Module: Information, Manipulation & Democracy

Latest Module Specifications

Current Academic Year 2025 - 2026

Module Title	Information, Manipulation & Democracy
Module Code	MCO1068 (ITS: CM5963)
Faculty	Communications	School	Humanities & Social Sciences
NFQ level	9	Credit Rating	5

Description

This module will examine wide-ranging concerns about information manipulation and democracy. It will situate these concerns within normative theories of democratic citizenship; debates about the nature of truth, evidence, and expertise; and arguments about the affordances the media environment. Lectures will also address the definitional challenges surrounding disinformation; the evidence for claims about the causes and harms of disinformation; and the benefits and drawbacks of major countermeasures including factchecking, pre-bunking, and media literacy. Students will apply theoretical and empirical insights to contemporary case studies through group and individual assignments. Throughout, students will be expected to engage with a wide-range of reading materials including policy documents, research papers, reports, and journalism.

Learning Outcomes

1. Understand the normative role of informed citizens within democracies.
2. Evaluate claims about truth, evidence, and expertise.
3. Assess the causes and impacts of information manipulation.
4. Apply theoretical and empirical insights to case studies
5. Compare the benefits and limitations of different countermeasures.

*Type*	*Hours*	*Description*
Workload	Full time hours per semester
Lecture	22	No Description
Fieldwork	10	No Description
Independent Study	65	No Description
Assignment Completion	27	No Description
Total Workload: 124

Section Breakdown
CRN	20704	Part of Term	Semester 2
Coursework	0%	Examination Weight	0%
Grade Scale	40PASS	Pass Both Elements	Y
Resit Category	RC1	Best Mark	N
Module Co-ordinator	Eileen Culloty	Module Teacher

Type	Description	% of total	Assessment Date
Assessment Breakdown
In Class Test	Quiz	20%	Week 4
Group presentation	Group presentation on a manipulation case study	30%	Week 7
Assignment	Comparative analysis of a case study	50%	n/a

Reassessment Requirement Type
Resit arrangements are explained by the following categories; RC1: A resit is available for both^* components of the module. RC2: No resit is available for a 100% coursework module. RC3: No resit is available for the coursework component where there is a coursework and summative examination element. ^* ‘Both’ is used in the context of the module having a coursework/summative examination split; where the module is 100% coursework, there will also be a resit of the assessment

Pre-requisite	None
Co-requisite	None
Compatibles	None
Incompatibles	None

All module information is indicative and subject to change. For further information,students are advised to refer to the University's Marks and Standards and Programme Specific Regulations at: http://www.dcu.ie/registry/examinations/index.shtml

Indicative Content and Learning Activities

Lecture topics
1. Normative theory: what should citizens be informed? 2. Evidence and objectivity: deciding what is true 3. Expertise and experience: deciding who to trust 4. Information filters: the role of journalism 5. Information filters: the role of online platforms 6. Distortion and deception: 7. Group presentations (case study) 8. Group presentations (case study) 9. Countering deception: reactions 10. Countering deception: preemptive 11. Conclusion: political contexts and future directions

Indicative Reading List

Books:

Ted Striphas,Ted: 2023, Algorithmic Culture Before the Internet, 9780231206693
Eileen Culloty,Jane Suiter: 2021, Disinformation and Manipulation in Digital Media, Routledge, 104, 9780367515270

Articles:

Lewandowsky S and Smilie L: 2020, Technology and Democracy, European Commission Joint Research Center, https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/49b629ee-1805-11eb-b57e-01aa75ed71a1/language-en, 518210
2018: The elusiveness of political truth: From the conceit of objectivity to intersubjective judgement, European Journal of Communication, 33(2), 157-1, http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0267323118760319, 518211, 1
Misinformation Interventions: Evidence, Knowledge Gaps, and Implications: European Psychologist., 518212, 2, Finlayson, L.
Nordic Wittgenstein Review: https://www.nordicwittgensteinreview.com/article/view/3502, 518213, 2, Chadwick, A., Stanyer, J,, 2022
32(1): https://doi.org/10.1093/ct/qtab019,

Other Resources

1: Website, The Media Manipulation Casebook,