Intensive Studies - Persuasion and Propaganda [UC-Santa Cruz] {Residential}

Comic book heroes punching dictators in the face and aircrafts papering the ground with pamphlets—these types of propaganda are easy to recognize, but what about contemporary ones, like bot-generated tweets, mudslinging political ads, misleading advertisements, and fact-distorting TV news reports? Without an objective distance from current events—and with ever subtler techniques for influencing opinions—how can we tell what is “fake news”? This course examines nonfiction sources from political systems around the world to analyze the ways people have swayed others to their points of view. Tracing these efforts throughout history, you and your classmates will become critical media consumers while learning to identify flawed premises and developing rhetorical strategies necessary to question and dissect conflicting messages. You’ll use these skills to construct and deliver your own persuasive arguments in written compositions, oral presentations, brief films, and public speeches.