ISKERA01 Disinformation Pandemic: How to Fight It

Faculty of Arts
Autumn 2021
Extent and Intensity
1/1/0. 4 credit(s). Type of Completion: k (colloquium).
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Veronika Batelková (lecturer)
RNDr. Michal Černý, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
PhDr. Petr Škyřík, Ph.D.
Department of Information and Library Studies – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Mgr. Alice Lukavská
Supplier department: Department of Information and Library Studies – Faculty of Arts
Timetable
Wed 12:00–13:40 L41
Prerequisites
SOUHLAS
The course is open also for Czech and Slovak students, not just for exchange students. You can enrol by asking for permission. For more information, read the article here: https://veronikabatelkova.cz/en/blog-en/course/
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is offered to students of any study field.
The capacity limit for the course is 20 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 1/20, only registered: 0/20, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/20
Course objectives
The course aims to increase media literacy among students and develop their critical thinking skills and other competencies needed for life in the information society of the 21st century. Students will gather the knowledge to create the concept and possible future movement activities devoted to critical thinking and media literacy. The course is partly based on the Media and Information Literacy Framework by UNESCO.
Learning outcomes
After completing the course, a student will be able to:
- evaluate information critically and reveal information from disinformation;
- understand some factors influencing media messages;
- recognise several manipulation techniques;
- discuss the difference between traditional and social media regarding the disinformation process;
- compare positive and negative aspects of social media;
- be aware of biases and other influences connected to revealing disinformation;
- design and develop future projects on the topic.
Syllabus
  • 1. Introduction - course contents, assignments, get to know each other, defining needs and planning the semester
  • 2. Key terms - disinformation, hoax, fake news, conspiracy theories, propaganda,
  • 3. Sources, traditional versus new media, social media, algorithms, bots, trolling
  • 4. Fact-checking, debunking disinformation
  • 5. Manipulation, context, cognitive psychology, confirmation bias and other effects
  • 6. Active citizenship, effective discussion, role of education, NGOs, projects
  • 7. Design thinking - introduction and empathise phase
  • 8. Defining a problem
  • 9. Ideation, how to solve the problem?
  • 10. First ideas, concretisation
  • 11. First prototypes, feedback session
  • 12. Project final presentation
Literature
    required literature
  • Lewandowsky, S. et al.(2020). The Debunking Handbook 2020. Available at https://sks.to/db2020. DOI:10.17910/b7.1182
    recommended literature
  • BARTLETT, Bruce R. The truth matters : a citizen's guide to separating facts from lies and stopping fake news in its tracks. First edition. New York: Ten speed press, 2017, 136 stran. ISBN 9780399581168. info
  • LAGARDE, Jennifer and Darren HUDGINS. Fact vs. fiction : teaching critical thinking skills in the age of fake news. First edition. Portland, Oregon: International society for technology in education, 2018, xi, 147. ISBN 9781564847041. info
  • ZUBOFF, Shoshana. The age of surveillance capitalism : the fight for a human future at the new frontier of power. First edition. New York: Public Affairs, 2019, x, 691. ISBN 9781610395694. info
  • KAHNEMAN, Daniel. Thinking, fast and slow. London: Penguin Books, 2012, 499 s. ISBN 9780141033570. info
Teaching methods
- Lectures
- Class discussion
- Group or individual homework
Assessment methods
- Active participation during class discussion
- Final group/individual project
Language of instruction
English
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Study Materials
The course is taught annually.
Information on course enrolment limitations: Exchange students only
Teacher's information
https://veronikabatelkova.cz/en/blog-en/course/
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2022, Autumn 2023.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Autumn 2021, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/phil/autumn2021/ISKERA01