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Courses - Fall 2025
HIST
History Department Site
HIST219L
Special Topics in History; Disinformation in the Twentieth Century
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
Despite common perception, disinformation or "fake news" did not emerge with the advent of the internet, or the explosion of social media. Long before the internet revolution, states, corporations, and other actors successfully launched disinformation campaigns, and those helped to shape people's perceptions and behavior, sometimes for decades. Through a comparative framework, students will be able to evaluate what made some disinformation campaigns highly successful and others less so, as well as what are the conditions under which groups are able to break throughthe screen of disinformation and develop alternative, and more truthful, narratives.