditional media and new media on political campaigns. Students will learn to use web-based technology commonly used on political campaigns.
4 Undergraduate credits

Effective August 18, 2025 to present

Meets graduation requirements for

Learning outcomes

General

  • Recognize the stages of development in political communications.
  • Describe the elements of a successful political communications strategy, including campaign objective; target audience; message development; media planning; identifying spokespeople; media budgeting; and campaign evaluation.
  • Apply theories of political messaging and political mobilization to real-world campaign scenarios.
  • Create a political communication strategy to support a political campaign.

Minnesota Transfer Curriculum

Goal 5: History and the Social and Behavioral Sciences

  • Employ the methods and data that historians and social and behavioral scientists use to investigate the human condition.
  • Examine social institutions and processes across a range of historical periods and cultures.
  • Use and critique alternative explanatory systems or theories.
  • Develop and communicate alternative explanations or solutions for contemporary social issues.

Goal 9: Ethical and Civic Responsibility

  • Examine, articulate, and apply their own ethical views.
  • Understand and apply core concepts (e.g. politics, rights and obligations, justice, liberty) to specific issues.
  • Analyze and reflect on the ethical dimensions of legal, social, and scientific issues.
  • Recognize the diversity of political motivations and interests of others.
  • Identify ways to exercise the rights and responsibilities of citizenship.

Fall 2026

Section Title Instructor books eservices
50 Political Communications Frank, Sarah Noble Books for APL-302-50 Fall 2026 Course details for APL-302-50 Fall 2026