Undergraduate Module Descriptor

POL3267: Misinformation, Misperceptions and Conspiracy Theories

This module descriptor refers to the 2021/2 academic year.

Module Aims

You will be able to demonstrate knowledge of the three key topics of misinformation, misperceptions, and conspiracy theories. You will learn the important role that these play in public discourse, and the threats they pose to healthy democracies. You will be exposed to multiple competing theoretical approaches and will be able to articulate similarities and differences to these competing approaches. As most readings will include quantitative data analysis, you will be able to develop and refine your skills reading and evaluating this type of work. There are no quantitative prerequisites (the instructors will give all relevant training to perform well in the course, but you should be prepared to engage with quantitative work). Taken together, this class will help your skills in applying theory to data, and subsequently using data to inform theory. The module may include opportunities for original data collection and analysis.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
This module's assessment will evaluate your achievement of the ILOs listed here – you will see reference to these ILO numbers in the details of the assessment for this module.
On successfully completing the programme you will be able to:
Module-Specific Skills	1. demonstrate knowledge of the major theories in the field of misperceptions and misinformation (including conspiracy theories) 2. demonstrate knowledge of basic and advanced methodologies used by public opinion researchers
Discipline-Specific Skills	3. understand and critically evaluate a broad spectrum of research designs, with a particular focus on quantitative research 4. exercise informed judgment concerning the use of empirical evidence in support of an argument in published research
Personal and Key Skills	5. demonstrate critical-thinking, in particular as related to quantitative evidence and conclusions 6. demonstrate ability to present complex arguments with clarity and concision 7. work independently and with peers to meet common research and assessment deadlines effectively

Module Content

Syllabus Plan

While the specific syllabus plan will change depending on both the most recent research and who is teaching the module, the following broad topics (1-2 weeks per topic) should be expected, with the possibility of additional topics also covered:

How prevalent in misinformation? How do we identify good information from bad information?
Who consumes misinformation (or “fake news”)? What are the primary vectors by which misinformation spreads in society? What are the correlates of consuming misinformation, and how is this information consumed? What factors are associated with people choosing to spread misinformation?
Are interventions capable of stopping the spread of misinformation, or how people process information that is of dubious quality? What is the current state-of-the-art in effective interventions?
How prevalent are misperceptions in the public? What do misperceptions (and their persistence) tell us about the health of public discourse and democracy? How are misperceptions related to motivated reasoning? Why are some people more accurate in their factual beliefs than others?
Can misperceptions be corrected? If so, what are best practices for correcting misperceptions? Can journalistic fact-checking stop help voters and consumers, and stop the spread of misinformation?
How prevalent are conspiracy beliefs? What factors associated with believing in conspiracy theories? How (easily) does conspiracy ideation spread?

While not a specific topic, a companion theme to the broad topics and questions above is how the answers may vary across different countries. While most research in this area is conducted with data from the United States, we will also include data from additional countries to better understand to which these are universal problems, or whether they are specifically rooted in the particular political culture and institutions of the United States.

Learning and Teaching

This table provides an overview of how your hours of study for this module are allocated:

Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities	Guided independent study	Placement / study abroad
22	128	0

...and this table provides a more detailed breakdown of the hours allocated to various study activities:

Category	Hours of study time	Description
Scheduled Learning & Teaching Activities	22	2 hour weekly seminars with a mix of short formal lectures, student led seminar, and collective discussion
Guided Independent Study	50	Preparing for seminars: reading and research
Guided Independant Study	78	Completing assessment tasks: reading, research and writing

Online Resources

This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).