308.860.79
SS/R: Introduction to Misinformation and Disinformation

Location
Internet
Term
Summer Institute
Department
Health Policy and Management
Credit(s)
3
Academic Year
2026 - 2027
Instruction Method
Online Synchronous (at least one synch session/week)
Start Date
Monday, June 8, 2026
End Date
Wednesday, June 17, 2026
Class Time(s)
This course will be offered virtually, via Zoom, on June 8, 10, 15, and 17 from 9:00am - 11:00 am.
M, W, 9:00 - 11:20am
Auditors Allowed
No
Available to Undergraduate
No
Grading Restriction
Letter Grade or Pass/Fail
Course Instructor(s)
Prativa Baral
Contact Name
Prativa Baral
Frequency Schedule
One Year Only
Next Offered
Only offered in 2026
Prerequisite
No prerequisites for this course.
Enrollment Restriction
This course is not restricted.
Description
The next pandemic isn’t just viral, it’s informational. Misinformation now shapes everything from public health to politics to climate action. This course gives students the frameworks and critical thinking tools they need to understand the infodemic as well strategies to push back. Learn to decode why misinformation spreads, who it harms, and what we can do about it in an era where facts alone aren't enough.
Explores the scope, sources, and systems that allows misinformation to flourish, with particular attention to its psychological, technological, and political foundations. Examines cross-cutting case studies including vaccine hesitancy, climate denialism, and political disinformation, to understand how misinformation operates across domains, how it is measured (often poorly), and what makes certain communities more vulnerable to its harms. Takes a systems-level view: how misinformation moves through algorithms, narratives, and power structures, and how public health professionals can respond, rather than focusing solely on communication tactics.
Learning Objectives
Upon successfully completing this course, students will be able to:
  1. Analyze the cognitive, social, structural mechanisms that drive misinformation, using historical and current case studies.
  2. Identify key vulnerabilities in public health systems and audiences that allow misinformation to persist.
Upon successfully completing this course, students will be able to:
Methods of Assessment
This course is evaluated as follows:
  • 20% Participation
  • 25% Reflection
  • 25% Group Presentation
  • 30% Final Paper
Instructor Consent
No consent required
Special Comments

You should take this course if you are most interested in a broader, systems-level view of how misinformation moves and how public professionals can respond. This course will be offered virtually. Some readings and lectures are required in advance of the first class session. All assignments are due within a month of the conclusion of the course, on a date identified by the instructor. No assignment will be accepted after August 7, 2026