Lesson Report:
# Title
**From the Harms of Propaganda to Deliberative Solutions: Tang, Uberization, and Midterm Memo Prep**
This session moved from reviewing the social harms of propaganda toward a more hopeful question: what can societies actually do to resist it? Using a reading by Tang on Uber, “memes,” and public deliberation, the instructor connected earlier course concepts to a midterm assignment in which students will analyze an ongoing propaganda campaign and propose a response.
# Attendance
– **Students explicitly mentioned absent:** 0
– **Names marked absent:** None mentioned in the transcript
– **Note:** No formal attendance check was recorded in the transcript.
# Topics Covered
## 1. Opening framing: shifting from the harms of propaganda to possible solutions
– The instructor began by acknowledging that the class had spent much of the course examining the “grim” and negative side of propaganda.
– He explained that this lesson would do two things at once:
– continue reviewing the harms and consequences of propaganda, and
– begin transitioning toward possible remedies and societal responses.
– He also previewed the **midterm assignment**, noting that it was coming up soon and that he was **likely to extend the deadline by one week** to give students more time, though this did not sound fully finalized yet.
– The instructor positioned the day as both:
– a conceptual bridge from “what propaganda does” to “what we can do about it,” and
– a practical preparation session for the midterm.
## 2. Warm-up freewrite: consequences of propaganda
– Students were asked to do a **2-minute freewrite** in a Google Doc or notes app on the question:
– What are the biggest consequences of propaganda?
– If propagandists are effective, what do individuals and society lose?
– The instructor stressed that the writing did **not need to be organized**; he wanted raw thoughts rather than formal paragraph structure.
– After the freewrite, students were asked to paste their ideas into the chat.
### Student contributions during the brainstorm
– **Joro Danek**: said propaganda can **increase hatred** and **weaken unity**.
– **Uncertain student (“Yvonne” in transcript)**: wrote that one important consequence is the **manipulation of public opinion** and that propaganda **“messes with the essence of truth.”**
– The instructor noted that many good ideas were appearing and then moved the class forward rather than reading each one aloud at length.
## 3. Distilling the course so far into one sentence
– Using the brainstorm as a synthesis activity, the instructor asked students to review classmates’ chat responses and produce **one sentence** capturing their understanding of what propaganda does overall.
– The goal was to reduce the many harms discussed in the course into a central claim about propaganda’s effect on:
– individuals,
– public understanding,
– and society as a whole.
– Students were told to send the sentence into chat, but the instructor also said these ideas would be revisited later because they would become the **“beating heart”** of the midterm assignment.
## 4. Introduction of the Tang reading
– The instructor then shifted to a **five-page PDF** that he said would be the **reading for Wednesday**.
– He did **not** expect students to complete a deep reading during class; instead, the reading was used as a guided in-class exercise.
– Students were directed to:
– open the PDF,
– go to **page 2**,
– find the phrase near the bottom beginning with **“Uber is very interesting because it is a meme…”**
– **Joro Danek** noticed Chinese characters and asked about them; the instructor replied playfully that he was “about to learn,” signaling that the reading’s context would become clear shortly.
## 5. Popcorn reading of the Tang excerpt
– The class did an online version of **popcorn reading**, with one student reading each line aloud and then another student taking the next line.
– The excerpt centered on:
– Uber as a “meme,”
– the “sharing economy,”
– the idea of a “virus of the mind,”
– and **deliberation** as a way to respond.
### Students identified as reading aloud
– **Uncertain student (“Aditya” in transcript; no confident roster match)** read the opening line.
– **Kasymova Chynara Iusubzhonovna** read one of the subsequent lines.
– **Mar Lar Seinn** *(uncertain match; transcript says “Sen”)* read another line.
– Additional lines were read, but not all readers were clearly named in the transcript.
### Immediate interpretive framing by the instructor
– After the reading, the instructor pointed out that the language was intentionally striking, especially phrases like **“virus of the mind.”**
– He told the class they would return to the exact meaning of that metaphor, but first wanted to focus on what Tang was doing with the Uber example.
## 6. Discussion of Uber: framing, classification, and propaganda-like messaging
– The instructor asked students a basic but important question: **What is Uber?**
– He reminded them that although most people now think of Uber as a taxi service, Uber originally avoided calling itself a taxi company and instead used the label **“ride-sharing”** or **“sharing economy.”**
– This led into a discussion about how naming and framing shape regulation, perception, and political outcomes.
### Student contributions on Uber’s framing
– **Joro Danek** asked why Uber would avoid calling itself a taxi service and what advantage that gave the company.
– **Harzu Natalia** said Uber is a **platform**, helping point toward the structural difference between a traditional taxi company and an app-mediated system.
– **Harzu Natalia** also added that drivers in ride-sharing systems may be **non-professionals**, unlike traditional taxi drivers.
– **Uncertain student (“Sam” in transcript)** focused on the positive connotations of the word **“share,”** suggesting that the language makes the service sound helpful and socially beneficial.
– **Ismailova Kamilla Renatovna** *(uncertain match; transcript says “Camilo”)* said the service is **cheaper**, identifying a major part of its appeal.
– **Kendirbaeva Kanykei Oskonovna** identified **taxes** as central to the difference, which the instructor treated as the key insight.
### Instructor explanation of the business-model distinction
– The instructor then gave a detailed explanation:
– In a traditional taxi system, a company hires drivers, manages logistics, and operates as an employer.
– In the Uber model, an individual with a car can simply join the app and drive when convenient, without being structured in the same way as a taxi-company employee.
– He emphasized that this model appears attractive because it offers:
– flexibility for drivers,
– lower prices for riders,
– and less visible overhead.
– However, he made clear that the framing of Uber as “sharing” rather than “taxi” has major implications for:
– taxes,
– labor structure,
– fees,
– and regulation.
## 7. From convenience to “Uberization”
– The discussion then broadened from Uber’s self-description to the larger process Tang is warning about.
– **Harzu Natalia** introduced the term **“Uberization,”** which the instructor said gets to the core of Tang’s concern.
– The instructor localized the concept by comparing it to **Yandex** in Bishkek, describing a similar transformation of the taxi market there.
### Student contributions on Uberization and monopoly
– **Zulumbekov Alikhan Dastanbekovich** said **monopoly** is one result of this process.
– The instructor asked him to define monopoly more precisely.
– **Zulumbekov Alikhan Dastanbekovich** clarified it as a **single actor dominating a sphere/market**.
– **Harzu Natalia** added an example that a university professor could simply use personal driving time to offer rides, illustrating the gig-model logic.
– **Joro Danek** later remarked that officials are unhappy about **money going to Russia through Yandex**, showing awareness of the geopolitical/economic dimension.
– **Joro Danek** also mentioned efforts to create a local alternative, which led the instructor to discuss **Namba** as a previous local analogue.
– **Zulumbekov Alikhan Dastanbekovich** also commented that one company now dominates the market and that people began “sharing rides after work” under the Yandex-style model.
### Instructor’s extended example: Bishkek and local market erosion
– The instructor described how local taxi services such as **Jorgo Taxi**, older local companies, and later **Namba Taxi** have been displaced or weakened by app-based platforms.
– He explained the process of Uberization as:
– a system initially presented as a supplement to local taxi infrastructure,
– then gradually becoming dominant,
– then weakening or dissolving local companies,
– and finally routing profits outward to larger international actors.
– He used Bishkek/Yandex as a local analogy and also referenced international cases, including countries where profits flow to distant corporate centers such as Silicon Valley.
– He also described how this dynamic affects both sides of the market:
– riders face rising prices over time,
– drivers face worsening terms and earnings,
– while the dominant platform consolidates power.
– This became the concrete example through which the class could understand Tang’s metaphor of the “meme” or “virus of the mind.”
## 8. Reading exercise: sentence, phrase, and word selection
– After the discussion, the instructor shifted from open discussion to a more structured close-reading exercise.
– Students were told to scan all five pages and complete a three-stage annotation process:
1. **Highlight one sentence** that stood out.
2. **Identify a two- or three-word phrase** that stood out, different from the sentence already chosen.
3. **Choose one single word** that stood out, different from both the earlier sentence and phrase.
– The instructor framed this as a familiar **FYS/orientation-style exercise**, adapted for the online setting.
– Students pasted their chosen sentences, phrases, and words into the chat as they completed each step.
## 9. Reconstructing Tang’s thesis from the class chat
– Once the class had collected sentences, phrases, and words, the instructor asked students to scroll back through the chat and observe how many selections converged around similar ideas.
– He then asked them to produce a **one-sentence thesis statement** summarizing Tang’s position.
– The instructor explicitly guided them toward a two-part reconstruction:
– **What is the problem?**
Tang’s diagnosis of propaganda, information warfare, PR campaigns, or “mind viruses.”
– **What is the cure?**
Tang’s proposed societal response.
### Clarification during the thesis activity
– **Zulumbekov Alikhan Dastanbekovich** asked for clarification about what exactly needed to be reconstructed.
– The instructor clarified that students should combine Tang’s diagnosis of the problem and her proposed remedy into a single sentence.
## 10. Instructor synthesis of Tang’s argument
– After students submitted thesis sentences, the instructor summarized the key takeaway:
– Tang offers not only a description of propaganda’s harms,
– but also a plausible **societal-level response**.
– He identified the core of Tang’s solution as:
– **societal deliberation**, and
– **radical transparency**.
– He explained that people need the ability to:
– understand what government is deciding,
– see what other people actually think,
– and form informed consensus through deliberative processes.
– This section marked an important thematic shift in the course from **critique** to **response strategy**.
## 11. Transition to the midterm assignment
– The instructor then explained that the day’s review was meant to prepare students for the **midterm**.
– Students were directed to the **syllabus, page 8**, where the major assignments are listed.
– He emphasized that students would **not** be writing a standard five-paragraph essay.
– Instead, they would take on the role of a **junior analyst** working for a **pro-democracy NGO**.
### Midterm task as described in class
– Students must identify **one propaganda/disinformation problem** somewhere in the world.
– They must then write a **memo** that:
– explains the problem,
– analyzes the actors and dynamics,
– and proposes a solution.
– The instructor linked this directly to Tang’s example: Tang identifies a propaganda-related social problem and proposes a model for addressing it.
## 12. Constraints and brainstorming for the memo topic
– The instructor next moved students into a short individual brainstorming phase.
– Students were asked to think of:
– a propaganda campaign,
– PR campaign,
– or disinformation issue
that is occurring somewhere in the world **today**.
– He added one important constraint:
– the case **cannot be from the student’s own country or community**;
– it must be from a community the student does **not directly belong to**.
– Students were told they did not need a fully developed topic yet, but they should at least identify:
– a country/community,
– and one sentence on the problem.
## 13. Breakout-room activity: analyzing the propaganda case
– For the final activity, the instructor divided the class into breakout rooms, mostly in groups of four.
– Students were told to share their brainstormed case and help one another answer **four analytic questions**:
1. **Who is the actor/propagandist?**
A government, part of a government, or a non-governmental group?
2. **What is the tactic?**
Is the campaign trying to produce **control** or **chaos**?
3. **Who is the target?**
Who is being manipulated, or which out-group is being constructed?
4. **What is the political goal?**
What does the actor want to gain from the campaign?
– The breakout-room task clearly functioned as early scaffolding for the memo assignment.
### Question asked before/during breakout instructions
– **Uncertain student** asked whether the propaganda campaign needed to be happening **currently**.
– The instructor clarified:
– the campaign must still be **ongoing now**,
– but there is **no restriction on when it originally started**.
## 14. Closing and next steps
– At the end of class, the instructor said that on **Wednesday** the class would return to these ideas and continue brainstorming midterm topics.
– He also said the class would go into more detail about **memo structure** in the next session.
– He reminded students to complete the Tang reading before Wednesday and be prepared to discuss the details of her proposed solution.
### Final student questions
– **Uncertain student** asked whether a propaganda campaign that began in **1994** would still be acceptable for the assignment.
– The instructor said **yes**, as long as it is **still happening today**.
– **Joro Danek** asked whether the instructor would upload anything to **eCourse** because he might forget the instructions.
– The instructor said **yes**, likely **the next night**, and specifically mentioned that the **assignment upload page** would be posted.
# Student Tracker
– **Joro Danek** — Contributed to the opening brainstorm on propaganda’s harms, asked several strong analytical questions about Uber/Yandex, and requested follow-up materials on eCourse.
– **Kasymova Chynara Iusubzhonovna** — Participated in the popcorn reading by reading part of the Tang excerpt aloud.
– **Harzu Natalia** — Helped distinguish platform-based ride-sharing from traditional taxi services and introduced the idea of “Uberization.”
– **Kendirbaeva Kanykei Oskonovna** — Identified taxes/fees as the key structural issue separating taxi services from ride-sharing models.
– **Zulumbekov Alikhan Dastanbekovich** — Highlighted monopoly as a consequence of Uberization and later asked for clarification during the thesis-reconstruction activity.
– **Mar Lar Seinn** *(uncertain match; transcribed as “Sen”)* — Read a line from the Tang excerpt during the collaborative reading.
– **Ismailova Kamilla Renatovna** *(uncertain match; transcribed as “Camilo”)* — Noted Uber’s lower cost as part of its appeal and public framing.
– **Suslov Ivan** *(uncertain match; transcribed as “Yvonne”)* — Contributed an early idea that propaganda manipulates public opinion and damages truth.
– **Samatbekova Elaiym Samatbekovna or Imomdodova Samira Khairullaevna** *(uncertain; transcribed as “Sam”)* — Commented on the positive rhetorical connotations of the word “share” in “ride-sharing.”
– **Uncertain student (“Aditya” in transcript; no confident roster match)** — Read the opening line of the Tang passage aloud during popcorn reading.
– **Uncertain student** — Asked whether a campaign must be current for the midterm topic; this prompted clarification that it may have started earlier if still ongoing.
– **Uncertain student** — Asked whether a case dating back to 1994 would be acceptable if still active; the instructor confirmed that it would.
# Actionable Items
## High urgency
– **Post the midterm assignment materials to eCourse**, including the upload page the instructor said would likely go up the next night.
– **Confirm the midterm deadline extension** if the planned one-week extension is being finalized.
## Before next class
– **Revisit students’ brainstormed propaganda cases** at the start of Wednesday’s class.
– **Provide explicit memo structure guidance** next session, since students were told this would be covered in more detail.
– **Reinforce the topic constraint** that the case must be ongoing and must involve a country/community other than the student’s own.
## Administrative / record-keeping
– **Verify uncertain transcript names against roster/video/chat log** for participants transcribed as “Aditya,” “Yvonne,” “Camilo,” “Sam,” and “Sen.”
Homework Instructions:
ASSIGNMENT #1: Read Tang’s essay and prepare to discuss its proposed solution to propaganda
You should complete the full Tang reading so that you can better understand the lesson’s shift from identifying the harms of propaganda to thinking about possible social and political responses to it. This reading will help you prepare for Wednesday’s class discussion and for the midterm memo, since Tang’s piece models how to identify a propaganda or disinformation problem and propose a societal-level solution.
Instructions:
1. Open the five-page PDF by Tang that was shared in class.
2. Read the entire text all the way through before Wednesday. In class, you only scanned parts of it and closely read the section beginning with “Uber is very interesting because it is a meme,” but now you should complete a full reading.
3. As you read, pay special attention to Tang’s central metaphor of the “virus of the mind” and think about what she means by that in relation to propaganda, disinformation, PR campaigns, and information warfare.
4. Focus on the specific example discussed in class: Uber, ride-sharing, and the threat of “Uberization” in Taiwan. Make sure you understand how Tang uses this example to illustrate a broader public problem rather than just a transportation issue.
5. Identify what Tang sees as the main problem caused by propaganda or information warfare. As you read, ask yourself:
1. What social or political harm is being described?
2. How are people being misled, manipulated, or divided?
3. Why is this dangerous at the level of society, not just the individual?
6. Identify what Tang presents as the cure or solution. In class, this was summarized as societal deliberation and radical transparency, so make sure you can explain:
1. What deliberation means in this reading
2. Why Tang thinks deliberation can work as a response to propaganda
3. How transparency helps people reach informed consensus
7. Review the kinds of reading moves you practiced in class and use them to guide your preparation:
1. Notice one sentence that seems especially important
2. Notice one short phrase that stands out
3. Notice one key word that seems central to Tang’s argument
4. Think about how those parts help reveal Tang’s overall thesis
8. Write down, for your own preparation, a one-sentence explanation of Tang’s main argument. Your sentence should explain both:
1. What Tang thinks the problem is
2. What Tang thinks the solution is
9. Come to class on Wednesday ready to talk about the reading in detail. You should be prepared to explain Tang’s argument clearly and to connect it to the larger course theme of what societies can do about propaganda.
10. Keep this reading in mind as preparation for your midterm memo, since the midterm will ask you to identify a propaganda problem somewhere in the world and propose a solution in a way that parallels what Tang is doing in this essay.