May 20, 2024

2022-2023 Undergraduate Catalog

2022-2023 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

PL 235 Truth, Media, and Politics

This course combines epistemology, philosophy of science, and the ethics of journalism. The focus is on the relationship between the problems philosophers discuss when they think of issues of truth and knowledge and the problems journalists have as they go about their profession. How do voters know what they are getting when they vote for a candidate—in an era of spin rooms, sophisticated, poll-driven ads, “gotcha” questions—and when the voting public is segmenting into ever narrower politically defined niches? Classes incorporate both lecture and discussion.

Spring semester of odd years.