APL 340 Media Power, Political Narratives, and Public Debate
How does media shape what becomes politically imaginable¿or politically possible? How do media outlets behave as political actors, impacting outcomes in the political ecosystems in which they are embedded? This course examines how political narratives are constructed, funded, and circulated, and how media institutions influence the boundaries of public debate. Students learn to analyze how news coverage frames political issues such as protest, immigration, public safety, and major policy debates, and how media institutions shape which perspectives are treated as credible or legitimate.
Using Minnesota¿s media landscape as a research setting, students map media ownership and power structures, compare coverage across news outlets, and trace how political narratives emerge and compete in public discourse. The course prepares students to understand how media power and narratives influence public opinion and policy debates and to assess how advocates can respond to, challenge, and reshape dominant narratives.
Prerequisites
4 Undergraduate credits
Effective May 7, 2026 to present
Learning outcomes
General
- Analyze how media institutions influence political discourse and shape which ideas are treated as credible or legitimate in public debate.
- Evaluate how media ownership, institutional practices, and newsroom routines influence news coverage of political issues.
- Analyze how political narratives emerge, circulate, and gain traction across news outlets and public discourse.
- Develop political communications to intervene in public discourse and challenge dominant political narratives.