Fact or Fiction: The Science of Environmental Misinformation and Conspiracies

Course Overview

The denial of scientific evidence represents an increasingly serious problem. False information and conspiracy theories about climate change have confused the public and stalled support for mitigation policies, obfuscated peoples’ recognition of the biodiversity crisis and contributed to the success of far-right populist campaigns like Brexit. But why do people believe in conspiracy theories and/or anchor to misinformed beliefs even in the face of mounting scientific evidence to the contrary? What makes a person spread information that may have little basis in scientific fact or reason? This course examines the psychological factors (e.g., personality traits, cognitive biases) that make people vulnerable to misinformation and conspiracy theories. The course integrates psychological, political, and communications research to interrogate the causes, consequences, and tenacity of environmental misinformation and conspiracy theories (e.g., chemtrails, climate change, extinction denialism, renewable energies, etc.) and the strategies we can employ to combat it. We will examine how individuals’ susceptibility to information has been exploited, in part, by the media, political elites, and flawed information environments. Furthermore, we will assess the history and role of false information and misleading narratives in supporting the maintenance of structural inequality and power. The goal of this course is not to teach you what to think. Rather, the goal of this course is to teach you how to think about environmental/scientific information and the way it is (mis)represented.

Course Materials: Students should contact the course instructor and review the course syllabus for information related to course materials/texts.