Campaign U is an initiative of Fox 5 and American University that will help frame the important issues of the 2008 presidential election.
Twenty students will analyze the candidates and campaigns in written presentations and a live webcast .
Our hope is through their research and analysis you will get a better understanding of the proposals of the candidates.
Each week student teams will examine issues from such aspects as campaign ads and speeches, internet sites and blogs, polls, TV,newspaper and magazine coverage, outrage and humor and interest groups.
We hope you enjoyed our Campaign U project and maybe picked up some information that helped you make informed decisions this election season.
You can check out all the class summaries below.
Campaign Ads (campaign ads, party ads, independent group ads, web ads, radio ads)
Campaign Speeches (presidential and vice presidential candidates as well as surrogates) Internet Sites and Blogs (any campaign, party, or partisan site for or against a candidate) Polls (analysis of any and all national and statewide polls particularly in battleground states) TV News Coverage (cable, network and PBS shows) Outrage and Humor (talk radio and all late-night political comedy) Newspapers (news coverage, columns and editorials from the major dailies and papers in key battleground states) Magazines (newsweeklies, political and partisan magazines, internet magazines Slate and Salon) Issue Check (what the candidates are saying about issues, how they’re framing issues to their advantage, whether they’re distorting the other side’s position, whether they’re telling the truth) Constituencies and Interest Groups (minorities, seniors, religious conservatives, unions, environmentalists, gun owners, women, etc. – how the campaigns are playing to them, and what interest groups representing these constituencies are doing to influence the campaign)
Professor Leonard Steinhorn, a professor in the School of Communication, has taught at American University since 1995 and is recognized as a
leading expert on American politics, culture, and media.
Named Political Analyst for FOX-5 News and appearing on their news shows
regularly to analyze the campaign, Steinhorn is reprising a course that he taught in 2000 and 2004. Presidential Campaign 2008: Inside the War Room and the News Room will be covered by Fox 5 throughout the election season.
Fox 5 Reporter Tom Fitzgerald will be following the Campaign U class throughout the semester. Tom will be monitoring chats during the discussion to help you participate in the process. Then watch Tom's reports on Fox 5 News and here for complete analysis of the week's topics.
American University’s
School of Communication
is a laboratory for professional education, communication research, and innovative production across the fields
of journalism, film and media arts, and public communication. The school’s academic programs emphasize traditional skills and values while anticipating new technologies, new opportunities, and new audiences.
School of Communications Covers the 2008 PRIMARIES:Students spent five whirlwind days producing great work in New Hampshire for Special Topics in News Media: Covering the 2008 Presidential Election, a new course.
