Sylabus
POL364: Political Campaigns Around the Globe: Selected Case Studies
Room: U41
Day & Time: Tuesday, 5.00 p.m. – 6.30 p.m.
Lecturers: Mgr. Otto Eibl, Ph.D. (eibl@fss.muni.cz)

Mgr. Miloš Gregor (mgregor@fss.muni.cz)
Mgr. Michal Pink, Ph.D. (mpink@email.cz)
Assignments: final exam, team presentation, active engagement in the classes.
Course Objectives:
The course focuses on selected case studies of political campaigns and its development
in different countries. The aim of the course is to provide students a brief but contextual
awareness of campaign differences among countries. The course covers mainly historical
and practical approach, therefore some basic knowledge of political marketing theory is
convenient but not necessary. Classes will be dedicated especially to the European
countries, but the U.S. will be covered, too. Students will also learn what the electoral
rules are applied and what political system is in the countries and how these affects a
style of the political campaigns. The course is taught in English.
Knowledge Acquisition: Students will be required to keep up with the required readings,
to attend class sessions, to engage in web research etc. in order to deepen
their knowledge base.
Critical Thinking: Students will be required to use critical thinking skills in order
to evaluate introduced case study examples throughout the class sessions.
Team presentation:
Students will choose one of two options. The first one includes team presentations
introducing political system and factors affecting the election campaigns in the
selected country (party system, electoral system, etc.). These presentation will take
place during the classes dedicated to the specific country (the U.S., Russia,
Slovakia, Lithuania, Austria, France, Poland and Hungary).
The second option is to deliver a presentation analyzing political campaigns in any
country not mentioned during the course (excl. the Czech Republic). There will be
presentations of three different countries on May 10. These presentations will focus
more on campaigns than to the party or election system. Selection of the country
has to be approved by one of the lecturer.
Each country can be chosen just by one team. The length of every presentation is
20 minutes.
Grading:
A: 100 - 93 B: 92 - 85 C: 84 - 77 D: 76 - 69 E: 68 - 60 F: 59 - 0
Presentation – maximum 40 points; final exam – maximum 60 points.
Course structure:
1. Week (February 23) – Introduction
2. Week (Aula; March 2, 1.30 pm) – SPECIAL GUEST LECTURE: Jessica N. Grounds:

Women Ready for Presidency: How to Organize a Grassroots Movement
3. Week (March 8) – United States
4. Week (March 15) – Slovakia
5. Week (March 22) – Russia
6. Week (March 29) – Reading Week (no lecture)
7. Week (April 5) – Hungary
8. Week (April 12) – France
9. Week (April 19) – Austria
10. Week (April 26) – Poland
11. Week (May 3) – Lithuania
12. Week (May 10) – Student Presentations
13. Week (May 17) – Exam
Required Literature:
‣ Cwalina, W.; Falkowski, A. 2006. Political Communication and Advertising in
Poland. In: Kaid, L.L. (ed). The Sage Handbook of Political Advertising.
Thousand Oaks/ London/ New York: SAGE Publications; pp. 325–342.
‣ De Smaele, H. 2006. In the Name of Democracy. In: Voltmer, K. (ed.). Mass
Media and Political Communication in New Democracies. London/ New York:
Routledge; pp. 35–48.
‣ Dolezal, M.; Zeglovits, E. 2014. Almost an Earthquake: The Austrian
Parliamentary Election of 2013. West European Politics; Vol. 37, No. III; pp.
644–652.
‣ Franz, M.M. 2011. Political Advertising. In: S.C. Craig & D.B. Hill (eds.). The
Electoral Challenge. Washington: CQ Press; pp. 117–143.
‣ Gates, S. 2006. Where’s the party? Television and election campaigns in
Russia. In: Voltmer, K. (ed.). Mass Media and Political Communication in New
Democracies. London/ New York: Routledge; pp. 130–144.
‣ Haughton, T.; Novotná, T.; Deegan-Krause, K. 2011. The 2010 Czech and
Slovak Elections: Red Cards to the ‘Winners’. West Europe Politics. Vol. 34, No.
II; pp. 394–402.
‣ Kavanagh, D. 1995. Election Campaigning. The New Marketing of Politics.
Oxford: Blackwell, pp. 8–45.
‣ Maarek, Philippe J. 2007. The Evolution of French Political Communication:
research the Limits of Professionalisation? In: „The Professionalisation of
Political Communication“ Ed. Negrine, R., Mancini, P., Holtz-Bacha, Ch.,
Papathanassopoulos, S. Bristol/Chicago: Intellect Books; pp.145–160.
‣ Mihályffy, Z. 2014. Target audience and segmentation in the 2010 Fidesz
campaign. In: J. Lees-Marshment. Political marketing. Principles and
applications. London, New York: Routledge, second edition; pp. 93–95.
‣ Ridder, R. 2015. Some New and Old Rules for 2016 Presidential Campaigns.
Journal of Political Marketing, Vol. 14, No. III.; pp. 223-228.
‣ Ramonaite, A. 2010. Voting Advice Applications in Lithuania: Promoting
Programmatic Competition or Breeding Populism? Policy & Internet. Vol. 2, No.
I.; pp. 117–147.
‣ Shea, D.M.; Burton, M.J. 2006. Campaign Craft. The Strategies, Tactics, and Art
of Political Campaign Management. Westport: Prayer Publisher, third edition;
pp. 31–46.
‣ Thurber, J. A. 2004. The Transformation of American Campaigns in the TwentyFirst
Century. In: J.A. Thurber & C. J. Nelson (eds). Campaigns and Elections
American Style. Colorado: Westview Press, second edition; pp 1–16.
Recommended Literature:
‣ Davies, P.J.; Newman, B.I. 2006. Winning Elections with Political Marketing.
New Your, London, Oxford: The Haworth Press.
‣ Lees-Marshment, J. 2014. Political marketing. Principles and applications.
London, New York: Routledge, second edition.
‣ Shea, D.M.; Burton, M.J. 2006. Campaign Craft. The Strategies, Tactics, and Art
of Political Campaign Management. Westport: Prayer Publisher, third edition.
‣ Thurber, J.A.; Nelson, C.J. (eds.) 2004. Campaigns and Elections American
Style. Colorado: Westview Press, second edition.