Political Information in a Digital Era

What it is about

You investigate how political information is spread in the digital space and why false beliefs, conspiracy myths and misinformation can arise and threaten democratic processes. You will learn psychological and media-theoretical factors and receive methodological tools (e.g., surveys, Big Data) to quantitatively analyze the spread of populist and conspiratorial rhetoric. In the end you will be able to formulate and methodically address research questions on misinformation and conspiracy theories and assess approaches to countering false beliefs.

What you will be able to do

• Understand media and psychological theories on the spread of misinformation and conspiracy theories
• Evaluate various methodological approaches (e.g., surveys, Big Data)
• Formulate and answer research questions on misinformation and conspiracy theories

What the module consists of

• Seminar / Kursactive participation in discussions and questions; applying theories to real problems

Teaching method

• studentenzentriertes, aktives Lernenpromotes active participation, discussion and the adaptation of theories to real questions