The University of Washington
offers a unique opportunity for prospective Ph.D. students who wish to study
political communication. Faculty in the departments of Communication, Political
Science, and Technical Communication have integrated their teaching and research
to provide an interdisciplinary Ph.D. concentration in this area of study.
Prospective students must
apply to the graduate program of one of the participating
departments. Those accepted for graduate study in one of the departments
will then complete this program within the degree requirements of that home
department. Financial support is also tied to the student's home department,
although some research and teaching assistant positions may become available
in other departments. Faculty supervisory committees may include members from
different departments, and students are required to do coursework that crosses
departmental boundaries.
Upon completion of the
departmental Ph. D. and the requirements of this program, students will receive
certification in Political Communication from the program committee. More importantly,
students in the interdisciplinary political communication concentration have
the opportunity to work with more than a dozen faculty from the three core departments
and other social science and humanities disciplines, making this one of the
largest and highest quality programs in this field anywhere in the world. Our
ability to dissolve traditional departmental boundaries, to offer a rich menu
of courses, and to provide prominent faculty mentors should enhance the career
opportunities of our graduates.
Political communication
encompasses a broad range of subjects that cross traditional academic divisions.
The way we communicate influences political life, civic culture, and smaller
communities, groups, and organizations. In turn, politics and government shape
the media institutions and discourses through which people communicate. Individual
graduate students in the Ph.D. concentration will study various aspects of political
communication. For example, some students will look at how political elites,
journalists, and interest groups shape public opinion, whereas others will focus
their studies on the complex dynamics of political conversations among citizens.
Some will examine how public policies have shaped national and international
media systems, such as the Internet, whereas others may focus on the interplay
of contemporary political rhetoric and emerging political cultures.
In addition to completing
coursework on these subjects, Ph.D. students in the political communication
concentration conduct original research, working alongside faculty to gain first-hand
experience designing, implementing, and reporting on studies. To undertake these
collaborative projects and complete their own doctoral dissertations, students
take methodology courses tailored to their particular line of inquiry. Drawing
on their diverse backgrounds, faculty offer students courses and research opportunities
that emphasize a range of approaches, including content, discourse, and textual
analyses; survey and experimental work; ethnography and interviewing; and historical
analysis. A significant strength of our faculty and graduates is the ability
to utilize a mix of methodological perspectives. We also offer a variety of
settings for student research, including research seminars, individual projects
with faculty, and the facilities of the Center
for Communication and Civic Engagement. This combination of research training
and collaborative work has resulted in student publications, many co-authored
with faculty, in the top journals in the field.
University
of Washington
Interdisciplinary
Ph.D. Concentration
in Political Communication
Studying
Political Communication at Washington