---
# System prepended metadata

title: 'Course handbook: Propaganda and the everyday'
tags: [philosophy, vulnerability, graduate course, uppsala university, propaganda]

---

---
title: 'Course handbook: Propaganda and the everyday'
image: https://i.imgur.com/2QQalhG.jpg
---

**Course handbook: Propaganda and the everyday**

![](https://i.imgur.com/2QQalhG.jpg)
><figcaption><small>Header image: <i>Person holding silver iphone 6</i>, by Castorly Stock from Pexels</small></figcaption>

# Table of Contents

[TOC]

# Basics
## Course description
In this course we will study the nature and workings of propaganda in everyday contexts. We will look at theoretical approaches to propaganda using key texts. We will also build a propaganda analysis ‘toolkit’ to apply our insights to concrete cases. On this basis we will be able to reflect on some of the key questions that the production, circulation and reception of propagandist material raises--including about: agency, responsibility, ethics and vulnerability, but also about truth, (mis)information, aesthetics, and the social consequences of propaganda as it permeates people’s lives.

## Level
Postgraduate (masters and PhD level)

## Facilitator
[Dr Chris Meyns](https://chrismeyns.xyz) (chris.meyns@antro.uu.se)

## Language
English

## Registration
To register for this course, please contact Mats Hyvönen (mats.hyvonen@antro.uu.se) no later than <mark>1 October 2021</mark>.

## Format
This course will be held in an all-remote format (100% online).

## Examination
Examination will be in the form of course deliverables (details below). To successfully complete the course, all deliverables for modules 2--7 must have been submitted by their respective due dates and receive at least a pass mark.

## Seminar meetings
All seminar meetings will be held [online on Zoom](https://uu-se.zoom.us/j/68048254268) (access code to be sent via email) on Tuesdays 10:15–12:00 CET. Seminars can be helpful for us to learn collaboratively and from each other in real-time communication. Each seminar meeting will have an [agenda of what we'd like to talk about](https://hackmd.io/@chrmns/BJCl6rayY). Participation in seminars is optional.

## Discord open communication space
We will use [this Discord server](https://discord.gg/YCgafV2K6b) for open course-wide communication. Feel free to use it to ask any questions, share ideas or just to hang out. Participation on the Discord server is completely optional.

## Getting started 
1. Read through the course syllabus (this page :upside_down_face:). Gather the readings and course materials. Note for yourself what is happening when, including due dates for deliverables.
2. We'll use hackmd.io (= this platform) for course submissions and collaboration. Get started by [creating a HackMD account](https://hackmd.io/join), maybe glance through a [tutorial](https://hackmd.io/c/tutorials/). Feel free to use a nickname or pseudonym for your account (for course credit purposes, do at some point let me know which one).
3. That's it! You're all ready to dive into module 01 (below).

## Welcome videos
### Course welcome and conceptual background

{%youtube H00SIoCOWlI %}

### Practicalities
{%youtube vchXlUsYPsY %}

# Deliverables

Read [detailed instructions on all deliverables](https://hackmd.io/@chrmns/S1i8z_jnd), including how to submit. To give you an overview, 

## <i class="fa fa-eye fa-fw"></i> Gallery item (getting started)
Add an example of what you think could classify as propaganda to a [shared gallery of everyday propaganda](https://hackmd.io/@chrmns/S1AxFUj2O). Make it outrageous. (Note, the gallery item is just to get us started in module 1, it does not count toward course completion.)

## <i class="fa fa-pencil fa-fw"></i> Short essays
Weekly short reflection essays in response to the module's topic or readings. Essays are written for modules 2--6 only. Read the detailed [instructions on the short essays](https://hackmd.io/l1Ih9ovLTe-wpLzUFbfPrQ#Short-essays). [Submit your essays](https://hackmd.io/@chrmns/S1AxFUj2O).

## <i class="fa fa-paper-plane"></i> Peer feedback
Provide peer feedback on the work submitted by colleague participants in the course. Peer feedback is given in modules 2--7. Read the detailed [instructions on giving peer feedback](https://hackmd.io/l1Ih9ovLTe-wpLzUFbfPrQ#Peer-feedback-on-essays). Contribute [your peer feedback](https://hackmd.io/@chrmns/S1AxFUj2O).

## <i class="fa fa-wrench"></i> Final project
A larger writing project. You'll be able to choose from three distinct assignments. The final project is for module 7 only. Read the detailed [instructions on the final project](https://hackmd.io/l1Ih9ovLTe-wpLzUFbfPrQ#Final-project-We%E2%80%99re-making-a-book). [Submit your final project](https://hackmd.io/@chrmns/Sygsi261Y).

<!-- # Talks
To follow. -->

# Readings
All assigned materials will be made available, either with a direct link (for online material) or as PDFs on [our shared drive](https://cryptpad.fr/drive/#/2/drive/view/LF0XSOtWUbt6l07-g1ntoOU353FvVjJqKwGkr3XaBqM/) (on Cryptpad). The schedule below shows you what to read for each module. 

When searching for additional sources for your own research, note that the [Internet Archive](https://archive.org/) and [Google Scholar](https://scholar.google.com) often provide access to full-text material. Also have a look at [SciHub](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sci-Hub) or [Z-Library](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Z-Library).

 
# Schedule

## 📍 Module 01: What is Propaganda? [05--12 Oct]
First the basics. We'll start with demarcation and definition questions. When is something propaganda? When it is not? Does it matter? (If so, why? Or why not?) We'll also begin to build a _toolkit_ to  analyse propagandistic material.

:::success
**Action points:**
- Process the readings, take notes
- Add any questions and points you'd like to discuss to the [seminar agenda](https://hackmd.io/@chrmns/BJCl6rayY)
- Tue 12 Oct, 10.15-12.00: [Seminar meeting](https://uu-se.zoom.us/j/68048254268) (on Zoom)
- <mark>Tue 12 Oct: Submit an item to the [gallery of everyday propaganda](https://hackmd.io/FCRedSoKTtK0WRGQAD3hLA#01-Gallery-of-everyday-propaganda) </mark>
- Drop by anytime in the [Discord](https://discord.gg/9KAWB8wV) if you feel like it :)
:::

:::info 
**Readings:**
- Bernays, Edward. 1928. 'Organizing Chaos', in: _Propaganda_, 9--18. New York, NY: Horace Liveright. ([online](https://archive.org/details/bernays-propaganda-in-english-1), [pdf](https://cryptpad.fr/file/#/2/file/+C3HotRkyvlDOcRD3v0xBG7Q/))
- Doob, Leonard W. 1950. ‘Goebbels’ Principles of Propaganda’. _Public Opinion Quarterly_ 14 (3): 419–42. [https://doi.org/10.1086/266211](https://doi.org/10.1086/266211). ([pdf](https://cryptpad.fr/file/#/2/file/q7VqbnRdUt3XQa0onK-PMrG3/))
- O’Donnell, Victoria and Garth S. Jowett. 2018. 'What is Propaganda, and How Does it Differ From Persuasion?', in: _Propaganda & Persuasion_, 1--55. SAGE Publications. ([pdf](https://cryptpad.fr/file/#/2/file/Z4gOY4W7WO-J3iPybryHS9Ml/))
- O’Donnell, Victoria and Garth S. Jowett. 2018. 'How to Analyze Propaganda', in: _Propaganda & Persuasion_, 313--331. SAGE Publications. ([pdf](https://cryptpad.fr/file/#/2/file/TW+gY-BqiSHtigjhc-iZYTxL/))
- Stanley, Jason. 2015. 'Introduction: The Problem of Propaganda' in: _How Propaganda Works_. Princeton University Press. ([pdf](https://cryptpad.fr/file/#/2/file/1amM8EbPIwjhaern+aLhu5x3/))
:::

## 📍 Module 02: Bots and Algorithms [13--19 Oct]
What role do algorithms play in spreading (or blocking!) quotidian propaganda today? And how about bots? Does it matter, ethically or practically, whether information is spread by humans or through some automation process? 

:::success
**Action points**
- Process the readings, take notes
- <mark>Sun 17 Oct: [Submit your essay](https://hackmd.io/FCRedSoKTtK0WRGQAD3hLA#02-Essays-Bots-and-Algorithms) (due date)</mark>
- <mark>Tue 19 Oct: Give peer feedback on essays (due date)</mark>
- Add any questions and points you'd like to discuss to the [seminar agenda](https://hackmd.io/@chrmns/BJCl6rayY)
- Tue 19 Oct, 10.15-12.00: [Seminar meeting](https://uu-se.zoom.us/j/68048254268) (on Zoom)
- Drop by anytime in the [Discord](https://discord.gg/9KAWB8wV) if you feel like it
:::

:::info
**Readings**
- ‘Introduction to Algorithms’. 2019. _GeeksforGeeks_ (blog). 28 March 2019. https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/introduction-to-algorithms/.
- Goffey, Andrew. 2008. ‘Algorithm’. In _Software Studies: A Lexicon_, edited by Matthew Fuller, 15–20. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The MIT Press. ([pdf](https://cryptpad.fr/file/#/2/file/QCvLya3j0cSwcn0SIJA+CIhM/))
- Kowalski, Robert. 1979. ‘Algorithm = Logic + Control’. _Communications of the ACM_ 22 (7): 424–36. https://doi.org/10.1145/359131.359136. ([pdf](https://cryptpad.fr/file/#/2/file/EBDMM4NA+4p0+ECEUA0C1FWy/))
- ‘Google’s Search Algorithm and Ranking System - Google Search’. _Google_. https://www.google.com/search/howsearchworks/algorithms/.
- Caplan, Robyn, Joan Donovan, Lauren Hanson, and Jeanna Matthews. 2018. ‘Algorithmic Accountability: A Primer’. _Data & Society_. 18 April 2018. https://datasociety.net/library/algorithmic-accountability-a-primer/.
- Covington, Paul, Jay Adams, and Emre Sargin. 2016. ‘Deep Neural Networks for YouTube Recommendations’. In _Proceedings of the 10th ACM Conference on Recommender Systems_, 191–98. Boston Massachusetts USA: ACM. https://doi.org/10.1145/2959100.2959190. ([pdf](https://cryptpad.fr/file/#/2/file/RlS5mKUC+CbVmMG7TVte8af0/))
- Maack, Már Másson. 2019. ‘“YouTube Recommendations Are Toxic,” Says Dev Who Worked on the Algorithm’. _TNW_. 14 June 2019. https://thenextweb.com/news/youtube-recommendations-toxic-algorithm-google-ai.
- Woolley, Samuel, danah boyd, Meredith Broussard et al. 2016. ‘How to Think About Bots’. _Data & Society_. 22 March 2016. https://points.datasociety.net/how-to-think-about-bots-1ccb6c396326.
:::

<!-- ## 🔥 BONUS: Workshop network analysis
Details to follow! -->

## 📍 Module 03: Propaganda vs. Marketing [20--26 Oct]
Are marketing and advertising simply propaganda by another name? Is propaganda nothing other than the proper marketing of a set of ideas? Do any of these distinctions show up at all in the jumble of people's busy daily lives? We'll take stock.

:::success
**Action points**
- Process the readings, take notes
- <mark>Sun 24 Oct: [Submit your essay](https://hackmd.io/FCRedSoKTtK0WRGQAD3hLA#03-Essays-Propaganda-vs-Marketing) (due date)</mark>
- <mark>Tue 26 Oct: Give peer feedback on essays (due date)</mark>
- Add any questions and points you'd like to discuss to the [seminar agenda](https://hackmd.io/@chrmns/BJCl6rayY)
- Tue 26 Oct, 10.15-12.00: [Seminar meeting](https://uu-se.zoom.us/j/68048254268) (on Zoom)
- Drop by anytime in the [Discord](https://discord.gg/9KAWB8wV) if you feel like it
:::

:::info
**Readings**
- Godin, Seth. 2018. _This Is Marketing: You Can’t Be Seen Until You Learn to See_. Penguin. Selected passages: Introduction + 'Marketing to the Most Important Person' (ch. 23) + 'A Simple Marketing Worksheet'. ([combined pdf](https://cryptpad.fr/file/#/2/file/uo-b4l-Blh-sgU4sIsR+K5te/))
- ‘Advertising’, in: Cull, Nicholas John, David Holbrook Culbert, and David Welch. 2003. _Propaganda and Mass Persuasion: A Historical Encyclopedia, 1500 to the Present_. ABC-CLIO. ([pdf](https://cryptpad.fr/file/#/2/file/IhWrxN16bDDYJwYRkqZGaqqD/))
- Boler, Megan, and Elizabeth Davis. 2020. ‘Digital Propaganda and Emotional Micro-Targeting: Interview with Jonahan Albright, Carole Cadwalladr, Paolo Gerbaudo, and Tamsin Shaw’. In _Affective Politics of Digital Media: Propaganda by Other Means_. Routledge. ([pdf](https://cryptpad.fr/file/#/2/file/Csue+fT0BB0oSXSRfvA6n1dd/))
- Ghosh, Dipayan, and Ben Scott. 2018. ‘Digital Deceit: The Technologies behind Precision Propaganda on the Internet’. Report. New America. [https://apo.org.au/node/130646](https://apo.org.au/node/130646). ([pdf](https://cryptpad.fr/file/#/2/file/grhzWgWq-6F3Jo4dYAkSkJVh/))
- Wilson, Dennis G. 2017. ‘The Ethics of Automated Behavioral Microtargeting’. _AI Matters_ 3 (3): 56–64. [https://doi.org/10.1145/3137574.3139451](https://doi.org/10.1145/3137574.3139451). ([pdf](https://cryptpad.fr/file/#/2/file/0TnXlldkd3CkQq6Pw39hCeYo/))
:::

## 📍 Module 04: Wearing the Message: Clothing [27--02 Nov]
Surely how you dress is just a matter of personal preference? Individual *style* maybe? Or might how we clothe our own (and perhaps our dependents') bodies say something more structural, more systematic? In this module we'll zoom in on the case of _athleisure_ wear, but feel free to bring in examples from any clothing style you fancy!

:::success
**Action points**
- Process the readings, take notes
- <mark>Sun 31 Oct: [Submit your essay](https://hackmd.io/FCRedSoKTtK0WRGQAD3hLA#04-Essays-Wearing-the-Message-Clothing) (due date)</mark>
- <mark>Tue 02 Nov: Give peer feedback on essays (due date)</mark>
- Add any questions and points you'd like to discuss to the [seminar agenda](https://hackmd.io/@chrmns/BJCl6rayY)
- Tue 02 Nov, 10.15-12.00: [Seminar meeting](https://uu-se.zoom.us/j/68048254268) (on Zoom)
- Drop by anytime in the [Discord](https://discord.gg/9KAWB8wV) if you feel like it
:::

:::info
**Readings**
- Andrew, Sonja. 2008. ‘Textile Semantics: Considering a Communication-Based Reading of Textiles’. _Textile_ 6 (1): 32–65. [https://doi.org/10.2752/175183508X288680](https://doi.org/10.2752/175183508X288680) ([pdf](https://cryptpad.fr/file/#/2/file/QBGrxJms8BIPuWIwU5tDxcf9/))
- Kawamura, Yuniya. 2018. 'Production, Gatekeeping and Diffusion of Fashion', in: _Fashion-Ology: An Introduction to Fashion Studies_, 73--88. Bloomsbury Publishing. ([pdf](https://cryptpad.fr/file/#/2/file/MRSLFxmDVASHKe1CsRVWoFC1/))
- Lipson, Sarah M., Stephanie Stewart, and Scott Griffiths. 2020. ‘Athleisure: A Qualitative Investigation of a Multi-Billion-Dollar Clothing Trend’. _Body Image_ 32 (March): 5–13. [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2019.10.009](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2019.10.009). ([pdf](https://cryptpad.fr/file/#/2/file/W7q5cQTDerMWQm1XED02U+3V/))
:::

## 📍 Module 05: Friends & Influence(rs) [03--09 Nov]
Friends wouldn't let friends get caught up in propaganda. Or...? In this module we'll tackle the question of how peer-to-peer information sharing intertwines (or not) with propagating material. What does such sharing mean for trust, credibility and friendship? 

:::success
**Action points**
- Process the readings, take notes
- <mark>Sun 07 Nov: [Submit your essay](https://hackmd.io/FCRedSoKTtK0WRGQAD3hLA#05-Essays-Friends-amp-Influencers) (due date)</mark>
- <mark>Tue 09 Nov: Give peer feedback on essays (due date)</mark>
- Add any questions and points you'd like to discuss to the [seminar agenda](https://hackmd.io/@chrmns/BJCl6rayY)
- Tue 09 Nov, 10.15-12.00: [Seminar meeting](https://uu-se.zoom.us/j/68048254268) (on Zoom)
- Drop by anytime in the [Discord](https://discord.gg/9KAWB8wV) if you feel like it
:::

:::info
**Readings**
- An Xiao Mina. 9 January 2019. ‘Databite No. 117: Memes to Movements’. Data & Society. [https://datasociety.net/library/an-xiao-mina-memes-to-movements/](https://datasociety.net/library/an-xiao-mina-memes-to-movements/).
- Cooley, Delonia, and Rochelle Parks-Yancy. 2019. ‘The Effect of Social Media on Perceived Information Credibility and Decision Making’. _Journal of Internet Commerce_ 18 (3): 249–69. [https://doi.org/10.1080/15332861.2019.1595362](https://doi.org/10.1080/15332861.2019.1595362). ([pdf](https://cryptpad.fr/file/#/2/file/n4+8SdzPIXyqG4RdhDSt3E4x/))
- Cotter, Kelley. 2019. ‘Playing the Visibility Game: How Digital Influencers and Algorithms Negotiate Influence on Instagram’. _New Media & Society_ 21 (4): 895–913. [https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444818815684](https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444818815684). ([pdf](https://cryptpad.fr/file/#/2/file/Z2sUi8g+2meWruebXyeJZ7Gc/))
- Jones, Tiffany. 2020. 'Viral lesbians: geopolitical uses of digital meme worship and sharing'. In T. Jones, J. Power, H. von Doussa, & T. W. Jones (Eds.), _Bent street 4.1: Australian LGBTIQA+ art, writing & ideas: love from a distance: intimacy and technology in time of COVID-19_ (1 ed., Vol. 4, pp. 101-113). (Bent street; No. 4.1). [https://bentstreet.net/viral-lesbians-by-tiffany-jones/](https://bentstreet.net/viral-lesbians-by-tiffany-jones/)
:::

## 📍 Module 06: Built Environment [10--16 Nov]
The buildings people live, work and play in can easily fade into the background of their daily routines through cityscapes. But what, if anything, do these building communicate? Is all social housing, or are all office spaces, created equal? And what is the impact of such buildings on the people who use them, or pass by them?

:::success
**Action points**
- Process the readings, take notes
- <mark>Sun 14 Nov: [Submit your essay](https://hackmd.io/@chrmns/S1AxFUj2O) (due date)</mark>
- <mark>Tue 16 Nov: Give peer feedback on essays (due date)</mark>
- Add any questions and points you'd like to discuss to the [seminar agenda](https://hackmd.io/@chrmns/BJCl6rayY)
- Tue 16 Nov, 10.15-12.00: [Seminar meeting](https://uu-se.zoom.us/j/68048254268) (on Zoom)
- Drop by anytime in the [Discord](https://discord.gg/9KAWB8wV) if you feel like it
:::

:::info
**Readings**
- ‘Architecture’, in: Cull, Nicholas John, David Holbrook Culbert, and David Welch. 2003. _Propaganda and Mass Persuasion: A Historical Encyclopedia, 1500 to the Present_. ABC-CLIO. ([pdf](https://cryptpad.fr/file/#/2/file/GzZy-+u8Wa-nWw9uqrOzsxmg/))
- Lock, David. 'The Propaganda of the Built Environment', _RSA Journal_, Vol. 139, No. 5419 (June 1991), pp. 455-466. [https://www.jstor.org/stable/41375582](https://www.jstor.org/stable/41375582).  ([pdf](https://cryptpad.fr/file/#/2/file/RaMb1XsVskRFrqP2IuQYO3er/))
- Cunningham, David I., and Jon Goodbun. 2009. ‘Propaganda Architecture: Interview with Rem Koolhaas and Reinier de Graaf’. _Radical Philosophy_ 154: 35–47. ([online](https://www.radicalphilosophy.com/interview/rem-koolhaas-and-reinier-de-graaf), [pdf](https://cryptpad.fr/file/#/2/file/GjckVza2xqitNVM3+XgHfc3x/))
- Böck, Ingrid. 2015. ‘Shape: CCTV, Beijing 2002–2008’. In _Six Canonical Projects by Rem Koolhaas: Essays on the History of Ideas_, 305--327. Jovis Verlag. ([pdf](https://cryptpad.fr/file/#/2/file/XuDWJhaTRGOreTBpcbNv4oWU/))
- ‘CCTV – Headquarters’. Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA). 2012. [https://oma.eu/projects/cctv-headquarters](https://oma.eu/projects/cctv-headquarters).
:::

## 📍 Module 07: Final project [17 Nov--13 Dec]

We’re going to make a book! :sparkles: You'll be able to choose from three different options for your final project. Read the [detailed instructions on the final project](https://hackmd.io/@chrmns/S1i8z_jnd).

:::success
**Action points**
- <mark>Tue 23 Nov: [Submit an outline](https://hackmd.io/@chrmns/Sygsi261Y) for your final project (due date)</mark>
- <mark>Fri 26 Nov: Give [peer feedback on outlines](https://hackmd.io/@chrmns/Sygsi261Y) for the final project (due date)</mark>
- Option for one-on-one supervisions on project outlines, to be scheduled individually (in week 47)
- <mark>Mon 13 Dec: [Submit final  document](https://hackmd.io/@chrmns/Sygsi261Y)</mark>
- The [Discord](https://discord.gg/9KAWB8wV) is still open, feel free to drop by anytime :)
:::

# Accessibility

Your well-being and success in this course are important to us. We recognise that there are multiple ways to learn, and I encourage you to discuss your learning styles and requirements with me (chris.meyns@antro.uu.se) at the start of the course. If you encounter any circumstances (physical, psychological, or otherwise) that could impact on your full participation in this course, do let me know.


###### tags: `propaganda` `graduate course` `uppsala university` `vulnerability` `philosophy`