The Freedom Academy with Asha Rangappa

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Class Syllabus
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Democracy in the (Dis)Information Age

Class Syllabus

(continuously updated so please check back!)

Asha Rangappa
Dec 17, 2022
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Class Syllabus
asharangappa.substack.com

You asked, I answered — below please find topics and assigned readings for each class. I will pin this post on my home page so you can refer back to it if you take a break and want to see/catch up on what you missed. Since this is all self-paced, I haven’t included specific dates for each class; I have included dates, however, for Zoom office hours and guest speakers who have been scheduled. Note that this syllabus is subject to change as current events may shape what I cover and as I incorporate more guest speakers. Past classes are linked to the respective posts, and you can always find previous material at the Democracy in the (Dis)Information Age tab on the home page. Enjoy!

To enroll in “Democracy in the (Dis)Information Age,” consider becoming a paid subscriber.

A Primer on the U.S. Information Landscape

Class 1: Case Study: Operation Infektion

Assignment: New York Times Video, Operation Infektion

Class 2: What is Propaganda, and What is the Problem With It?

Assignment: President Ronald Reagan’s Speech at Brandenberg Gate

December 8: Zoom Office Hours, 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. EST

Class 3: What the U.S. Can (and Can’t) Do to Stop Propaganda

Assignment: Mike Flynn Op-Ed, WaPo article on DOD Covert Psyops

Class 4: Why Can’t the U.S. Get Its Act Together When It Comes to Information Warfare?

December 20, 1 p.m. EST: LIVE Zoom event with guest speaker

Matt Armstrong
(recording will be posted on Substack Wednesday morning)

Assignment: The Past, Present, and Future of the War for Public Opinion, Censoring the Voice of America

December 22: Zoom Office Hours, 12-1 p.m EST

Active Measures: What Are They and Why Are They a Threat?

Class 5: The Active Measures Long Game

Assignment: Yuri Bezmenov, Soviet Subversion Doctrine

January 10: Zoom Office Hours, 5-6 p.m. EST

Class 6: What We’re Up Against

January 17, 1 p.m.EST: LIVE Zoom event with guest speaker John Sipher (recording will be posted on Substack Wednesday morning)

Assignment: Convergence is Worse Than Collusion, It’s easier for Russia to recruit Americans today than it was during the Cold War

Class 7: This Isn’t Our First Rodeo

Assignment: Soviet Active Measures: Hearing Before the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, House of Representatives, Ninety-seventh Congress, Second Session, July 13, 14, 1982, p. 47-50 (“VI. AN EVALUATION OF ACTIVE MEASURES”)

January 29: Wine & Fries Happy Hour with special guest Emily Brandwin, 8-9 p.m. EST

February 1: Zoom Office Hours, 10 a.m. - 11 a.m. EST

Class 8: The CIA and the “Cultural Cold War”

Assignment: Was modern art a weapon of the CIA?, Unpopular Front: American art and the Cold War

Class 9: Case Study: Operation HELPFUL

February 15, 3 p.m. EST, LIVE Zoom event with guest speaker Tim Weiner, author of The Folly and the Glory: America, Russia, and Political Warfare 1945-2020 (recording will be posted on Substack Thursday morning)

Assignment: Russians don’t hear the truth about Putin’s war. The CIA can help.

Class 10: Disinformation as an Asymmetrical Threat

Assignment:

Class 11: Hybrid Warfare — What Is It?

Assignment: The Future of Competition: U.S. Adversaries and the Growth of Irregular Warfare

Class 12: The Gerasimov Doctrine

March 14, 4 p.m. EST, LIVE Zoom event with guest speaker Seth Jones, author of Three Dangerous Men: Russia, China, Iran and the Rise of Irregular Warfare (recording will be posted on Substack Wednesday morning)

Assignment:

Class 13: Reflexive Control

Assignment:

Upcoming Themes: Assignments TBA

Subtopics TBA!

Disinformation and Foreign Election Interference

What Makes America So Vulnerable to Active Measures?

The Role of Social Media

The Psychology of Disinformation

Political Polarization and Group Identity

Understanding the Media Ecosystem

The Domestification of Disinformation

How Disinformation Creates Fertile Ground for Authoritarianism

The Freedom Academy with Asha Rangappa is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

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7 Comments
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Peter Roberts
Dec 18, 2022

Asha, I bet the majority of us “students” prefer the class syllabus to be influenced by current events (e.g. Trump indictment!) as you noted, which makes this class even more dynamic and informative!

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Steven Robert Levine
Dec 18, 2022

A very appetizing menu!

thanks!

Maybe "What Makes America So Vulnerable to Active Measures?" part of the class 4 discussion?

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