Cael Cohen, PhD

Email: cmcohen@yorku.ca.

Telephone or Text: 647-880-1237.

In person Office Hours: Tuesday, 9:00 am – 11:00 am. Room to be announced.

This course explores misinformation and disinformation with the aim of learning how to detect fakes with the eye and Artificial Intelligence. Central themes of this course are:

• Problem of misinformation and disinformation online.
• Psychology of misinformation and language of deceit.
• Investigation in law enforcement, journalism, and the sciences.
• Manipulation in marketing, advertising, propaganda, and public relations.

This blended, skills-based course equips students with critical thinking and reasoning skills, which are invaluable to academic studies, a professional career, and life generally. This course teaches learners how to read, write and think independently, critically, and for meaning through:

• A collection of critical skills, practices, techniques, attitudes, and principles that can be used every day to systematically evaluate your own and others’ reasoning about morality and values.
• An approach to ethical disagreements and controversial moral issues using rational standards and mindfulness awareness.
• Critical assessment and formulation of arguments, and concepts based on relevant, acceptable, and sufficient grounds, rather than passive acceptance.

Why bother taking this course?

• Increase ability to assess situations and act in a way that reflects reasoned assessment and choices.
• Understand the world more clearly.
• Clarify confusing ideas.
• Analyze reasons and claims.
• Evaluate the quality of claims and arguments.
• Gain a better understanding of who you are by enhancing your autonomy, what you believe, and who you can become.
• Give you more control of your life by grounding your understanding, decisions, and actions on reason rather than merely on a gut feeling, habit, or social convention.
• Read for meaning better and systematically assess what is read.
• Think more independently.
• Formulate stronger, more convincing arguments that depend on relevant, sufficient, and acceptable reasons.

Technical Requirements:

A laptop, tablet, or device with internet access is required during mandatory tutorial meetings to complete Tutorial Participation Assignment worksheets, and to upload these worksheets to EClass before the end of the tutorial.

Please see the following guide for technical requirements for EClass: Student Guide to EClass

Useful links for student computing information, resources, and help:

• Student Guide to EClass
• Computing for Students Website
• Student Guide to eLearning at York University

• Title: Good reasoning matters: A constructive approach to critical thinking. 5^th Edition. Author: Leo A. Groarke and Christopher W. Tindale. Publisher: Oxford University Press. Copyright: 2013. ISBN: 978-0-19-544575-6.

• Title: Misinformation and Disinformation: Detecting fakes with eye and AI. Author: Victoria L. Rubin. Publisher: Springer Nature. Copyright: 2022. ISBN: 978-3-030-95655-4. ISBN: eBook: 978-3-030-95656-1.

Assignment 1: Diagram Arguments – Uses ChatGPT.

Worth 10% of final mark.

Assignment 2: Test.

Worth 20% of final mark.

Assignment 3: Assess 1 of the 4 most commonly occurring non-deductive arguments – Uses ChatGPT.

Worth 15% of final mark.

Assignment 4: Passage Analysis and Evaluative Critique.

Worth 25% of final mark = 20% for rough work (Passage Analysis Steps) + 5% for 500-word Evaluative Critique.

Quizzes

Worth 10% of final mark = 5 quizzes, each worth 2%.

Tutorial Participation Assignments

Worth 20% of final mark.

COURSE INFORMATION

This course is a BLENDED course:

• Blended learning replaces a portion of face-to-face instruction with online learning.
• Face-to-face time is used for interactive activities within the tutorial meetings.
• You are required to show up in-person once a week for a mandatory tutorial.

• Class videos and materials are asynchronous:

• Asynchronous learning means that the instructor and the students in the course all engage with the course content at different times (and from different locations) except for mandatory, once a week, in-person tutorials.
• The instructor provides students with a sequence of modules consisting of “Lessons” that the students move through WEEKLY as their schedules permit. There are weekly deadlines for this course. Students in an asynchronous course are still expected to follow common times/deadlines for submitting assignments, completing tests, etc.

• Mandatory, in person tutorial times, dates, and locations are listed below.
• Tutorial Participation Assignments (TPAs) are required and worth 20% of the final mark.

Originality and plagiarism checking:

• All assignments in this course, not including quizzes, will be submitted through an EClass submission link that is integrated with “Turnitin.”
• Turnitin is an originality checking and plagiarism prevention service that checks your writing for citation mistakes or inappropriate copying.
• This means that when you upload your paper to EClass for grading, it will automatically be sent through Turnitin's repository, with no need to log in separately at Turnitin.com.
• The Similarity Report that it generates will help identify possible instances of plagiarism. When you submit your assignment, Turnitin compares it to text in its massive database of student work, websites, books, articles, etc.

Course credit exclusions:

• This is an approved LA&PS HUMA general education course.
• Course credit exclusions are AP/MODR1730 6.00, AP/MODR1770 6.00, or AP/MODR 1790 6.00.
• What does this mean? You cannot take more than one MODR course for credit in the span of your degree.
• To learn more about whether you’re making the right course choices for your degree specifications, meet with an academic advisor in your faculty.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this course, if you apply yourself, do all the readings, view lesson videos, complete all assignments and quizzes, and fully participate, you can expect to see improvement in your reading, writing, critical reasoning, and critical thinking skills in the following areas:

Reading Comprehension:

• You will become a more critical and active reader, which includes learning how to read between the lines and how to ask critical questions.

Writing:

• You will learn how to write an argumentative essay. Your essay planning, organization, and editing should also improve.

Critical Reasoning Skills:

• You will learn to identify and evaluate arguments and concepts to distinguish strong from weak arguments and concepts. This will include learning how to evaluate evidence and sources used in arguments and those you use in your own research.

Critical Thinking Skills:

• Ideally, you will learn to become a 'reasonable skeptic' and become able to identify and discuss the weaknesses and strengths in claims and arguments you encounter in the media, academic texts, and everyday conversation. You will learn a set of information and belief generating and processing skills. You will practice the habit, based on intellectual commitment, of using those skills to guide behavior.

Ethical Disagreement Skills:

• Recognize and develop necessary skills for ethical disagreement.

Academic Integrity:

Students are reminded of the University’s definitions of academic offences and the policy of the University regarding academic misconduct. Please review York’s policies on academic integrity at https://spark.library.yorku.ca/academic-integrity-what-is-academic-integrity/

Plagiarism is a serious offense. It includes using the ideas of another author without citing the source, copying from another piece of writing, and not providing adequate documentation for your source whenever possible (i.e., author, title, publisher, and year of publication). When in doubt, please reference or inquire. Self-plagiarism occurs when you hand in work previously submitted elsewhere for academic credit. Please see the instructor if you are uncertain about any of this.

Unauthorized Collaboration is a form of “cheating” and means working with others without the specific permission of the instructor on assignments that will be submitted for a grade. Students may not collaborate without faculty authorization. All work submitted for a grade must be the student’s own original, independent work, unless the instructor permits collaboration, use of sources, or outside assistance. Students must comply with the course rules, and may only work together, or receive help, to the extent allowed by the instructor. If unsure about the limits, students must seek the instructor’s permission before working with one another. Even if the instructor permits collaboration, it is never ethical to copy someone’s work or let them copy yours, unless specified by the instructor. If your instructor asks whether you worked with anyone on an assignment, always tell the truth.

Note Sharing Websites:

The Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies Dean's Office maintains that any student who uploads course material on Note Sharing Websites (NSW) (including, but not limited to Course Hero, Studocu, Oneclass, Chegg, Studysoup, Stuvia, Studydrive, Studentshare and 123Helpme) without permission of the instructor violates York's Academic Honesty Policy, even if that material is not used by another student to cheat or plagiarize. Uploading course material onto an NSW potentially violates two sections of the Senate Policy:

2.1.6 Dissemination of information without permission. Information or experimental data that was collected with a member of faculty or another student, and other works that involved the participation of a faculty member or another student, should not be submitted for publication or otherwise disseminated without their permission.

2.1.10 Encouraging, enabling or causing others to do or attempt any of the above with intent to mislead an instructor, academic unit, program, office, or committee as to a student's academic status, qualifications, actions, or preparation, or knowingly aiding or abetting anyone in a breach of academic honesty shall itself be considered misconduct. Taking any action which can reasonably be interpreted as intending to encourage or enable others to commit an offence of academic honesty.

ChatGPT Artificial Intelligence (AI):

In this course, 2 of the 4 assignments require the use of ChatGPT AI to generate assignment topics/questions. All other course work and answers must be completed by you and you alone. As such, you are not allowed to use generative artificial intelligence (AI), such as ChatGPT, to help you complete any of your answers to work in this course (e.g., tests, papers, assignments, presentations, etc.), except for generating assignment topics/questions for 2 assignments. If you do not know whether an online resource or tool can be used in this course, please contact the instructor for guidance. Any use of generative AI in this course to complete answers will be considered a breach of the Senate Policy on Academic Honesty.

Copyright:

Course materials, including the syllabus, lectures, and summaries reflective of course content, are made available for the personal use of students and may not be commercially distributed or reproduced without the instructor’s express written consent. The educational materials developed for this course, including, but not limited to, lecture notes and slides, handout materials, examinations and assignments, and any materials posted to EClass, are the intellectual property of the course director. These materials have been developed for student use only and they are not intended for wider dissemination and/or communication outside of a given course. Posting or providing unauthorized audio, video, or textual material of lecture content to third-party websites violates an instructor’s intellectual property rights, and the Canadian Copyright Act. Failure to follow these instructions may be in contravention of the university’s Code of Student Conduct and/or Code of Academic Conduct and will result in appropriate penalties. Participation in this course constitutes an agreement by all parties to abide by the relevant University Policies, and to respect the intellectual property of others during and after their association with York University.

STUDENT ACCESSIBILITY SERVICES (SAS)

York provides services for students with disabilities (including physical, medical, learning, and psychiatric disabilities) needing accommodation related to teaching and evaluation methods/materials. These services are made available to students in all Faculties and programs at York University. Students in need of these services are asked to register with disability services as early as possible to ensure that appropriate academic accommodation can be provided with advance notice. Additional information is available at: https://accessibility.students.yorku.ca/.  Students with diverse learning styles and needs are welcome in this course. If you have a disability/health consideration that may require accommodations, please feel free to approach the instructor and/or Student Accessibility Services as soon as possible. The instructor will work with you and Accessibility Services to ensure your rights and entitlements are upheld and that you have access to an equitable environment so you can achieve your learning goals in this course. Enquiries are confidential.

COURSE POLICIES

Originality and plagiarism checking:

All assignments in this course, not including quizzes, will be submitted through an EClass submission link that is integrated with “Turnitin” plagiarism checking software. Turnitin is an originality checking and plagiarism prevention service that checks your writing for citation mistakes or inappropriate copying. This means that when you upload your paper to EClass for grading, it will automatically be sent through Turnitin's repository, with no need to log in separately at Turnitin.com. The Similarity Report that it generates will help identify possible instances of plagiarism. When you submit your paper, Turnitin compares it to text in its massive database of student work, websites, books, articles, etc.

Accommodations for Religious Observances:

It is the policy of York University to arrange reasonable accommodation of the needs of students who observe religious holy days other than those already accommodated by ordinary scheduling and statutory holidays. Students have a responsibility to alert instructors in a timely fashion to upcoming religious observances and anticipated absences. You may review the policy, guidelines, and procedures for Religious Observances at this website: https://rights.info.yorku.ca/accommodating-creed-religion-a-guide-for-students-faculty-and-staff/

Email and Texting Policy:

The instructor and Tas aim to respond to emails and texts promptly from Monday to Friday, between 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. However, the instructor and TAs may not answer student or course related emails or texts before 9:00 am or after 5:00 pm, Monday to Friday, or on weekends. Questions sent by email or text should be concise and should require an answer of a few sentences only. If you wish to discuss a question or problem in greater detail, please make an appointment for a Zoom or telephone meeting.

Submitting Assignments on Time:

Expected academic performance includes students not only completing assignments but completing them on time. If you miss a quiz, then you earn a zero grade.

• For quizzes: If you don’t complete a quiz during the required time, there is no make-up task. You must be prepared to complete work weekly and by the deadline.

• For major assignments: In the absence of Academic Accommodations, extensions can only be granted in extraordinary circumstances and with prior approval of your TA. Please inform your TA immediately when circumstances keep you from submitting an assignment as scheduled. You are responsible for providing official documentation during the term that prevent you from completing your course work. Your Registrar may be able to provide a letter documenting your situation in case of non-medical emergencies.
• 24-Hour Rule: If you request an extension for legitimate reasons, then you must request the extension in more than 24 hours before the assignment due date. In other words, extensions will not be granted when asked within 24 hours of the due date.
• The decision of whether to grant penalty-free extensions will be made by the TAs; may be with or without consultation with the course instructor.
• Late penalties will be strictly enforced by the TAs, without exception:
  • One day late = 5% deducted from total mark, including weekends.
  • 1% per day for the next 6 days, including weekends.
  • More than 7 days late = not accepted.
  • These late penalties do not apply to students with Academic Accommodations.