ABSTRACT
Political communication traces its roots to the earliest formal studies of communication. Classical studies from the time of Plato and Aristotle were interested in communication as it affected the political and legal institutions of the day. As a modern fi eld of study, political communication, while incorporating this earlier focus, is an interdisciplinary fi eld embracing concepts from communication, political science, journalism, sociology, psychology, history, and others. Unlike many of the traditional areas of study, political communication refl ects communication theory, concern, and research from both mass and human approaches to communication.
