Technology and Propaganda

Catalog description

Humans have long used propaganda as a form of communication. Across history, as new media technologies developed, the form, content, and reach of persuasive messaging has evolved with those advances, and propaganda has become an almost universally dirty word. In this course, we will develop a more precise understanding of propaganda, explore its relationship to persuasion, and pay particular attention to the role technology plays in our understanding of these terms, as well as their effectiveness. We will learn how to identify, analyze, and evaluate propaganda via historical and current examples, starting with its earliest purpose, derived from the Latin meaning, ?to sow? (seed), and concluding with generative AI?s role in propaganda campaigns today (slop). Throughout the semester, we will strengthen our ability to recognize and critically consider persuasive messages and propaganda campaigns in our technology-saturated, information-overloaded contemporary lives.