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In almost no political systems do citizens have direct contact with their political representatives. One could say – and scholars of political communication have done so – that politicians operate in a highly mediatized environment, where media are citizens‘ principal source of political information. The field of political communication researches how politics is represented in the media. For example, how do people search for information about politics, and has this changed in the so-called digital era? How do people learn from political news, and when does political ideology interfere in this process? Do media contribute to policital polarization?

In this course, we focus on the impact of political information on public opinion and behavior. This course helps students to find answers to political communication questions with a combined theoretical and practical approach. 

Practicalities

• This online course takes place between 27 October 2025 and 12 December 2025.
• The course is worth 6 ECTS.
• The advised language level is English C1.
• The target group is Master’s students in Social Sciences. However, students outside this field of study are welcome to apply with an additional short motivation letter.  

Registration
Interested students can send an e-mail to shortmobility@vu.nl with the following details: 1) Name, 2) home university, 3) current Master programme and 4) obtained Bachelor degree.