Dan F. Hahn is a Visiting Professor in the Department of Culture and Communication at New York University. Educated
at Kansas State University (B.S.), the University of Kansas (M.A.), and the University of Arizona (Ph.D.), he is
the author of more than two hundred articles, book chapters, and convention papers exploring aspects of political
communication. He also is coauthor of two books, Presidential Communication: Description and Analysis (with Robert
E. Denton, Jr.) and Listening for a President: A Citizen's Campaign Methodology (with Ruth Gonchar Brennan).
Dr. Hahn has chaired the departments of communication at Queens College and Florida Atlantic University. He has
served as president of the Eastern Communication Association. His recent honors include the National Speakers Association's
Outstanding Professor Award (1994), the Florida Communication Association's Scholar of the Year Award (1995), selection
for Who's Who Among America's Teachers (1996), the Eastern Communication Association's Distinguished Service Award
for lifetime contributions to the field (1996), and election as an Eastern Communication Association Research Fellow
(1996) and Teaching Fellow (1997).
Review
"Students gave it excellent reviews -- almost unheard of for a textbook.�It provides a good integration
of communication and politics; it is very accessible, yet not simple.It does a good job of showing how the media
are intertwined with politics and of providing students with a methodology for assessing candidates."
--Denise Bostdorff, College of Wooster
"Students love the book. [They] appreciate the writing style and the clarity of ideas.�[Especially valuable
is] the emphasis on citizenship and developing awareness (and, in turn, skills) in interpreting and evaluating
political rhetoric."
--Donna M. Kowal, SUNY Brockport
"Excellent general coverage of the range of political communication; well organized; attractively written."
--Robert J. Doolittle, University of Tulsa
"Good discussion of rhetorical perspective (especially metaphors)."
--Janis Edwards, Western Illinois University
"I like the sequence and pattern of organization.� [The] emphasis on rhetoric is significant. Use of Burke
skillful and very teachable!"
--Linda Hobgood, University of Richmond
"It offers a rhetorical and philosophical approach to the study of politics and communication."
--Pierre Rodgers, Morgan State University
"Chapters 1 � 4 present a useful approach to analyzing political communication."
--Laurinda Porter, St. Cloud State University
"[It covers] a wide range of interesting topics."
--Philip Voight, Gustavus Adolphus College
"Easy to read . . . good content."
--James L. Heflin, Cameron University
Strata Publishing, Inc. Web Site, November, 2002
Summary
This award-winning book presents politics as an essentially rhetorical process, a societal conversation that
is the essence of democracy. In this ongoing conversation among citizens, and between citizens and their government,
issues are shaped, ideology debated, decisions formed, and public policy created.
There have been enormous political and technological changes in the world in recent years, the author notes, yet
some things remain the same: for democracy to flourish, citizens must be active, critical participants in the societal
conversation.
Political Communication: Rhetoric, Government, and Citizens shows how students can rise to the challenge. The book
presents a basic framework for understanding major ideologies and shows how those ideologies reflect and are reflected
in political argument. It draws on contemporary theory and research to explore the language choices, metaphors,
and other rhetorical strategies that shape public discourse--and illustrates them with a rich array of historical
and contemporary events, issues, and political commentary.
Features:
*presents political communication as an ongoing societal dialogue about public issues such as education, welfare,
war, health care, and taxes, as well as election campaigns
*describes politics as a fundamentally rhetorical process, emphasizing language choices and their effects on how
issues are defined and public policy shaped
*explores the effects of euphemisms, social myths, government secrecy and surveillance, and common metaphors on
the democratic process
*emphasizes the skills and understandings necessary for citizens to take an active role in the democratic process
*provides a conceptual framework for understanding major political ideologies and how they influence perspectives
and arguments
*draws examples from a broad range of historical and contemporary issues, events, and political commentary
*highlights key concepts, societal contexts, and applications by opening each chapter with a pertinent quotation
and ending with questions for further consideration
Features of the New Edition:
*New, up-to-date examples and analyses reflect current political issues and discourse, showing the continuing importance
of concepts and principles.
*The rising significance of the Internet in politics, with its potential and limitations, is discussed in a new
appendix by Candace Todd and elsewhere in the book.
*Some material has been revised to be more accessible to students and more flexible to classroom needs. (See, for
example, Chapters 8 and 9, "Sexual Language and Politics" and "The Marriage Metaphor in Politics.")
