Russian Propaganda Influence

3 Credits · Level: Graduate

Students will build in-depth understanding of the historic and modern Russian (and Soviet) propaganda and influence themes, principles, and dissemination techniques. We will familiarize ourselves with modern and historic discussions of propaganda and its effectiveness and explore various propaganda artifacts – including movies, cartoons, media stories, and social media posts – and their delivery mechanisms. The first half of the course will focus on major themes and narratives of Russian propaganda, with an in-depth look at the implications of various ideological strains, such as anti-Americanism, homophobia, and efforts to define Russia’s role in the modern world. The second half of the course will focus on how modern Russian propaganda targets audiences, tailors messaging, communicates ideas, integrates into existing messaging streams, and adapts to changing media environments and information consumption patterns.