Computational propaganda is a form of manipulation that targets political, social, economic, environmental, and religious issues leveraging social media platforms. The perpetrators use fake personas, automated bots, artificial intelligence algorithms and large data to manipulate public opinion. Students will examine the fundamentals of both propaganda and the automation of propaganda using advanced computational methods. Students will research the history of propaganda and the methods used to manipulate subjects. Leveraging what students have learned during the creation of computational propaganda, students will then turn the tables and develop methods to identify and uncover computational propaganda within social media platforms.
Course Credits
3