COURSE DESCRIPTION:
In this course, students will recognize and debunk false claims and explore forms of disinformation,
misinformation, persuasion, coercion, intimidation, and exploitation commonly encountered online.
Students will use open-source intelligence tools to verify text, audio, and video content, learn
techniques to assess sources and original context, examine current harmful disinformation trends, and
study practices designed to mitigate the effects of harmful false narratives. A focus point will examine
the fast-evolving role of AI-powered tools and techniques in the social media information ecosystem,
and efforts to regulate AI online activity to protect privacy, slow the spread of harmful disinformation and
promote creativity, productivity, and fulfilment. Students will track real-time election cycles, climate and
health science coverage, hot wars and conflicts, culture wars, and other issues of interest across social
media platforms. Research will focus on disinformation trends in fields such as public health and
climate, elections and politics, law, technology, and business affairs. Students will be expected to study
and present concepts to promote a healthier information ecosystem.

SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:
This course will provide theoretical and practical knowledge to help understand how and why information is manipulated online, who
promotes disinformation and how is it different from acts of misinformation, what defines a harmful narrative, and how to verify the factual
basis of narratives that may be misleading, false, incredible, unbelievable and accurate. We examine practical innovations at the
intersection of artificial intelligence and social media, with an emphasis on promises and threats from AI-enhanced social media, such as a
developing ability to micro-target and tailor messages and influence public opinion, manipulate individual users at a scale and pace, and
with a quality that is nearly realistic. The ability to create audio-visual deepfake content and the potential impact of generative AI on
challenging what we see, hear, and believe to be true will be discussed. Students will research a topic, issue, or area of interest to identify
false narratives and manipulation campaigns targeting it, understand the means and reasons behind their spread, describe the harmful
impact, and recommend a mitigation strategy. A report will be submitted by the final course, at which time students will be encouraged to
share their findings.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:
Students will recognize and debunk false claims and explore forms of disinformation, misinformation, persuasion, coercion, intimidation,
and exploitation commonly encountered online. Students will use open-source intelligence tools to verify text, audio, and video content,
learn techniques to assess sources and original context, examine current harmful disinformation trends, and study practices designed to
mitigate the effects of harmful false narratives. Students will track real-time political and business developments, measure the impact of
online influence operations from state and non-state actors, and develop advanced media literacy proficiency for the future.