*This is a flexible (FLEX) learning course.  There are NO LIVE MEETINGS.  This class should count as an English or History elective, check with your State Guidelines for more information.

  At its most basic, propaganda is biased or misleading information circulated through some form of mass media with the intent of promoting a political agenda, consumer action or a viewpoint. Propaganda is deliberately not objective and is usually part of a larger psychological campaign to influence people towards specific action and opinions. It may include outright lies or more subtle misinformation and censorship.  It is imperative in today's political atmosphere that we teach students how to identify, define and explain in literature, media, and art (both historical and current) where propaganda is present.  Students will look past what is in front of them and discuss the strategies used, both what is said and shown, but also, what is unspoken.
       In this class the instructor will cover close to 50 types of propaganda.  Each week the instructor will identify, define and give examples of 3-4 types of propaganda through a video posted on Mondays. The video will both explain the different types of propaganda and give examples that the teacher will discuss with the students. Students will have the opportunity to pause the video and fill out their worksheets as they progress.  Worksheets are provided each week and should be posted in the learner tab upon completion.  After watching, students will then either do a writing exercise that illustrates discussed propaganda or they will go on an internet propaganda scavenger hunt to see if they can find examples of at least two of the four types discussed. Students will post their findings or writings under a weekly discussion tab in the classroom. Each student is required to respond to two students' posts each week.  They will state if they agree with the student and the examples given. Participants will make sure to change students weekly so that everyone receives comments. They will have specific items to discuss on each others' pages.   They will also state what types of propaganda they see present when appropriate and what they believe the intent is behind the example.  Teacher will provide weekly feedback before the next class.  
     Please note that you want to choose your email carefully;  whichever email you choose to use, it will receive all postings from the classroom.  If you do not see the postings, check your spam folder or contact the instructor. Traditional grading is available upon request.  Students should have their assignment complete by Friday so that the teacher and other students can comment and discuss their findings before the next lesson. It is not unusual for students to find items with more than one form of propaganda.  
     Grades are based on completed handouts, postings, comments, and a final propaganda commercial (media) or persuasive essay (literature) that will be discussed at the midpoint of the course.  The essay is optional and I recognize that there are neurodiverse learners and will do everything I can to accommodate.  Please make sure to give me two to three days to answer your emails, usually I will get to them within 24 hours.  I follow a traditional American holiday schedule and will not hold classes on holidays. 

Videos and worksheets are the property of the instructor and should not be duplicated or shared with anyone besides enrolled students.

Weekly Sample:

Week One:  What is propaganda? 
 Students will discuss various definitions of propaganda and how it differs from misinformation.  Students will also reflect on their own personal experiences with propaganda by writing down and sharing their encounters with each other on our weekly discussion board. Students will create their own definition of propaganda and explain their choice on the weekly discussion board.  Teacher will provide multiple definitions and begin discussing types of propaganda.  Selected Types: Plain Folk, Bandwagon, Repetition and Appeal to Authority.   Students will walk away having a better understanding of what propaganda is, how it differs from misinformation and bias, and they will understand their first four types of propaganda and how they are historically used in both political and commercial settings.

Week Two:  
Review week one.  We will review the previous week at the beginning of each class.
Wartime Propaganda Handout and Lecture. 
Discuss objectives and tools used to disseminate wartime propaganda. Students will go on a propaganda scavenger hunt and post examples of war propaganda in our weekly folder and write the types of propaganda they believe are present. Classmates will discuss why they agree or disagree with other students choices. They can also discuss what they see present in each of the offered pieces of propaganda. Selected Types:  Name Calling/Labeling, Glittering Generalities, Demonization, Catchy Slogans, and Patriotic Appeals. 

Week Three:   Propaganda in Literature Handout and Lecture. 
 Soviet leader Joseph Stalin once described writers as “the engineers of the human soul.”  “The production of souls is more important than the production of tanks,” he claimed. Stalin clearly believed that literature was a powerful political tool—and he was willing to execute writers whose works were deemed traitorous to the Soviet Union.   This week students will discuss examples of propaganda in literature and how it is used to influence people.  Selected Types:  Emphasizing one point,  Flag Waving, Euphoria, Card Stacking.  Students will view the teacher explaining how propaganda makes its way into literature.  We will discuss books and examine excerpts from texts such as Animal Farm, Hitlerjunge quex, Fahrenheit 451 and 1984.   Students will all post excerpts from books they love that they believe include literary propaganda and comment on each others findings.

Week Four:   Propaganda in Media Handout.  
Students will examine advocacy journalism, private versus public media ownership, and media bias.  Selected Types:  Obfuscation, Managing the News, Quotes out of context and Oversimplification.  Each student will look at a current news topic and find multiple written sources on the same topic (newspaper articles work best).  They will then show three differences in the reporting style of each newspaper.  Students will pay close attention to evidence in each piece of writing.  Is there any credible evidence?  Is the article based on fact? 

Week Five:  Propaganda Posters and Symbolism Handout.
Students will learn how to interpret visual sources such as posters.  Selected Types:  Stereotypes, Cult of Personality, Beautiful People, and Scapegoating.  This week students will go on a scavenger hunt and post pictures or videos of propaganda that demonstrates each of these types. Students will also write an interpretation of one of the posters.

Week Six:  Propaganda and Social Media Handout. 
 Final Project Discussion. Primary Sources due next week.  Selected Types:  Seek Simple Answers, Manipulating Numbers, Disinformation, Big Lie and Dictat.   Students will create a social media/snapchat post or video of their own choosing that demonstrate one of our four types of propaganda from the week (required) and can add others as well.  Students will upload their homework to the weekly class discussion thread but should not tell what type of propaganda they are demonstrating.  Students will guess and explain their choices on each students' project post.

Week Seven:  Diversion and Evasion/Propaganda for hire handout.
Believe it or not many employers will want employees to know how to develop propaganda that diverts the publics' attention. Political strategist or campaign manager are jobs where your skills may truly come into question.  This is your chance to become an employee and write catchy ads where the strategy is to deflect and/or evade.  Students will answer two of four questions on their weekly handout and post to our weekly thread.  Types discussed include:  Scapegoat, Ad Hominem, Non-Sequitur, and The Wicked Alternative.  

Week Eight:   Human Behavioral Tendencies, Mental Capacities and Processes Handout and Lecture.  
 We will revisit Plain Folk, and Bandwagon propaganda while learning the following selected types: Transfer, Appeal to Prejudice, Ad Nauseum Repetition and Testimonial.  Students will go on an online scavenger hunt to find examples of propaganda that appeal to a "follower" type mentality.

Week Nine:   Faulty Logic Techniques Handout and Lecture.
This week students will answer a handout based on a politician they admire and Post Hoc Propaganda.  They will post for the class to read and comment.  We will be discussing Simplification, Concurrency, Post Hoc, Generalizations and Faulty Analogy.

Week Ten:  
Techniques That Involve Falsehood or Trickery Handout and Lecture
Selected Types:  Quoting out of Context, Use of Numbers to Impress, False Dilemma, Leading Questions and Exaggeration of Consequences. Students will write a quotation out of context by first posting the original quote and then showing how they will change it for their own gain. We will also be completing and sharing a False Dilemma exercise and compare our answers.