Media Literacy and Critical Thinking (EEAS 0150)

In modern society, people depend on the media for information on what is happening in their city, their country and the world. But we are bombarded with information like never before, through conventional news outlets, social media and the internet. Citizens need the skills to read carefully, to assess sources, to look for reliable evidence, and to spot disinformation. This course will teach participants the basics of detecting spin and disinformation, of assessing the validity of news and social media reports, of sorting out the difference between truth and fiction. This will be an introduction to media literacy and a primer on how to identify fake news. It will also discuss the three key ways journalists find out information, and show how these can be employed by ordinary citizens.