Propaganda and Persuasion gives you a one-of-a-kind opportunity to explore the powerful, fascinating, and at times dangerous world of influence. Taught by Professor Dannagal G. Young of the University of Delaware, these 12 eye-opening lectures arm you with the tools of effective communication and the insight to understand—and perhaps resist—persuasion in all its forms.
Propaganda and Persuasion
Explore the world of influence in the era of mass media.
Rated 1 out of
5
by
Unhappytoday from
One Star, Wish It Could Be Zero
The lecturer may be a subject matter expert, but she lost all credibility with me when, from the very first lecture, she could not refrain from injecting her own progressive political biases into the material. Apparently, only right-wingers and Nazis (the National SOCIALIST Party, I remind you):
1) Use propaganda. (For example, the cartoon propagandist on the cover is wearing a red tie.)
2) Hate and disparage out-groups.
3) Believe in conspiracy theories. (Yet we are expected to believe that the "RussiaGate" hoax was real, and that Russian internet trolls were the only reason Trump beat
Clinton. Show me the proof!)
Derogatory remarks about a former President (now President-elect), 2nd Amendment supporters, and Covid vaccine skeptics; added to adoration for "the Vice President" and Hillary Clinton, met the lecturer's own definition of what constitutes propaganda.
Unacceptable.
I am not a crank. I own well over 200 courses from the Teaching Company, and this is only the second time I have had to write an unfavorable review.
Date published: 2024-12-10
Rated 1 out of
5
by
B Money from
This course is propagandistic
Ironically, this course about propaganda is itself rife with propaganda. It has an extremely clear left-wing bias which is obvious in its choices of analogy, often using conservatives, anti-immigration, and anti-vaccine people as propagators of disinformation. This WOULD be fine if they also used examples of left-wing propaganda, of which there are many, but curiously they do not do this.
Very ironic! A course about propaganda which uses propaganda itself. Big oof! And big pass.
Date published: 2024-07-01
Rated 5 out of
5
by
cpr_norcal from
Bullseye
This course was very topical as it dissected the mechanics of propaganda and mis/dis-information. Unfortunately, we live in a time where demonizing the "out" party is done at the highest levels and bizarre conspiracy theories are rampant. Dr. Young explored and explained the mechanics of social manipulation in clear and revealing detail. An excellent and extremely relevant course, it held my interest very much.
Date published: 2024-03-10
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Fred99 from
Excellent analysis of propaganda and persuasion
The historical and contemporary examples used to support the topics are well-researched and clearly presented. This course provides a roadmap to help one navigate through the vast amounts of misinformation that surrounds us.
Date published: 2023-10-14
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Ken Schauer from
Excellent Compliment to other Great Courses
This series of lectures on Propaganda and Persuasion by Dr. Young integrates nicely into several other related courses from The Teaching Company, such as:
• Understanding Cognitive Biases
• Your Deceptive Mind: A Scientific Guide to Critical Thinking Skills
• Fighting Misinformation: Digital Media Literacy
• How You Decide: The Science of Human Decision Making
• How Ideas Spread
• Storytelling and the Human Condition
• The Art of Storytelling: From Parents to Professionals
• The Art of Video Storytelling
Individually, each of these courses provide valuable insights into how our minds work. Collectively, they help us become more aware of our individual limitations while providing us with a hopeful suite of tools and perspectives that can help us overcome those limitations.
The only negative point I would make about Dr. Young’s Propaganda and Persuasion lectures was the all-to-frequent use of visual vignetting. I don’t know what message (if any) that was intended to convey, or perhaps what visual elements it was intending to cover, but I found it to be distracting and rather annoying.
Date published: 2023-08-28
Rated 3 out of
5
by
TheAflacDuck from
Could be WAY better - the delivery is lacking
This documentary could be WAY better than it is - but the content is designed like reading off the dictionary to you. It doesn't matter if the host is trying to present the content as a lecture: If I went and read the dictionary off to you - as a condensed, rapid-fire - you'd say the same thing > What am I even supposed to take away from reading off the dictionary one page after the other? It doesn't come across as a focused topic, that's for sure.
Date published: 2023-08-20
Rated 3 out of
5
by
loveknoweledgehatecollege from
Important topic. Weak professor.
ugggh. It feels so weird to be taught by a left-wing professor. I feel like I am being told to sit still in a first-grade class. She seems to lack the pizazz of her favorite professors. Her examples are cliche or woke or just does not have a discerning sense of what is going on. For example, she uses Covid messaging and just misses what had happened during that time. She uses her platform to take potshots at Trump. Her style of teaching reflects a sense of failed authoritarian wokeness that secretly or unknowingly espouses. Listen to the lecture because it's important, but try not to be repulsed. YOU CAN DO BETTER GREAT COURSES!
Date published: 2023-07-26
Rated 4 out of
5
by
DaGeek from
Timely Course
A very timely course for our times. I found it a good survey of the subject of propaganda and I thought the presenter did a good job.
I found it worth my time and would recommend it.
Date published: 2023-07-14
Overview
About
Dannagal G. Young is a Professor of Communication at the University of Delaware. She received her PhD in Communication from the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg School for Communication. In addition to her books Irony and Outrage and Wrong, she has written more than 60 academic articles and book chapters and has published extensively in the popular press. She has also appeared on CNN, NPR, and various national and international podcasts. Her 2020 TED talk explaining how our psychology shapes our politics has been viewed 2 million times.
Trailer
01: How Propaganda and Persuasion Differ
Your course begins with an introduction to persuasion. What is it and how is it different from coercion, manipulation, and propaganda? After considering free will and how people must choose to change an attitude or belief, you will reflect on the ethics of persuasion and the social responsibility of those hoping to persuade us.
29 min
02: Early Fears of Mass Persuasion
The rise of mass media in the 20th century fundamentally changed the human experience. Now the masses could have collective experiences through mass communication. Social scientists wondered whether these forces would improve society or make individuals subject to manipulation. Explore the beginnings of “public relations.”
30 min
03: Propaganda of the Third Reich
One of the most consequential demonstrations of mass mediated propaganda comes from the Third Reich. Examine how Nazi leaders studied mass media and used it to build an authoritarian regime of death and destruction. See how the concepts of “manipulation,” “canalization,” and “supplementation” lay the groundwork for propaganda.
38 min
04: Persuasion of the American Consumer
After World War II, mass media took another giant leap with the development of consumer advertising techniques that relied on meaning rather than features to sell products. Delve into the world of “Mad Men” to see how they shaped American life—and propped up the American economy in the post-war era.
30 min
05: The Role of Attitudes in Persuasion
If persuasion is about changing attitudes, what is an “attitude”? In this lecture, consider how attitudes are learned feelings about some object, how attitudes are formed, and how they can be changed. Your study takes you into the wild world of market research, cognitive dissonance, social biases, and other concepts.
33 min
06: Rational and Irrational Paths to Persuasion
Long before mass media existed, Aristotle wrote about “pathos” (an appeal to our emotions) and “logos” (an appeal to reason) as approaches to persuasion. Today, are we won over by the head or the heart? Here, you will examine the complex interplay of the rational and the irrational—and the connection to our motivations.
27 min
07: Persuading with Reason
How do you explain the difference between what someone says and how they act? The “theory of reasoned action” and the “theory of planned behavior” offer insights into the complicated world of decision-making. Professor Young illustrates when persuasion by reason is the right approach.
27 min
08: Persuading with Emotion
Fear is a powerful tool of persuasion. By studying examples from political advertising and public health campaigns, you will see how messages that are threatening can produce fear and how that can motivate us toward action. But as you will uncover, fear alone may not be enough to persuade people to act.
30 min
09: Persuading with Humor, Stories, and Framing
Shift your attention from the fearful to the funny. Consider how storytelling affects our emotions and how it can persuade us by allowing us to root for a protagonist. In a similar vein, humor and satire disarm our resistance to persuasion. Find out what happens in your mind when you hear a good joke.
31 min
10: Persuading through Social Identity
Identity has a strong hold on our lives. Self-categorization, social comparisons, and group norms are all elements of our “social identity,” which shape our attitudes in ways we might not expect. Learn how in-group and out-group thinking influence what we value, what we believe, and how we behave.
30 min
11: Propaganda and Persuasion in Social Media
The mass media of the 20th century has given way to social media in the 21st century, which creates a host of new challenges around propaganda. Delve into some of the ways digital technologies, in general, and social media, in particular, are used to spread propaganda. Learn to guard yourself against new forms of media manipulation.
33 min
12: Misinformation: Audience over Message
Beyond propaganda, conspiracy theories flourish in our age of new digital media. Survey the strategies of how false information is constructed and spread across audiences—and why conspiracy theories are different from, and more dangerous than, simple misinformation.
35 min
