Propaganda in the Modern World

4 credits · Undergraduate

This course traces the evolution and use of propaganda since the First World War, which marked the birth of modern mass propaganda. Individual sessions are devoted to each of the world wars, the Cold War, ideological and political movements, decolonization and independence movements, Saddam Hussein and the wars in Iraq, and propaganda in the digital age. Topics include the influence of the British Ministry of Information during World War I, the emergence of the mass propaganda poster during that war, the impact of Joseph Goebbels as Minister of Propaganda in Nazi Germany, the Cold War as principally a propaganda war, and how propaganda has evolved in the digital age. The emphasis will be on visual propaganda. The collections on propaganda at the Hoover Institution Library & Archives will be a central resource throughout the quarter. Students will visit Hoover Tower twice during the quarter to explore the collections.