32502

WiSe 20/21: Democracy, Disinformation and Deception

Curd Benjamin Knüpfer

Comments

This BA-level seminar will examine the ways in which democratic forms of collective deliberation might be susceptible to willful disinformation campaigns. To do so, we will examine the connection between democratic forms of governance – which depend on public deliberation processes and inclusive media formats – and willful forms of mass deception by political elites or organized interests. Select readings will seek to delineate various concepts such as misinformation, disinformation, propaganda, and PR. Other readings will provide historical and contemporary examples for how such information campaigns may play out. Finally, we will address how democratic societies can develop forms of resilience against the spread of misperception. To do so, we will consider the roles journalism, academia, and pluralistic public spheres might play in limiting the spread and effects of disinformation. Besides gaining historical and theoretical insights, the main learning goal of this seminar is to familiarize students with the task of methodically reading, summarizing, and discussing scholarly texts as well as analytical concepts. To do so, students will be expected to carefully study and prepare all of the required reading materials. Additionally, they will be asked to take part in group-work wherein they will be asked to present a secondary text in specific week. These presentations will follow a set structure. A specific outline and template will be provided at the start of the semester. In these early classes, students will also need to self-select into small working groups in order to coordinate and collectively complete this task. Students seeking to obtain full credit will be asked to write response papers throughout the semester and complete a take-home exam in essay form within the first week of the semester break. DUE TO THE EXPECTED CORONAVIRUS RELATED DISTANCING MEASURES IN THE FALL, THIS CLASS WILL BE HELD ENTIRELY ONLINE. The sessions will generally take place in real-time via Webex. However, please also note that my partner and I are expecting our first child this Fall. The due-date coincides with the first week of the semester (yikes!). Depending on how things go, you might see a little less of me during these early weeks and we may have to resort to an asynchronous format for a couple of the early sessions. close