This course introduces the key arguments about political persuasion within the field of political behavior and will critically assess the relevance of these arguments in a digital context. The first part of the course will introduce the key arguments about politi- cal persuasion within the field of political behavior. We will walk through the classical arguments of political persuasion: Which actors have traditionally been understood as influential political actors and why? What are the mechanisms by which these actors are influencing their audience? We will go through the main actors and arguments one by one. This part of the course will introduce the classical arguments for the persuasive power of parties, friends, media, and celebrities. Moreover, it will provide an introduc- tion to traditional theories of influence that explain the persuasive power of each of these actors.

In the second part of the course, we will critically assess the relevance of these per- suasive mechanisms in a digital context. To do so, we start discussing the structural differences between political persuasion online and offline — and if such a distinction is even meaningful. In this block, students will be introduced to more qualitative and critical contemporary diagnoses of ”the digital.” These texts are meant to introduce key discussions among scholars of the digital space. What is different in a digital space? What are the main discussions? This session will give students a good starting point for further research if they are interested in the digital sphere. In the third part of the course, we will look at more modern digital actors, such as influencers, YouTubers, streamers, etc., and discuss their role in politics. This session will introduce state-of-the-art literature on the persuasive power of modern digital actors. We will discuss how they have been theorized and the persuasive mechanisms driving their influence.