Power of Persuasion

             - Propaganda Unit

Syllabus

 

INTRODUCTION: Being able to persuade someone to do something that they didn't want to or hadn't thought about is a very powerful tool.  There are many forms of persuading people, and these forms can be seen multiple times throughout history.  One specific way to persuade someone is through propaganda.  This website is based around the idea that propaganda is used in times of military conflict to demonize the 'enemy' and inspire nationalism and support within the country.

COURSE OBJECTIVES: The following represents the major objectives to be accomplished by the conclusion of the course of study: students should --

- Know the term "propaganda" and be able to identify various pieces of it

- Compare different forms of propaganda and determine how each can be used most effectively

- Understand the use of war propaganda to 'control' the masses

- Investigate different wars to determine the use and effectiveness of propaganda

- Study the causation between propaganda and emotion

- Discover the importance of propaganda in times of war

TEXTS AND READING MATERIALS: All assigned readings (as noted in the Class Schedule) are available through this website.  Hardcopies will also be available in the classroom.

FINAL GRADE DETERMINATION:

Personal Persuasion Short Essay - 10%

Poster/Political Cartoon Analysis Project - 20%

More Persuasive - Hitler or FDR? - 20%

Propaganda Project - 50%

Total 100%

Click here to read the Thematic Construct of the unit

 

This site has been prepared by Rebecca Clark (mailto:raclark888@aol.com) for the use of students at Cleveland State University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA, who are enrolled in HIS 370 / 570, Summer Workshop: World History for Teachers, during the Summer Quarter of the 2002 - 2003 Academic Year; please contact her with any comments.

Last updated 4 August 2003.

 

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