Persuasion and Advocacy

This seminar provides an interdisciplinary analysis of the phenomenon of mass persuasion and advocacy in modern society. How does it “work”? How should we characterize the individuals and institutions that shape and disseminate it? What are the specific languages and visual symbols that propagandists have typically used to affect mass audiences? How have both “democratic” and “authoritarian” societies sought to generate consent, and how, in turn, have individuals and social groups drawn the line between what is truth and what is propaganda? Although the manipulation of information for political ends has been intrinsic to human societies across history, this course focuses on the so-called “axial age of propaganda,” beginning with World War I, which saw the emergence of tightly organized, large-scale, government-sponsored efforts across Europe and the United States. This course will use a variety of case studies to explore the symbolic content of specific kinds of propaganda, and the institutional contexts that produce it, paying attention both to advocacy programs that seek to overthrow social structures, as well as to maintain them. Finally, the course will consider the ubiquity of persuasion, advocacy, and influence in contemporary society, focusing on the role of image-making professionals working in the spheres of political campaigning, advertising, and public relations.