Prof. Matthew A. Baum Fall 2009 Office: T244 MW 2:40-4 p.m. Email: [email protected] Location: T301 Office Hours: MW 1:30-2:30, or by appointment Phone: 495-1291 DPI-611/Gov. 2881 Mass Media, Public Opinion and Foreign Policy Syllabus Overview: This course will investigate the various means, both direct and indirect, through which the mass media and public opinion can influence the foreign policy making process. We will review historical perspectives regarding the proper role (or lack thereof) of public opinion in foreign policy, as well as more recent challenges to this perspective. This review will include a discussion of whether and how the media influences what the public thinks about politics in general, and foreign affairs in particular. We will consider such issues as: How does the public learn about foreign policy? Do they care about it? If so, under what circumstances will political leaders be responsive to the public's preferences? Do politics really stop at the water's edge? What effect, if any, has the advent of real-time global news reporting had on U.S. foreign policy (e.g. the so-called "CNN Effect”)? Does this represent a qualitative change, or are such claims exaggerated? The goal is to develop a coherent view of the interaction between the mass media, public opinion and political leaders with respect to foreign affairs. Requirements: There will be one paper (20-30 pages, double spaced), based on the material covered in the course. Students will also present their preliminary research to the class, as well as prepare and present to the class brief summaries of select readings. The paper counts for 40% of your grade, the research presentation counts for 10%, oral participation in class counts for 35% and written summaries count for 15%. Paper: The term paper can be either a literature review on one or two of the topics covered in the course or a research paper on a topic of the student’s choice. Students must submit a paper proposal, for approval, no later than the fifth meeting of the course. The final paper will be due on the day of the final exam. Readings: • There are three books assigned for the course: o Asher, Herbert. 2007. Polling and the Public, 7th Edition. Washington D.C.: Congressional Quarterly Press. o Popkin, Samuel. 1993. The Reasoning Voter. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. o Bennett, W. Lance and David L. Paletz, editors. 1994. Taken by Storm: The Media, Public Opinion, and U.S. Foreign Policy in the Gulf War. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. • All other readings will be available either on-line (on the course page) or in a course packet (or both). Introduction (September 2) No Class September 7 (Labor Day) I. Where Public Opinion Comes From (September 9 & 11) • Nature and structure of opinions and belief systems • Ideological innocence vs. low-information rationality - Campbell, Angus, Philip E. Converse, Warren E. Miller, and Donald E. Stokes. 1960. The American Voter, New York: Wiley. Ch. 9-10 (pp.188-265)- Sniderman, Paul. 1993. “A New Look in Public Opinion Research.” In Political Science: The State of the Discipline II, edited by Ada Finifter. American Political Science Association: Washington, D.C., pp.220-245. - Popkin, Samuel. 1993. The Reasoning Voter. Chapters 1-4, pp.7-95. - Kelly, Stanley Jr. and Thad W. Mirer. 1974. The Simple Act of Voting. American Political Science Review 68(January): 572-591. (JSTOR) - Rahn, Wendy M., John A. Krosnik and Marijke Breuning. 1994. “Rationalization and Derivation Processes in Survey Studies of Political Candidate Evaluation.” American Journal of Political Science 38(August): 582-600. (JSTOR) - Zaller, John and Stanley Feldman. 1992. “A Simple Theory of Survey Response.” American Journal of Political Science, 36: 579-616. (JSTOR) II. What the Public Thinks/Knows About Foreign Policy (September 14 & 16) • Public ignorance and/or knowledge of foreign affairs • Mass vs. elite beliefs about foreign affairs • Isolationism vs. Internationalism - Holsti, Ole, “Public Opinion and Foreign Policy: Challenges to the Almond-Lippmann Consensus.” 1992. International Studies Quarterly 36(December): 439-466. (JSTOR) - Hurwitz, J. and Peffley, M. 1987. “How are Foreign Policy Attitudes Structured? A Hierarchical Model.” American Political Science Review 81(4): 1099-1120. (JSTOR) - Aldrich, John H., John L. Sullivan and Eugene Borgida. 1989. Foreign Affairs and Issue Voting: Do Presidential Candidates ‘Waltz Before a Blind Audience’? American Political Science Review, 83:1: 123-141. (JSTOR) - Herrmann, Richard K., Philip E. Tetlock and Penny S. Visser. 1999. Mass Public Decisions to Go to War: A Cognitive-Interactionist Framework. American Political Science Review 93(September): 553-573. (JSTOR) - Brewer, Paul R., Kimberly Gross, Sean Aday, and Lars Willnat. 2004. “International Trust and Public Opinion about World Affairs.” American Journal of Political Science 48(January): 93-109. - Page, Benjamin I. and Marshall M. Bouton. 2006. The Foreign Policy Dis*Connect: What Americans WANT from our Leaders but DON’T GET. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Chapter 4: “Military Strength and the Use of Force”, pp. 100-138. III. How the Public Learns About Foreign Policy (September 21 & 23) • Priming, Framing & Agenda Setting • The Roles of the Media and Elites - Druckman, James N. 2001. “The Implications of Framing Effects for Citizen Competence.” Political Behavior 23:225-256. - Iyengar, Shanto and Adam Simon. 1994. “News Coverage of the Gulf Crisis and Public Opinion.” Ch. 8 in Bennett and Paletz, pp.167-185. - Krosnick, J.A. and L.A. Brannon. 1993. “The Impact of the Gulf War on the Ingredients of Presidential Evaluations: Multidimensional Effects of Political Involvement.” American Political Science Review 87:963-975. (JSTOR) - Entman, Robert M. 2003. Projections of Power: Framing News, Public Opinion, and U.S. Foreign Policy. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Chapter 2, pp. 29-49. - Jordan, D.L. and B.I. Page (1992) “Shaping Foreign Policy Opinions: The Role of TV News.” Journal of Conflict Resolution 36:227-241. (JSTOR) - Zaller, John. “Elite Leadership of Mass Opinion: New Evidence from the Gulf War.” In Taken by Storm (Chapter 9, pp. 186-209.)- Baum, Matthew A. 2002.“Sex, Lies and War: How Soft News Brings Foreign Policy to