US,China,andtheWarofIdeas

3 Credits · Level: Graduate

This course will teach students theoretical and practical aspects of information warfare between the United States and China. Students will dive into the history of Chinese propaganda and the U.S. efforts to counteract it, from the 1970s to today. Students will also examine the role of Chinese disinformation within the United States. The course will give students an analytical toolkit for understanding the effectiveness of communications strategies used by U.S. government officials and provide an introduction to key concepts involved in the study of communications strategy and public diplomacy. The emphasis will be on functional training, showing how U.S. officials, analysts, disinformation experts and others work to identify and counter Chinese propaganda. Through books and articles about the U.S.-China relationship, field trips, as well as American movies altered for Chinese audiences, this course will provide students with a foundation in the art of public messaging. Students will gain knowledge crucial for Asia expertise, and become adept at writing policy memos, think-tank reports, op-eds, and rapid-response notes for journalists, and learn how to grapple with hot-button global issues in real time. The course will encompass expeditions into the city to visit a Tiananmen Square memorial, archival research, and spirited discussions with guest speakers, including leading journalists and authors who have written extensively on China, as well as former government officials steeped in the subject.