Politics and Communication in America: Campaigns, Media, and Governing in the 21st Century

Communication provides the basis of social cohesion, issue discussion, and legislative enactment—core features of political activity and governing in the United States. Denton and Kuypers, experts in the field of political communication, synthesize materials and sources from political science, communication, history, journalism, and sociology to demonstrate how communication intersects with these fields to formulate political beliefs, attitudes, and values. Conventional categories of political activity—campaigns, activity in Congress, the courts, the mass media, and the presidency—structure the discussions. Theoretical and applied concepts drawn from firsthand sources and classic historical works, plus extensive use of contemporary examples, enrich understanding. Written in an engaging, accessible style that is geared to an undergraduate audience, the text ignites readers’ awareness that the essence of politics is talk or human interaction. Such interaction is formal and informal, verbal and nonverbal, public and private—but always persuasive in nature, causing audiences to interpret, to evaluate, and to act.