APLNG 320NLanguage, Ideology, and Propaganda

3 credits · Applied Linguistics · Penn State

The course gives students hands-on tools for investigating ideology and propaganda through the analysis of a variety of historical and contemporary texts. With the help of different theoretical perspectives, students learn how to analyze ideologies that can be found in texts, identify whose interests those ideologies serve, and discuss their biases, with the goal of learning how these belief systems can be used to promote and circulate specific political views (i.e., propaganda). The course begins with a historical overview of the role played by language and other meaning-making resources in the production and circulation of ideology and propaganda across a variety of historical contexts. The course will then explore contemporary practices of disinformation, and investigate alternative strategies through which to counter disinformation.