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PLAP 3140

Mass Media and American Politics
Last taught: Fall 2026
4.7 Rating
3.0 Difficulty
3.31 GPA

Instructor
4.5
Enjoyability
4.5
Difficulty
3.0
Recommend
5.0

Reading
2.0
Writing
0.0
Group Work
0.0
Other
0.0

Total Hours / Week

Hours 2.0

Grade Distribution

A: 683 (20.6%)A-: 759 (22.9%)B+: 710 (21.4%)B: 604 (18.2%)B-: 260 (7.9%)C+: 118 (3.6%)C: 73 (2.2%)C-: 25 (0.8%)DFW: 79 (2.4%)
Average GPA 3.31
Students Measured 3,311
Review Summary Updated April 7, 2026

You will get highly engaging, humorous lectures that connect directly to current events, but be prepared for a heavy weekly reading load that most students handle by strategically skimming for main arguments. Because slide decks and recordings are never posted, strict attendance and meticulous note-taking are mandatory to survive notoriously hyper-specific quizzes and finals that prioritize trivial lecture details and obscure authors over broad concepts. While vague paper rubrics and inconsistent TA grading mean you should not expect an automatic easy A, consistent preparation and consulting your discussion leader early on keeps the course highly manageable and genuinely rewarding for anyone interested in political media.

91 Reviews

Add Review
Anonymous Fall 2009
4.33 Average

Freedman is a terrific lecturer and the political ads are a lot of fun to watch.

Instructor 4.0
Enjoyability 4.0
Recommend 5.0
Difficulty 4.0
Hours/Week 0.0
Anonymous Fall 2009
5.00 Average

This class is AWESOME!! I took it in summer school, but I feel it would be just as great during the school year. Professor Freedman truly cares about his students and teaches material in an interesting and fun way.

Instructor 5.0
Enjoyability 5.0
Recommend 5.0
Difficulty 2.0
Hours/Week 4.0