Module manager: Julie Firmstone
Email: J.A.Firmstone@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) View Timetable
Year running 2025/26
This module is not approved as an Elective
his course investigates the role of public opinion in modern politics. It examines the way in which communication shapes public opinion, and how in turn public opinion affects politician and public policy making both in the domestic and the international arena. The course combines theoretical discussion of the key literature and an empirical survey project that allows students to practically apply a main empirical technique in public opinion research. The course begins with a discussion of theoretical approaches to public opinion and the extent to which media might, or might not, affect citizens’ attitudes on political issues. In a next step the course explores the empirical methods of survey research and public opinion polls. The course ends with a discussion as to how media framing of political issues shapes public opinion.
Objectives:
-To examine the way in which media and communication shapes public opinion
-To interrogate how public opinion affects politicians and public policy making in a range of arenas
-To explore the empirical methods of survey research and ways of measuring for media effects
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following learning outcomes relevant to the subject:
describe and critically evaluate theoretical explanations of the relationship between the media and public opinion, including media effects, on citizens’ attitudes and political behaviour;
design, conduct and evaluate a survey project on a chosen issue from domestic or international politics and report the empirical results in a professional manner;
understand basic functions of the software programme SPSS and be able to employ it for data processing;
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | 3 | |
| Practicals | 3 | 2 | 6 |
| Lecture | 9 | 1 | 9 |
| Seminar | 9 | 1 | 9 |
| Private study hours | 273 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 27 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 300 | ||
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Assignment | Group critical evaluation essay | 30 |
| Assignment | Individual Project Report | 70 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 100 | |
Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated
The reading list is available from the Library website
Last updated: 12/05/2025
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