ATS3971 Propaganda: Dark arts in a digital age

In this unit you, will examine propaganda, ‘disinformation’ and influence operations in a digital age. You will learn about the history of propaganda in politics and conflicts, and how this helps us understand its contemporary practice. You will study a range of current issues including surveillance capitalism and the political economy of disinformation; data misuse; computational propaganda; AI and deepfakes; free speech and censorship; use of power, emotion and language; hacking and leaking; hybrid war; influence mercenaries; and election manipulation. You will have the opportunity to examine potential responses to manage these challenges and the implications for journalism, security and human rights.