PS 527 The Politics of Public Opinion

Course provides students with solid foundations for understanding the nature and evaluating the role of public opinion in American democracy. It will also teach students how to interpret public opinion polls intelligently. Specific topics covered will include how "public opinion" has been defined historically and in contemporary discourse; the various influences that shape peoples' values, beliefs, and attitudes about politics; the methods that pollsters and survey researchers use to measure public opinion and problems with those methods; and the content of Americans' views on controversial political issues. Also offered for undergraduate-level credit as PS 427 and may be taken only once for credit. Expected preparation: PS 318.