Course Details in 2023/24 Session

Module Title	LC Art of Persuasion A: Propaganda and Public Discourse
School	Phil, Theology and Religion
Department	Philosophy
Module Code	08 33079
Module Lead	Wouter Peters
Level	Certificate Level
Credits	10
Semester	Semester 1
Pre-requisites
Co-requisites
Restrictions	None
Contact Hours	Lecture-10 hours Seminar-5 hours Guided independent study-85 hours Total: 100 hours
Exclusions
Description	Modern life bombards us with information meant to convince and persuade. According to some recent work in philosophy, we have indeed come to live in a ‘post-truth era’, an era in which the truth of messages has become far less important than the intentions of the messenger. This module investigates phenomena such as fake news, ‘bullshit’, and propaganda. On the basis of analysis of current events as well as iconic examples in public discourse, the aim of the module is to develop students’ awareness of the modes of persuasion central in these phenomena and critical reasoning skills to counteract them.
Learning Outcomes	By the end of the module students should be able to: Identify and understand important phenomena in the public discourse in which persuasion (rather than truth) is central. These phenomena might include those listed above as well as advertisement, rhetorical tricks, and common argumentation fallacies; Critically assess modes of persuasion in the public discourse; Debunk problematic instantiations of the public discourse.
Assessment	33079-01 : Canvas Quiz 1 (1500 words) : Coursework (50%) 33079-02 : Canvas Quiz 2 (1500 words) : Coursework (50%)
Assessment Methods & Exceptions	Assessment: 1 x On-line Canvas Quiz 1500 words (50%) And 1 x On-line Canvas Quiz 1500 words (50%) Reassessment: Same as assessment.
Other
Reading List