Lesson Report:
**Title:**
Framing Truth: Introduction to Propaganda, Course Structure, and Visual Persuasion
**Synopsis:**
This first session of *Politics of Truth (ICP 300)* introduced students to the central theme of the course: how propaganda shapes our emotions, beliefs, and political behavior through strategic communication. The instructor used contemporary and historical images to foreground questions about framing, emotional manipulation, and the neutrality of “propaganda� as a concept, then walked students through course logistics, assessment structure, and expectations. The class closed by collaboratively analyzing the famous “We Can Do It� poster to begin building a working definition of propaganda as a strategic, emotionally targeted practice rather than simply “lies� or “bad information.�
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### Attendance
– Number of students explicitly mentioned as absent: **0**
– Notes:
– Several students left or were missing from breakout rooms (“attritionâ€�), but no one was formally marked as absent in the transcript.
– Instructor reiterated the **camera-on requirement** and the **absence policy** (max 4 absences before automatic failure).
—
### Topics Covered (Chronological, with Activity Labels)
#### 1. Opening Visual Activity: Migrant/Refugee Photos and Emotional Response
**Materials/Setup:**
– Instructor posted photos of migrants/refugees in chat (from the 2010s North African/Syrian refugee crisis; Mediterranean crossings).
– Students were asked to:
– Look at two images (labeled implicitly as “picture oneâ€� and “picture twoâ€�).
– Type in the chat the *first emotion* they felt for each picture.
– Hold responses until a countdown, then send simultaneously.
**Student Responses & Discussion:**
– Emotions for the first set of photos included:
– Fear, despair, pity, worry, sadness, horror, anxiety, unsettlement, chaos.
– Some noted “like for freedom,â€� “forcibly,â€� “survive,â€� etc.
– Instructor highlighted:
– Many students reacted negatively or with anxiety to images of large crowds of migrants.
– When photo 1 showed a **mass of people moving forward**, students reported anxiety, fear, and discomfort with crowds.
– When photo 2 focused more on **children and individual faces**, students reported more **compassion/pity**, sadness, and worry.
– Key instructional point:
– Both photos depict **the same broader event** (refugees/migrants moving toward Europe) but are **composed to evoke very different emotions**.
– Instructor explicitly noted that these photos are **almost certainly taken and selected intentionally** (e.g., wide crowd shot to trigger anxiety vs. close-up of vulnerable refugees to trigger compassion).
– This served as the first concrete example of **media framing and emotional manipulation** with real, factual imagery.
—
#### 2. Second Visual Activity: BLM Protest Images and Contrasting Frames
**Materials/Setup:**
– Instructor sent two additional images separately, both from the **Black Lives Matter protests of 2020**.
– Same method: students asked to write the emotion they feel and send on cue.
**Student Responses:**
– For the **first BLM image**:
– Emotions: anxiety, horrible, horror, terror, unsettling, chaos.
– Consensus that this was a **negative**, “scaryâ€� image.
– For the **second BLM image**:
– Emotions: courage, support, hope, inclusion, compassion, community, equality, “collective resolveâ€�.
– Framing was perceived as **positive, empowering, communal**.
**Identification of Event:**
– Instructor prompted students: do you recognize the event, when/where?
– One student correctly identified the images as from the **Black Lives Matter protests (BLM), 2020**.
– Instructor acknowledged this and emphasized that both images represent the **same event**, but **feel entirely different**.
**Instructional Takeaways:**
– Both sets of BLM images:
– Are *about the same protests*, but **framed to prompt opposite emotional interpretations** (threat/chaos vs. solidarity/justice).
– Pivot question:
– “How is it that both photos make you feel different emotions about the same event?â€�
– Students were asked to identify “elementsâ€� in the photos that shape emotion:
– Number of people (crowd vs. individuals).
– Visual chaos vs. orderly unity.
– Presence of slogans, signs, visible messaging.
– Instructor emphasized:
– Seeing a **mass of people**—particularly in protest—“triggers instinctual fearâ€� for many.
– This is *not accidental*: such photos are *chosen* to elicit specific emotions and political reactions.
– The same photographic event can be used to **support different narratives** depending on the frame.
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#### 3. Framing the Course: “Politics of Truth� and Propaganda as Central Problem
**Course Introduction:**
– Course name and code: **Politics of Truth (ICP 300)**.
– Central theme:
– What is the **nature of truth in politics**?
– **Where does “truthâ€� in political contexts come from?**
– How and why is truth shaped, mediated, or distorted by **propaganda and political communication**?
**Course Goals (Conceptual):**
– By semester’s end, students should:
– Understand **what makes propaganda effective** at:
– Making people **believe** certain things.
– Driving people towards **specific behaviors** and **political outcomes**.
– Learn how **states and non-state actors** use propaganda strategically.
– Begin to **protect themselves**:
– Identify manipulation strategies.
– Develop methods to **resist or mitigate** propaganda’s influence.
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#### 4. Syllabus & Course Requirements Overview
**4.1. Attendance & Participation Policy**
– **Class time**: Starts at 17:00 (5:00 PM, Bishkek time).
– Present if in the Zoom room at 17:00.
– **Late** between 17:00–17:15 (without excuse).
– After 17:15, students need a **written excuse** for late arrival; otherwise risk being marked absent.
– **Cameras:**
– Cameras **must be on for the duration** of class.
– Rationale:
– Instructor finds it demotivating to speak to “black boxes.â€�
– Students report better engagement when they can see each other.
– It is also a **departmental rule**.
– Analogy: camera on = being physically in the classroom; camera off = being “outside.â€�
– Flexibility:
– Brief, explained camera-off periods (1–2 minutes) are tolerated.
– Repeated/long camera-off periods (10–15 minutes) without explanation will be treated as **absence**.
– Exceptions:
– Students with ongoing camera issues (technical, social, infrastructural) must email **both the instructor and the department chair (Dr. Ratzinger)** to request an exemption.
– **Absence Limits:**
– Department policy: **5 absences allowed**, but:
– After the **4th absence**, the student **cannot pass the class**.
– Students should:
– Submit **written documentation** for absences:
– Medical note, family emergency documentation, etc.
– AUCA students use the standard internal excuse process; non-AUCA students may submit similar external documentation.
—
**4.2. Grading Structure (Four Components)**
1. **Attendance & Participation**
– Must be present, with camera on, and contribute to discussion and activities.
2. **Critical Reflection Journals (Video Journals) – ~30%**
– Personal, unscripted **video reflections** recorded via webcam/phone.
– Content:
– Student’s thoughts on topics discussed since the last journal.
– Personal experiences and reactions to course themes.
– Important constraints:
– No need for academic formatting or citations; *conversational* tone encouraged.
– **Reading from a script is penalized**.
– Originally syllabus listed **6 journals**; instructor now plans to **reduce to ~3** due to grading load.
3. **Resilience Memo – Midterm – 25%**
– Students select a specific **context or issue area** where propaganda is a problem and with which they have some familiarity.
– Task: conceptualize a **strategy/solution** to increase **resilience** against propaganda in that context.
– Details to be elaborated in future sessions; only high-level framing discussed today.
4. **Digital Hygiene Toolkit – Culminating Project**
– Central capstone project of the course.
– Premise:
– Different **target groups** (by country, ethnicity, gender, identity group, etc.) are targeted with **distinct propaganda**.
– Student tasks:
– Choose a **specific group** they care about.
– Analyze how that group is **targeted** by propaganda.
– Develop a **toolkit/strategy** to help that group:
– Recognize manipulation.
– Build habits and tools to **resist or mitigate** propaganda.
– Emphasis on practical, **action-oriented outcomes**, not just theoretical analysis.
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**4.3. Submission Protocol & eCourse Platform**
– **Platform:**
– All readings, assignment descriptions, and submissions will be via **eCourse** (AUCA’s LMS).
– Non-AUCA students (e.g., AUAF, other universities) will be **added by AUCA staff** and should receive an email within ~1 week.
– **Deadlines and Late Work:**
– Assignments have **firm deadlines**.
– Late submissions:
– Allowed for **one extra week**, but with late penalty (implicit).
– If not submitted within that one-week extension, the grade becomes **0** and cannot be changed **unless** the student produces a **written excuse**.
– **Recording Policy:**
– Instructor **does not record** classes by default.
– Students may record for personal use; however:
– Recordings **may not be shared** outside the class.
– General principle: “What happens in the classroom stays in the classroom,â€� for the sake of open political discussion.
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**4.4. Academic Integrity & AI Use**
– **Plagiarism:**
– Any copying from:
– Wikipedia, other online sources.
– Other students’ work.
– One’s own previously submitted work (self-plagiarism).
– Consequence: **automatic zero** on the assignment, regardless of scale (sentences, paragraphs, or entire paper).
– Paraphrasing and quotations with proper attribution are acceptable.
– **Artificial Intelligence:**
– Students must **not** submit AI-generated text (e.g., ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude) as their own writing.
– Instructor emphasized:
– It is “obviousâ€� when text is AI-generated.
– Submitted AI text counts as **plagiarism**.
– Department protocol:
– If there is **reasonable suspicion** of AI use:
– Case goes to a **departmental committee**.
– Student may present a defense.
– If the defense is rejected: **zero** on the assignment.
– Instructor’s stance:
– AI is good for **learning and exploration**, but unacceptable as a **ghostwriter** for graded work.
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#### 5. Course Structure: Four-Part Progression
**Part 1 – Concepts & History of Propaganda**
– Focus on theoretical and conceptual background:
– What is propaganda?
– Why do we accept it?
– How has propaganda historically been used by world powers?
– Includes both **conceptual** and **historical** material.
**Part 2 – Skills: OSINT & Media Framing**
– Introduction to **Open Source Intelligence (OSINT)**:
– How to verify where an online image or video comes from.
– How to detect miscaptioned, recycled, or misattributed content.
– How to distinguish authentic from manipulated media.
– Media framing:
– How composition, angle, choice of moment, cropping, headlines, and captions shape:
– **Emotional responses**.
– **Beliefs** regarding events.
– BLM and refugee photo examples serve as prototypes for these discussions.
**Part 3 – Application: Designing the Digital Hygiene Toolkit**
– Students integrate:
– Theoretical insights (Part 1).
– Analytical skills (Part 2).
– They will:
– Select a **target group** (e.g., demographic, identity group, community).
– Map out how that group is **currently targeted** by propaganda.
– Propose a **practical set of tools, habits, and strategies** to improve that group’s resistance to manipulation.
**Part 4 – Future of Propaganda**
– Forward-looking segment:
– Explore how propaganda may **evolve** with:
– New technologies (e.g., AI, deepfakes).
– Emerging political crises or global events.
– Instructor anticipates that:
– By **May**, there will likely be some major world or technological event that will serve as a live case study.
– This part will revisit earlier concepts in light of **contemporary developments**.
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#### 6. Class Discussion: What Is Propaganda?
**Prompt to Students:**
– “What do you think of when you hear the word ‘propaganda’?â€�
– Students contributed associations and definitions:
**Key student contributions (summarized):**
– Emotional connotation:
– Propaganda often feels **negative**, even though the word itself doesn’t have to be.
– Content and methods:
– Designed to **persuade** or **influence** a specific group.
– Appeals strongly to **emotions** (fear, anxiety, pride, etc.).
– Used in politics, advertising, social messaging.
– Historical examples:
– Nazi Germany, WWII propaganda posters.
– Various war-time campaigns.
– Function:
– Pushes **political or social agendas**.
– Influences beliefs and **drives specific reactions**.
– Often associated with **deception** or **exaggeration**; may omit or distort parts of the truth.
– Power dimension:
– Seen as an **expression of power** (states, parties, militaries, intelligence services).
– Requires some **organizational capacity** to disseminate widely.
– Evolution of perception:
– Some students described their personal journey:
– Childhood: propaganda seemed educational or benign (showing what you “don’t knowâ€�).
– Adulthood: recognition of propaganda as potentially **dangerous** when used within communities.
**Instructor’s bridging comments:**
– Many people see propaganda and truth as being on **opposite ends of a spectrum**.
– The class will interrogate:
– Why we often assume propaganda = lies = bad.
– Whether that assumption holds up theoretically or empirically.
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#### 7. Vulnerability Check: “Are You Immune to Propaganda?�
**Activity:**
– Students were asked to react (via Zoom emoji) to:
– Thumbs up: “I am immune to propaganda.â€�
– Thumbs down: “I am vulnerable to propaganda.â€�
**Observed trend:**
– Most students chose **thumbs down** (acknowledging vulnerability).
– At least one student expressed confidence in being immune, but this was the minority.
**Instructional point:**
– Instructor referenced a meme of **Garfield** with the text “You are not immune to propaganda.â€�
– Key message:
– Many people believe they are too smart or critical to be manipulated.
– In reality, **no one is fully immune**; the course will explore **how and why** even well-informed individuals are susceptible.
– Weeks 2–3 will focus on **psychological and cognitive vulnerabilities** that make humans prone to manipulation.
—
#### 8. Breakout Activity: “We Can Do It� Poster (Rosie the Riveter)
**Materials/Setup:**
– Instructor posted the iconic **“We Can Do It!â€�** poster in chat.
– Students sent to breakout rooms (target size: 3–4 per group) with instructions:
1. Discuss what you **know or infer** about this image:
– When is it from?
– Who made it?
– What is happening or being depicted?
2. Without googling or using AI, decide:
– **Is this propaganda? Yes or no?**
– Explain why, based on their working understanding of propaganda.
**Group Findings & Plenary Discussion:**
1. **Context & Identification**
– Most groups successfully identified or inferred:
– The poster is from **World War II**, in the **United States**.
– It depicts a **strong woman working** (factory worker/military industrial context).
– Used to encourage women to join the **industrial labor force** while men were away at war.
– Some students were seeing the poster for the **first time**; they nevertheless inferred:
– Military-style dress.
– Focus on women’s confidence and strength.
– A “motivationalâ€� tone.
2. **Is It Propaganda? – Group Consensus**
– Groups were nearly unanimous in concluding: **yes, this is propaganda**.
– Reasons cited:
– **Clear call to action**: “We Can Do Itâ€� suggests mobilization and effort.
– Message aims to **motivate a specific audience** (women) to enter the workforce.
– Produced and widely disseminated by **state-linked institutions** (U.S. government/war agencies) rather than as autonomous art.
– Intention to **influence behavior**, not just to express sentiment.
3. **“Positive Propaganda� Concept**
– One group in particular labeled it **“positive propagandaâ€�**:
– It is still a **designed influence campaign**.
– But students perceived the **outcome** (women’s empowerment, contribution to war effort) as **positive**.
– Distinguishing factors from “negative propagandaâ€�:
– Does not spread **lies**.
– Does not incite **hate**, dehumanization, or violence.
– Promotes social inclusion and expanded roles for women.
4. **Debate on Intention vs. Effect**
– Instructor pushed further: Was the **primary intent** to “empower women,â€� or was empowerment a **means to an end**?
– Key points:
– The **state’s main goal** was to **fill labor shortages** in war industries.
– Women’s empowerment was instrumental:
– If women felt strong, capable, and valued, they would be **more willing to take factory jobs**.
– The **emotional empowerment** is therefore a **designed tool**, not merely a happy accident.
5. **Emotional and Design Elements**
– Students noticed:
– **Slogan ambiguity**: Is “We Can Do Itâ€� spoken *by* women, or *to* women? (Many argued it’s framed as women saying it to themselves, enhancing internalization.)
– **Color choice** (yellow background, strong blue and red):
– Yellow: often associated with positivity and optimism.
– Blue: calms and inspires trust; also commonly liked.
– **Pose/composition**:
– Rolled-up sleeve and flexed arm connote strength and readiness.
– Direct gaze at the viewer invites identification.
– **Gendered identification**:
– Women are more likely to identify with a **female protagonist** saying “we.â€�
– This is more persuasive than men telling women “you can do it.â€�
**Instructor’s synthesis:**
– The poster exemplifies **effective propaganda**:
– It is not a lie.
– It is not obviously “negative.â€�
– It is a **strategy** combining:
– Emotion (empowerment, pride, solidarity).
– Identity (gender solidarity).
– A call to action (join the war workforce).
—
#### 9. Defining Propaganda: Strategy, Not Simply Lies or “Badness�
**Key conceptual framing from the instructor:**
– **Propaganda is not inherently:**
– Good or bad (moral dimension).
– True or false (epistemic dimension).
– Instead, **propaganda is a strategy**:
– A **planned attempt** to:
– Make people **believe** particular things.
– Make people **act** in particular ways.
– Crucial element: **emotion**.
– Effective propaganda almost always works by **eliciting specific emotions**.
– These emotions are then **leveraged** to prompt belief and action.
– Examples revisited:
– Refugee images:
– Both factually accurate, but framed to generate fear vs. compassion.
– BLM images:
– Same event, different emotional valence (chaos vs. courage/community).
– “We Can Do Itâ€� poster:
– True representation of women’s labor, but strategically composed to evoke empowerment and duty.
**Preview of Reading:**
– Instructor referenced an author named **Welsh**, whose text students will read.
– Welsh’s position (as summarized):
– Propaganda should be understood as **neutral technique**—not automatically moralized.
– The moral assessment comes from:
– **Content** (truthful vs. deceptive).
– **Purpose** (harmful vs. beneficial).
– **Consequences**, not from the mere fact that it is “propaganda.â€�
—
#### 10. Closing Instructions and Homework
**Reading (Optional but Strongly Recommended for Next Class):**
– A text (by Welsh) defining propaganda and arguing for its neutrality as a strategy.
– Instructor will:
– Upload to **eCourse** (once available).
– Also **email** the reading to all students, especially non-AUCA students who lack eCourse access.
**Assignment for Next Class:**
– **Find one item from your social media feed** that:
– Evoked a **strong emotion** in you (any emotion: outrage, hope, fear, pride, etc.).
– Is from an **external source** (news page, meme page, organization, influencer, etc.).
– Is **not** purely personal/private (e.g., not your cousin’s birthday or family news).
– Can be:
– Image, text post, meme, short video, etc.
– This will be used in the next class as part of:
– **Self-introductions**.
– Initial analysis of **how everyday media in our feeds functions as propaganda or propaganda-adjacent**.
**Q&A Highlights:**
– Student asked if the class would first review readings in detail before activities:
– Instructor: readings are **essential**; activities are **built on** them, but class will not be a simple reading walkthrough.
– Student asked about recording:
– Instructor: does not record, but students may, as long as they do **not share** recordings.
– Admin-related questions:
– Registration issues and cross-enrollment (e.g., with public policy courses) were discussed individually after class.
– Non-ICP majors (e.g., Journalism) asked about difficulty:
– Instructor: course is **accessible without prior political science background**; emphasis on engagement and reading ~20 pages per week.
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### Actionable Items (For Instructor)
#### A. High Priority – Before Next Class
– **Distribute Reading & Access Info**
– Email the **Welsh** reading to all students.
– Include:
– Brief reading instructions (what to focus on: definition of propaganda, neutrality, role of emotion).
– Page count reassurance (~20 pages weekly target).
– Send **eCourse enrollment information/invitations** as soon as AUCA staff add external students.
– **Clarify Assignment Expectations**
– In a follow-up email or eCourse announcement, restate:
– The **social media example** assignment:
– Acceptable content types.
– Emphasis on emotional impact and external source.
– That this will be used in **Wednesday’s class activities**.
#### B. Medium Priority – Within the First Week
– **Update Syllabus/Communications on Video Journals**
– Officially amend the syllabus (or add an addendum) to:
– Adjust the number of **critical reflection journals** from 6 to **approximately 3**.
– Confirm whether weight remains 30% and how each journal will be weighted.
– Communicate change explicitly so students are not confused by the PDF vs. verbal description.
– **Confirm/Restate Camera and Recording Policies**
– Possibly send a short written summary:
– Camera-on requirement and consequences.
– Procedure for requesting camera exceptions (email to instructor + Dr. Ratzinger).
– Informal recording policy (allowed for personal use, not for sharing).
– **Coordinate with eCourse Admin**
– Follow up with AUCA IT/admin staff to ensure:
– All external students (AUAF, others) receive **eCourse access** within a week.
– The **ICP 300 eCourse shell** is fully populated with:
– Syllabus.
– Readings (including Welsh).
– Assignment descriptions (placeholders are sufficient initially).
#### C. Longer-Term / Ongoing
– **Plan for OSINT & Media Framing Modules**
– Begin preparing:
– Concrete OSINT exercises (reverse image searches, source verification tasks).
– Additional paired images (news vs. propaganda uses) for future sessions.
– **Iterate on Digital Hygiene Toolkit Framework**
– Develop:
– A clear rubric for the final project.
– Examples of target groups and possible toolkit components (e.g., for journalists, minority groups, older social media users).
– **Monitor and Address AI Use**
– Consider:
– Creating a short guide on **acceptable vs. unacceptable** AI use in this course (e.g., brainstorming vs. text generation).
– Sharing the departmental AI protocol in writing to pre-empt issues.
– **Follow Up on Individual Cases (if needed)**
– Check in on:
– Khadija’s course registration question (public policy course substitution).
– Any students who expressed concern about camera/infrastructure limitations.
– Non-ICP majors who are unsure about difficulty; encourage them but reiterate reading expectation.
This report should give you a detailed reconstruction of the first session’s flow and key teaching points, as well as the policy frameworks and early conceptual groundwork on propaganda that students encountered.
Homework Instructions:
ASSIGNMENT #1: Social Media Emotion & Propaganda Prep
You will prepare for our next class by (1) scanning an optional short reading on propaganda and (2) selecting one example from your own social media feed that triggered a strong emotional reaction. This will help you connect the course’s core idea—that propaganda is a strategy that works through emotion—to your everyday media environment.
Instructions:
1. Obtain and scan the assigned reading (optional but strongly recommended)
1.1. Check your email for the reading file the instructor mentioned (“I’m going to be giving you guys a reading that is optional. You don’t necessarily have to do it, but I would strongly recommend that you do at least scan it before Wednesday and before next week’s class as well.�).
1.2. Download and open the reading (the text by Welsh on defining propaganda).
1.3. At minimum, scan the reading before the next class; ideally, read it more carefully.
1.4. As you read/scan, pay particular attention to:
– How the author defines “propagandaâ€� (note that in class the instructor emphasized it as a *neutral strategy*, not automatically good/bad or true/false).
– The idea that propaganda aims to make people *believe* and *act* in certain ways.
– The role of *emotion* in propaganda (recall: the Syrian refugee photos, the BLM photos, and the “We Can Do It!â€� poster all made you feel different emotions, which shaped your judgments).
1.5. Jot down 2–3 short bullet points in your notes about:
– How this author’s definition of propaganda is similar to or different from your initial ideas (e.g., that propaganda = lies, or is always negative).
– One sentence on why emotion seems so central to propaganda in this reading.
(This reading is not formally required, but the instructor made it clear that it will help you follow and participate in the next sessions.)
2. Choose one item from your social media feed that triggered a strong emotion
2.1. Over the next couple of days, go through your usual social media platforms (Instagram, TikTok, Twitter/X, Facebook, Telegram channels, meme pages, news pages, etc.).
2.2. Look specifically for *one* post that:
– Gave you a *strong* emotional reaction (e.g., anger, fear, hope, pride, disgust, sadness, outrage, inspiration, etc.), and
– Came from some *external source*, not just a purely personal/private post.
2.3. Acceptable sources:
– News outlets, political accounts, activists, influencers, meme pages, NGOs, state institutions, etc.
– It can be an image, text post, thread, meme, video, reel, story, or similar.
2.4. *Do not* choose:
– Purely personal events such as your cousin’s birthday, your brother’s wedding, or a friend’s vacation post, etc.
– The instructor clarified this near the end: “the only restriction… don’t make it a purely personal event… preferably it’s from some sort of external page. Maybe it’s from a meme page. Maybe it’s from a news site. But it doesn’t necessarily need to be a news event.â€�
3. Save the post so you can bring it to class
3.1. Make sure you have a way to show or describe the post next class:
– Take a screenshot,
– Save the link/URL, or
– Download the image/video if that’s easy and allowed by the platform.
3.2. If privacy settings or ephemerality (e.g., stories) are an issue, capture enough detail in a screenshot or write down:
– The account/page name,
– The type of content (image/meme/video/text),
– Any text/caption that mattered for your reaction.
4. Reflect briefly on *your* emotional reaction
4.1. On a separate note (in your notebook, a document, or your phone), write 3–5 short bullet points responding to the following:
– What *emotion(s)* did this post make you feel (e.g., fear, anger, hope, compassion, pride, shame, etc.)?
– How *strong* was that emotion on a 1–10 scale (1 = very weak, 10 = extremely strong)?
4.2. Identify what in the post triggered the emotion:
– Was it an image (e.g., crying children, a huge crowd, smiling faces, symbols)?
– Was it the wording of the caption or headline?
– Was it music, editing style, color, or some visual element?
– Was it because it connected to your identity (nationality, gender, religion, political views, etc.)?
4.3. Using the definition of propaganda discussed in class and in the reading, ask yourself:
– Does this post *try to make people think or act in a particular way* (e.g., support a cause, fear a group, donate, vote, hate, admire, etc.)?
– Does it seem like it is using your emotions *strategically* to guide your beliefs or behavior?
– Based on that, would you tentatively classify it as propaganda, or as “just information/entertainment,â€� or as something in between?
4.4. You do not need a polished essay—these can be quick notes. The goal is to arrive in class ready to talk about:
– What you saw,
– How it made you feel, and
– Whether you think it might be functioning as propaganda in the sense introduced this week (a strategy that leverages emotion to shape beliefs and actions).
5. Prepare to share in the next class
5.1. Bring:
– Access to the post (screenshot, link, or clear description), and
– Your brief notes on your emotional reaction and your tentative judgment about whether it is propaganda.
5.2. Be ready to:
– Use this example as part of your self-introduction, as the instructor explained: “We’re going to be using that as part of our self-introductions during our class on Wednesday.â€�
– Discuss in small groups how emotion is being used and connect your example to the ideas from the reading and from class (e.g., comparing it to the Syrian refugee photos, the BLM photos, and the “We Can Do It!â€� poster).
By completing this assignment, you will come into the next class already practicing the central skill of the course: recognizing how everyday media content uses emotion to influence what you believe and how you might act—and evaluating whether and how that content operates as propaganda.