Fake News and Conspiracy Theories as Challenges for Democracy?

In recent years, ‘fake news’, ‘misinformation’, ‘disinformation’ and ‘conspiracy theories’ have taken centre stage in the public sphere of many democracies. Combining perspectives from political science and educational sciences, this Honours Studio explores what fake news and conspiracy theories are and how it affects representative democracy. Drawing from research across disciplines – including social psychology and communication science, we explore which solutions can be proposed to counter the challenges of fake news and conspiracy theories.

The meetings will take place on Thursdays from 18.30-21.00.

Teachers

Maurits J. Meijers (Dept. of Political Science, Radboud University) (www.mauritsmeijers.eu)

Julia Steenwegen (Dept. of Educational Science, University of Antwerp) (www.juliasteenwegen.eu)