As a journalism major, the course I am taking during Session 3 – Propaganda: Fakes and Facts – is right up my alley. The bulk of the course is focused on learning about and analyzing the disinformation campaigns, or “fake news,” run by the Russians.
Although the course primarily looks at the politics of the situation, it also dives into how the media, the government, and NGOs can and should be working to address fake news. Since I am hoping to pursue a career in media, this class is incredibly interesting to me as fake news is what has caused a lot of people to lose trust in the media.
It’s only the second week and already my class has gone on two Field Studies. Last week, we went to the Danish Broadcasting Corporation, and this week we went to Denmark’s Ministry of Defense.
Due to confidentiality, I can’t provide details about the Ministry of Defense, but I can say that the people we met with spoke to my class about hybrid threats (essentially cyberattacks) from a governmental perspective.
Not only have I been able to visit organizations and government agencies that I would not have access to if I wasn’t studying with DIS, but I’ve also gotten to listen to two Danish journalists speak to my class about their experiences reporting in Denmark.
I’ve listened to both Tinne Hjersing Knudsen and Kristian Mouritzen talk about reporting on Russian interference and also on American politics. It was very interesting and refreshing to hear Danish journalists’ perspectives on American affairs.
My professor is a huge part of the reason why my class has so many great opportunities. He works for the European Union and is extremely knowledgeable about the topics we discuss in class. I love getting to hear from someone whose job literally revolves around the class topic.
We do some group work in the class, and we stick with the same group every time. I really enjoy getting to hear from my classmates; everyone actively participates in class and something provocative is always said. By the end of the course, our groups will have developed suggestions for combating Russian disinformation as the media, the government, and NGOs.
I am loving the class I am taking because it is so applicable to my life and it’s only serving to educate me more on a topic I am interested in.
Great to hear the first hand experiences in this class! Quite valuable!