Spring semester of academic program: Disinformation and Propaganda Studies: History, Theories and Ways of Debunking will start on February 27, 2023. The educational program is jointly organised by the Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI) and the University of Georgia (UG). The program involves 24 participants representing various universities, regional media outlets, civil society organisations and public institutions.

During the fall semester, the participants successfully passed 3 academic courses.

During the spring semester, the following four courses are offered under the program:

- Disinformation and Society

- Collective memory of nations and its role in Georgian politics and international relations.

- Archives, Facts, and Media

- Strategic thinking

Together with the courses, short-term, skills-oriented workshops will also be offered.

Disinformation and Society

Lecturer: Nino Gozalishvili, Revaz Topuria

Course objectives and results: Disinformation has a growing and multifaceted impact on modern global politics. Against this background, it is important to analyze the short- and long-term effects of disinformation and propaganda on democratic regimes, as well as on the transformation of the idea of democracy as a basic form of government. Course participants will be able to discuss the connection between disinformation and political discourses such as nationalism and right-wing populism. Particular attention will be paid to the impact of disinformation on democratization processes, in which students can learn about and discuss examples from post-socialist countries. Course topics: Theoretical relation of disinformation and propaganda to democracy; Instrumentalization of disinformation by right-wing radical actors; the role of disinformation in populist politics and discourse; Effects of disinformation on the democratization process.

The collective memory of nations and its role in Georgian politics and international relations.

Lecturer: David Zurabishvili

Course objectives and results: The collective memory of nations plays a major role in international relations and politics. Given that, on the one hand, most European countries have forgiven each other for the crimes of the past and are trying to create a common cultural and political space. At the same time, in the post-Soviet space, Russia is trying to wrap its own narrative of memory for the states that left the Soviet Union and to define the political processes in this regard. Therefore, for international relations specialists, a correct understanding of memory policy should be one of the main goals.

Strategic thinking

Lecturer: David Dzidzishvili

Students will be introduced to the etymology of strategy and the basics of modern strategy, the links between strategy and policy. They will be able to relate theoretical knowledge to practical examples.

The purpose of the course is to provide students with knowledge of the etiology of strategy and the foundations of modern strategy, based on the works of strategic thinkers, and to develop the ability to draw parallels with current processes in the world based on the analysis of the changing nature of war.

Archives, Facts, and Media

Lecturer: Anton Vacharadze

Course objectives and results: Course participants will gain the basic knowledge needed to create their own media projects based on archival materials. Course participants will receive information about working with archival documents, answers to how to convert it to media format, and how to persuade editors to publish materials related to a historical topic. Articles and projects that have already been published on Georgian and international portals such as Public, Radio Liberty, BBC, International Memorial, Arzamas, etc. will be discussed. At the end of the course, each student will prepare a topic or micro-research based on archival documents. Course topics: The essence of archives and types of archival documents; Archives preserved in Georgia and the possibility of research; Practical visits to the archives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia and other relevant archives in the country.

The Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI) wishes the participants a successful semester!

The training program is implemented with the financial support of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA).