Lesson Report:
**Title: Distinguishing Information, Education, and Propaganda through Media Analysis**
This session focused on building a working, course-wide definition of propaganda by contrasting it with information and education, based on the Welsh reading. Students practiced classifying real-world media (news, educational videos, political TikToks, corporate ads, and public-health campaigns) into these three categories, with special attention to goals, audience roles, and desired beliefs/actions. The lesson also set up the next unit on the “demand side� of propaganda: why people are persuadable and how propagandists exploit that.
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### Attendance
– **Number of students explicitly mentioned as absent:** **0**
(Many students participated by name; no explicit reports of absence.)
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### Topics Covered (Chronological, with Activities)
#### 1. Student Examples of Online Media & Emotional Impact
– **Example 1 – TikTok political video (Sen’s example)**
– Student described a TikTok posted by a Democratic U.S. Senate candidate criticizing the current U.S. administration’s economic policy.
– Instructor noted TikTok is blocked locally, so details could not be verified, but confirmed the general context (U.S. politics, economic critique).
– Key reflection from the student:
– “I don’t know if it’s factual or not, but I like him, so I want to believe it’s factual.â€�
– The student had already intuitively labeled it as **propaganda**.
– Instructor highlighted this remark as **central to propaganda**:
– Liking/trusting the source → willingness to accept content as true.
– This anticipates later discussion on bias, trust, and emotional alignment with the messenger.
– **Example 2 – Graphic video of a Ukrainian refugee’s murder (Chinara’s example)**
– Student recounted seeing an uncensored Twitter video of a Ukrainian refugee, Irina Zarutska, killed in a U.S. subway by a homeless man.
– She described strong emotional responses:
– Shock at the uncensored violence.
– Vicarious fear (“as if I was there in real timeâ€�).
– Distress that bystanders did not intervene, even though she understood their fear and desire to escape.
– Instructor probed details about **who posted** the video:
– Student believed it was not an official news channel—likely a leaked video from an anonymous account.
– She later saw censored versions on TikTok and Instagram.
– She does not usually attend to account identities, but perceived them as “ordinary people,â€� not media organizations.
– Instructor flagged this as an excellent **bridge to later work on social media propaganda**, particularly:
– How graphic, emotionally intense content circulates.
– Differences between original leaks vs. mass reposts.
– The blurred lines between mere “sharingâ€� and propagandistic amplification.
– **Transition to main objective**
– Instructor confirmed intention to:
– Move from anecdotal examples to a **structured framework** of media types.
– Use students’ stories later in the class (and in upcoming sessions) as case studies for classification and propaganda analysis.
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#### 2. Introducing Welsh’s Three Media Types: Information, Education, Propaganda
– **Reading check**
– Instructor asked who had at least scanned the **Welsh reading** posted on eCourse.
– Some had; instructor emphasized:
– It’s okay if not fully read for today’s session.
– **Future readings must be completed** to keep up with the course.
– **Core framework from Welsh**
– Welsh distinguishes **three main media types**:
1. **Information**
2. **Education**
3. **Propaganda**
– Instructor opened a Zoom whiteboard and structured a comparative chart with three dimensions:
– **Goal** of the media.
– **Audience role** (how the viewer/reader is positioned).
– **Key question** the media tries to answer.
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#### 3. Building the Comparative Chart (with Student Input)
– **Goals of each media type**
– Student (Nazbikia) provided an accurate high-level summary:
– **Information**: lets people *know about* something.
– **Education**: shows *how to think* about something.
– **Propaganda**: tells people *what to think*.
– Instructor refined/locked in these:
– **Information – Goal:**
– To **inform**; provide facts/data about what happened, with minimal interpretation.
– **Education – Goal:**
– To develop **creative and analytical thinking skills**.
– To expand cognitive tools and conceptual frameworks.
– **Propaganda – Goal:**
– To make you **believe something specific**, and often to **do something specific** (behavior, votes, donations, etc.).
– Narrow and prescriptive rather than open-ended.
– **Key questions each type answers**
– **Information**
– Instructor’s simplified key question:
– “**What happened?**â€�
– Emphasis on concrete factual description, not meaning or evaluation.
– **Education**
– Students proposed:
– “Why does this matter?â€�
– “Why did this happen?â€�
– “How does it work?â€�
– “How should I react?â€�
– Instructor distilled this into:
– “**How can I think about this?**â€�
– “Canâ€� is crucial: offers **options**, not instructions.
– Encourages multiple lenses for understanding facts/events.
– Student (Aynura) nicely contrasted education vs propaganda:
– Education **broadens** the mind and thinking options.
– Propaganda **narrows** thinking toward one approved view.
– **Propaganda**
– Students suggested:
– “What should I believe?â€�
– “What emotion should be activated?â€�
– “How should I think, feel, believe?â€�
– “What should I do? / How should I act?â€�
– Instructor summarized:
– **Belief question:** “**What should I believe?**â€�
– **Action question:** “**What should I do?**â€�
– Emphasis: propaganda seeks **prescriptive belief** and often **specific behaviors**.
– **Audience roles**
– For time, instructor largely filled this in:
– **Information – Audience role:**
– **Recipient of data.**
– Passive intake of facts; interpretation is left to the audience.
– **Education – Audience role:**
– **Learner** whose thinking is being developed/broadened.
– Audience is invited to explore multiple interpretations and frameworks.
– **Propaganda – Audience role:**
– A **target** or **follower** to be persuaded and potentially mobilized.
– Audience can be seen as data points in a broader campaign (e.g., engagement metrics, votes, donors).
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#### 4. Brainstorming Examples of Information, Education, and Propaganda
– **Student brainstorm (with instructor critique)**
– Proposed examples included:
– **News** – initially suggested as information.
– Instructor noted: news often mixes **facts with built-in interpretation and bias**; not always purely informational.
– **OSINT (Open-Source Intelligence)** – often informational, but:
– OSINT analyses can also embed **interpretation and advocacy**, sometimes shading into propaganda.
– **Movies**:
– Student suggested as information.
– Instructor: most narrative films (non-documentary) are **not just data**; they aim to evoke emotions and often convey values or implicit messages.
– **Social media (YouTube, TikTok, Instagram)**:
– Enormously diverse; cannot be treated as one category.
– Some posts are informational; many are educational or explicitly persuasive.
– **Wikipedia**:
– Student suggested it as informational; instructor:
– Many argue Wikipedia has **systemic biases**; articles are written and edited from particular viewpoints.
– **Encyclopedias**:
– More clearly designed to be **informational** and relatively neutral.
– **Research papers**:
– Aim at objectivity and data but still involve **interpretive framing**, model choices, and can be used propagandistically.
– **Gossip**:
– Student joked it’s propaganda.
– Instructor: gossip is often **highly biased** and designed to influence perceptions of people—so yes, often propagandistic.
– **Friends and schools**:
– Friends’ stories often seek to convince you of something, not just share facts.
– Schools mostly fit **education**, though individual lectures can mix all three.
– **Clear “pure informationâ€� examples** were identified:
– **Weather report** (e.g., “It is 20°C outsideâ€�).
– **Stock market ticker** (raw price/volume movements).
– Defined as: **numbers or factual statements without attached interpretation or prescription.**
– **“Pure educationâ€� examples**:
– University lectures.
– **Khan Academy** / how-to instructional videos.
– **Explicit propaganda examples**:
– The Democratic senator’s TikTok criticizing the administration’s economics.
– Designed to make viewers **dislike the current administration** and **take political action**.
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#### 5. Deep Dive: TikTok Senator Video as Propaganda
– **Clarifying why it counts as propaganda**
– Students initially described the goal as:
– “Support/join him,â€� “not support the current administration.â€�
– Instructor pressed for **specific actions**:
– **On-platform actions:**
– Commenting, liking, sharing – these drive **algorithmic promotion**.
– Student (Elaine) explained:
– More comments/likes → more visibility → video appears in feeds of non-followers.
– **Off-platform political actions:**
– **Vote** for him or his party.
– **Not** vote for opponents (e.g., Trump or Trump-aligned candidates).
– Possibly **donate** or otherwise support his campaign.
– Instructor emphasized:
– Propaganda is not just “changing opinions.â€�
– It is often structured to produce **measurable behaviors** (votes, petitions, donations, protests, etc.).
– Social media engagement is both symbolic community-building and a **practical mechanism** for broader reach.
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#### 6. Classification Activity 1 – Khan Academy “What is Inflation?� (Education)
– **Task:** Classify the video as information/education/propaganda.
– **Student classification:** Mostly **education**.
– **Reasoning (Nazbikia and others):**
– It does not simply list data; it:
– Explains what inflation is.
– Provides **background theory** and conceptual frameworks.
– Therefore, it is not pure information; it **teaches how to think about inflation**.
– **Propaganda possibility (Natalia’s point):**
– Even educational content can embed:
– **Interpretive frames** (e.g., whose perspective is centered: wealthy investors vs vulnerable consumers).
– **Normative judgments** (e.g., is inflation “good,â€� “bad,â€� or acceptable in certain ranges?).
– Instructor agreed that:
– Some “educationâ€� is actually **propaganda masked as education**.
– For now, the class will treat this as primarily **educational**, while noting its potential propagandistic edges.
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#### 7. Classification Activity 2 – Federal Reserve Interest Rate Article (Information)
– **Media:** A news article summarizing recent U.S. Federal Reserve interest rate changes.
– **Task:** Classify.
– **Student response:** Largely **information**.
– **Reasoning (Alexei and others):**
– The article mostly reports:
– What the Fed did (changed target rates).
– New rate ranges.
– Numerical/statistical information.
– Names/roles of key officials.
– There is minimal interpretation; the bulk is **factual description**.
– Only a brief interpretive remark at the end about outlook.
– **Instructor conclusion:**
– Appropriate to treat as **primarily informational** with a small interpretive tail.
– Useful as a contrast to more overtly interpretive or persuasive pieces.
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#### 8. Classification Activity 3 – ExxonMobil Algae/Plant-Based Fuel Ads (Propaganda & Greenwashing)
– **Media:** Two image ads about plant/algae-based fuels. Second image made the sponsor explicit.
– **Identification of sponsor:**
– The ads were produced by **Exxon**, a major **oil and gas company**.
– **Overt message:**
– Exxon is “creating future energyâ€� through:
– **Algae-based** or **plant waste-based** fuels.
– Visuals and language frame Exxon as:
– Innovative, environmentally conscious, oriented toward “greenâ€� energy.
– **Instructor added a key fact:**
– Exxon spent about **$23 million** on this plant-based-fuel advertising campaign.
– **Discussion: Why spend that much just to say they are thinking about future fuels?**
– Student reasoning (Natalia, Yvonne, others):
– Exxon currently profits from **fossil fuels**.
– They fear losing their **future market** due to:
– Renewable energy growth.
– Environmental concerns and activism.
– Ads seek to:
– **Maintain public trust and legitimacy**.
– Rebrand Exxon as part of the **solution**, not the problem.
– Signal to future consumers and investors that Exxon will still be relevant and “greenâ€� in a low-carbon future.
– Concepts introduced:
– **Greenwashing** (Yvonne):
– Using environmental imagery/messages to create a “greenâ€� image without substantive change.
– **Manufacturing consent** (Chomsky reference):
– Shaping public opinion so that continued dominance of fossil fuel companies seems natural and acceptable.
– **Propaganda characteristics identified:**
– **Desired beliefs:**
– “Exxon is environmentally responsible and future-oriented.â€�
– “Big oil companies will lead the green transition.â€�
– **Desired behaviors/inactions:**
– Continue to **use fossil fuels** and existing car/heating infrastructure without guilt.
– **Not** strongly support aggressive anti-fossil-fuel policies or divestment.
– **Not** switch to independent renewable providers as quickly.
– **Why it’s propaganda:**
– It’s persuasive communication funded by a vested interest.
– It seeks to **shape perceptions and delay or redirect structural change**, not simply provide neutral information.
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#### 9. Classification Activity 4 – Anti-Smoking Graphic Warning (Government Public-Health Propaganda)
– **Media:** A graphic image showing diseased teeth with a caption like “You get these for free when you smoke.â€�
– **Initial student classification:** Clear **propaganda**.
– **Instructor’s structured unpacking:**
– **Emotional design:**
– Intentionally **disgusting and fear-inducing**.
– Designed for a strong, immediate emotional reaction (avoidance, revulsion).
– **Sponsor:**
– Government/public health authorities in the U.S. (implicitly).
– **Intended beliefs:**
– “Smoking is harmful and disgusting.â€�
– “Smoking leads to severe health and aesthetic consequences.â€�
– **Intended actions:**
– **Do not start** smoking.
– **Quit** if you already smoke.
– **Key teaching point:**
– This *is* propaganda even though:
– Its message is **evidence-based**.
– Most of the class agrees it is a **good** goal (reducing smoking).
– Propaganda is defined by:
– **Intent to make you believe and act in specific ways**, not by whether we personally approve or whether it is true.
– Introduced the idea of “**good propaganda**â€� vs “bad propagandaâ€� as a value judgment that is **separate from the functional definition** of propaganda.
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#### 10. Meta-Lesson: What Makes Something Propaganda?
– **Key clarifications made repeatedly:**
– Propaganda is **not**:
– Simply “false information.â€�
– Automatically bad or unethical.
– Propaganda **is**:
– Media that aims **to shape specific beliefs** and often **drive or prevent specific actions**.
– Frequently uses **emotional appeals** (fear, disgust, hope, anger) plus narrative and identity.
– Therefore:
– **Truthfulness** and **moral goodness/badness** are separate axes.
– Anti-smoking campaign = **true + “goodâ€�** (by most standards) + still **propaganda**.
– Senator’s TikTok or Exxon ads may include factual elements but are still propaganda because of their **prescriptive intent**.
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#### 11. Closing: Next Steps, Upcoming Focus, and Homework
– **Next unit framing: “Demand side of propagandaâ€�**
– Instructor previewed:
– Next class will examine **why people are persuadable**:
– Psychological mechanisms.
– Social identity and group belonging.
– Emotional triggers.
– And what **strategies** propagandists commonly use to exploit these vulnerabilities.
– **Homework / preparation for Monday**
– **Reading:**
– A new reading (not yet named explicitly) will be:
– Posted to **eCourse**.
– Emailed to students (including those joining remotely).
– Students are expected to **complete the reading** before the next class.
– **Social media artifact assignment:**
– Return to the **social media post** each student previously identified (or find one now if they had not):
– E.g., the TikTok from the senator; reposts of the subway killing video; other emotionally striking media.
– For that artifact, students should:
1. **Identify & observe the poster/account** as far as possible:
– Is it a news outlet, activist group, anonymous individual, politician, etc.?
– What else does the account typically post? (If known.)
2. **Classify the artifact** as **information, education, or propaganda**.
3. **Justify the classification** carefully:
– What is the **goal** of the post?
– What is the **role** assigned to the audience?
– What **key question(s)** is the post addressing (“what happened,â€� “how can I think about this,â€� “what should I believe/doâ€�)?
– What **beliefs** and **actions/inactions** are being promoted?
– Instructor explicitly advised:
– For graphic/traumatic content (e.g., the murder video), **do not rewatch** uncensored footage.
– If needed, locate **censored or reposted versions** instead and rely on memory + account analysis.
– **Plan for next class:**
– Monday’s session will **start** with a discussion of these artifacts and student classifications.
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### Actionable Items (for Instructor), by Urgency
#### High Urgency
– **Post & distribute next reading**
– Upload the next scheduled reading on eCourse and **email it** to all students, including those participating remotely.
– Ideally include full citation (author, title) and clear reading expectations.
– **Recommendation letter for Chinara**
– Instructor told Chinara he had received the portal link and would submit her recommendation **that night**.
– If not already done, ensure the recommendation is submitted before the stated deadline.
– **Prepare Monday’s session**
– Structure the next lesson around:
– Student artifact presentations and classifications.
– Introduction to the **“demand side of propagandaâ€�** (psychological and social mechanisms, common persuasive tactics).
– Consider using the existing chart (information–education–propaganda) as a reference tool.
#### Medium Urgency
– **Clarify exchange-course policy for Clara (and potentially others)**
– Clara asked whether she can **continue an AUCA “awesomeâ€� course (OSINT/this course)** while on IT training/exchange abroad and still have the credits counted.
– Instructor advised her to email department head (Prof. Otzinger), but for course planning it could help if:
– Instructor checks with department/admin regarding:
– Whether exchange status **forces dropping AUCA courses**.
– How AUCA credits interact with host-university credits.
– This will allow giving clearer guidance to Clara and future exchange candidates.
– **Reinforce reading expectations in next session**
– At the start of Monday’s class, briefly:
– Reiterate the importance of completing readings (Welsh and new reading).
– Connect readings directly to in-class activities (classification, case analysis) so students see relevance.
– **Reiterate content-warning practices**
– At next discussion of graphic media (e.g., Chinara’s artifact), remind students:
– Not to seek out or repeatedly watch uncensored extreme violence.
– To prioritize mental well-being when selecting artifacts for analysis.
#### Lower Urgency / Ongoing
– **Develop future activities on “borderlineâ€� media**
– Plan future case studies on:
– News outlets and OSINT work that blend information, education, and propaganda.
– Educational content that may covertly function as propaganda.
– Use contested examples (Wikipedia, research papers, documentaries) to deepen nuance.
– **Track recurring student examples**
– Keep a running list of:
– Political TikToks.
– Graphic crime/war footage circulations on social media.
– Corporate “greenâ€� campaigns.
– Public health campaigns (anti-smoking, etc.).
– These can be revisited later to illustrate advanced concepts (framing, agenda-setting, narrative warfare, etc.).
– **Monitor class participation patterns**
– Many students contributed (e.g., Sen, Chinara, Nazbikia, Aynura, Anula, Ivan, Natalia, Alexei, Samira, Floran, Yvonne, Ruslan, Clara, others).
– Continue to:
– Encourage quieter students to engage in future classification and case analysis activities.
– Build on strong contributions (e.g., greenwashing, manufacturing consent, emotional impact) in later discussions.
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This report should give you a detailed reconstruction of the session’s structure, the key content introduced, and the specific activities and examples students engaged with, along with follow-ups that may need your attention before and after the next class.
Homework Instructions:
ASSIGNMENT #1: Assigned reading on propaganda and persuasion
You will read the text that has been posted to help you deepen your understanding of propaganda, especially why and how people are persuaded (the “demand side� of propaganda). This reading builds directly on our work with Welsh’s three media types—information, education, and propaganda—and will prepare you for next week’s discussion.
Instructions:
1. **Access the reading**
1. Log in to the course platform.
2. Navigate to this course’s materials for next week.
3. Locate the reading the professor mentioned: *“the reading, which I’m going to be posting on eCourse shortlyâ€�* that continues our discussion of propaganda and persuasion.
4. Download or open the file in a format you can annotate (PDF, Word, etc.).
2. **Recall the framework from today’s class**
1. Before you start reading, quickly summarize for yourself Welsh’s three media types as we discussed:
– **Information**:
– Goal: to inform / to present data.
– Key question: *“What happened?â€�*
– Audience role: recipient of data (no built-in guidance on what to believe or do).
– **Education**:
– Goal: to develop your thinking skills and broaden how you can think about something.
– Key question: *“How can I think about this?â€�* (your options, perspectives, frameworks).
– Audience role: learner, actively making sense of material and building analytical tools.
– **Propaganda**:
– Goal: to make you believe or do something specific.
– Key questions: *“What should I believe?â€�* and often *“What should I do?â€�*
– Audience role: target to be persuaded or mobilized.
2. Keep this framework in mind while you read; the new text will build on these distinctions.
3. **Read the text actively**
1. Read the entire assigned text carefully from start to finish.
2. As you read, **underline or highlight** passages that:
– Explain **why** people are susceptible to propaganda.
– Describe **psychological or emotional strategies** used by propagandists.
– Refer to **audience roles**, **targets**, or **manufacturing consent** (as we touched on with the Exxon/greenwashing example and the smoking ad).
3. In the margins or on a separate page, briefly note:
– Any **key concepts or terms** related to persuasion and audience behavior.
– Any examples that remind you of materials we discussed in class (senator’s TikTok, refugee video circulation, Exxon’s “future energyâ€� ads, anti-smoking images, etc.).
4. **Connect the reading to our class examples**
1. Pick **at least two** examples from class and link them to ideas in the reading. For instance:
– The **senator’s TikTok about the U.S. administration and the economy** (aimed at influencing beliefs and votes).
– The **viral video and reposts of the Ukrainian refugee’s killing** (strong emotional content, questions about who posted and why).
– The **Exxon “algae fuelâ€� and “plant-based fuelâ€� ads** (greenwashing, manufacturing consent, trying to preserve market power).
– The **anti-smoking warning image with damaged teeth** (clear attempt to change beliefs and behavior).
2. For each chosen example, jot down 2–3 bullet points answering:
– How does this example illustrate the **demand side** of propaganda (why audiences respond, what makes it persuasive)?
– What **emotions, fears, hopes, or identities** does it appeal to?
– How does it connect to the reading’s explanation of persuasion?
5. **Prepare 3–5 talking points for next class**
1. Write down **3–5 concise points** you would feel comfortable sharing in discussion, such as:
– One idea from the reading you found especially insightful or surprising.
– One way the reading changed how you understand **information vs. education vs. propaganda**.
– One question or confusion you still have.
– One strong connection between the reading and a specific example from class or your own media experience.
2. Bring these notes (digital or paper) to the next class so you can quickly refer to them when we start our discussion.
ASSIGNMENT #2: Classify a social media artifact as information, education, or propaganda
You will select (or return to) a piece of social media content and classify it as information, education, or propaganda, using Welsh’s framework and our in-class distinctions. This assignment is meant to help you apply the concepts from today’s lesson to real-world media you actually encounter online.
Instructions:
1. **Choose your artifact from social media**
1. If you **already shared or identified an example** in class (for instance):
– The TikTok by a **U.S. Democratic senator or candidate** criticizing the current administration’s **economic policy**.
– The circulating clips of the **Ukrainian refugee killed in the U.S. subway**, especially the reposted, censored versions on TikTok or Instagram.
– Any other example you personally mentioned during our discussion.
Then: **return to that same type of artifact** (ideally the same post or an identical repost if available).
2. If you **did not have an example ready in class**, find one now:
– Go to a platform you regularly use (e.g., TikTok, Instagram, X/Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, Telegram channels, etc.).
– Look for a post that:
– Talks about a **political, social, economic, or cultural issue**, **or**
– Strongly **provoked an emotional reaction** in you (fear, anger, pride, hope, outrage, etc.), **or**
– Clearly **tries to convince you** of something or to get you to take some action (comment, share, vote, donate, boycott, support, etc.).
– Avoid extremely graphic/unfiltered violence; **you do not need to rewatch uncensored violent content**. If your example involves such content (like the subway killing video), focus on **censored or commentary versions**.
2. **Document the artifact for yourself**
1. Note down enough details so you can quickly show or describe it next class:
– Platform (TikTok, Instagram, etc.).
– Type of content (short video, reel, story, tweet/post with image, etc.).
– The **account or kind of account** (official politician, anonymous user, news outlet, meme page, activist group, company brand, etc.).
– The **main topic** (e.g., inflation, war, refugees, crime, environment, health, elections, etc.).
2. If possible and safe, **screenshot** or save the link for your own reference. You do **not** need to submit it online right now, but you may be asked to describe or show it in class.
3. **Apply Welsh’s three-part classification**
Using our chart (information / education / propaganda), analyze your artifact:
1. **Identify its primary goal**
– Ask yourself:
– Is it mainly trying to **tell me what happened** (reporting facts, like a bare-bones news update or statistics)?
– If so, this leans toward **information**.
– Is it trying to **help me understand or think about something in multiple ways**, teaching concepts or frameworks (like a Khan Academy “What is inflation?â€� video)?
– If so, this leans toward **education**.
– Or is it trying to **make me believe something specific** or **do something specific** (e.g., vote, support/oppose a politician, share the post, feel outrage, donate, mistrust an institution, etc.)?
– If so, this leans toward **propaganda**.
2. **Ask: What key question does it answer?**
– Information: *“What happened?â€�*
– Education: *“How can I think about this?â€�* (what are my analytical options?)
– Propaganda: *“What should I believe?â€�* and/or *“What should I do?â€�*
3. Decide which of these best matches your artifact. You may notice some overlap, but choose the category that seems **most central** to what the piece is doing.
4. **Evaluate the audience role and desired action**
1. Consider your role as a viewer:
– Are you treated primarily as someone who should **receive data** and then make up your own mind?
– As a **learner** who is being given tools and perspectives, without a fixed conclusion forced on you?
– As a **target** who is supposed to be persuaded, mobilized, or emotionally activated?
2. Identify any **explicit or implicit calls to action**, for example:
– “Share this,â€� “Comment below,â€� “Tag a friend,â€� “Vote,â€� “Join,â€� “Donate,â€� “Boycott,â€� “Support,â€� “Stand with…â€�, “Stop…â€�, etc.
– Even if there is no written call to action, ask: *What do they want me to do, in practice?* (e.g., shift my vote, distrust a group, stay loyal to a brand, spread the clip, fear refugees, fear crime, feel national pride, etc.).
5. **Consider emotional and persuasive strategies**
1. Note the **emotions** the artifact seems designed to evoke (fear, disgust, hope, pride, guilt, outrage, admiration, etc.).
2. Ask:
– Does it use **shock** (like the subway killing video), **harrowing imagery**, or **dramatic language**?
– Does it try to make the sender look especially **trustworthy, relatable, or likable** (as with the senator TikTok you “want to believeâ€�)?
– Does it use **greenwashing-style tactics** (like Exxon’s algae and plant-based fuel ads claiming to be “the future of energyâ€� while protecting their existing power)?
– Does it resemble the **anti-smoking image** we saw: graphic or disturbing imagery meant to scare you away from a behavior?
6. **Write a brief justification (for yourself)**
1. In 5–10 sentences (bullet points are fine), answer:
– Which category you chose: **information, education, or propaganda**.
– **Why** you put it in that category, referring explicitly to:
– Its **goal** (inform / broaden thinking / persuade).
– The **key question** it answers (*what happened? how can I think about this? what should I believe/do?*).
– Your **role as the audience** (recipient, learner, target).
– Any **calls to action** or implied behaviors.
– Any **emotional or rhetorical strategies** you noticed.
2. You do *not* need to upload this writing formally right now, but you should have it ready to refer to in class.
7. **Bring your analysis to next class discussion**
1. Be prepared to:
– Briefly describe your artifact (platform, type of content, topic, who posted it).
– State whether you think it is **information**, **education**, or **propaganda**.
– Explain **why**, using the framework we built together.
2. We will **begin Monday’s class** by discussing these examples, so please make sure you have chosen your artifact and completed your analysis before then.