Politics and the Media

Politics and the Media: Film and Television for the Political Scientist and Historian focuses on the use of film and television in the study of history and political science. Television-based history teaching in the context of the traditional university is discussed, along with the impact of broadcasting in democratic politics and the possibilities of using film in courses on American government and politics. This book is comprised of 14 chapters and begins with an analysis of some of the ramifying problems of media production in the political field, paying particular attention to the priorities and constraints within which the political message has been conceived, stored, and transmitted. The experience of the BBC in the presentation of political and current affairs on television is highlighted. Attention turns to problems associated with availability of material; the political content of broadcasting; and Hollywood feature films as social and political evidence. Subsequent chapters explore film as a teaching resource; the structural approach to film analysis; broadcast television archives; and audiovisual sources and research into modern British politics. The final chapter presents an annotated list of some European film collections. This monograph will be of value to political scientists, historians, teachers, students, researchers, and the general public interested in broadcast media.