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Factfulness

Course developer

Course abstract

Students gain an understanding of the substance and basic principles of factfulness as well as the role of it in addressing global societal development challenges and an awareness of the instincts of factualness (according to scientist Hans Rosling), as well as are able to recognize exaggerations of information to make reasonable judgments based on facts. Upon completing the course, students are able to verify the reliability of information and recognize conspiracy theories

Learning outcomes and their assessment

Students will be able to demonstrate:
KNOWLEDGE of
1. Information as a resource, its role and significance as well as its influence on modern society – independent work, practical assignments.
2. Theoretical aspects, principles and instincts of factfulness and reliability of information – independent work, practical assignments.
3. Information reliability verification systems – independent work, practical assignments.
SKILLS to
1. Use the theoretical foundations and skills learnt to recognize information exaggerations and apply a fact-based worldview – independent work.
2. Identify the problems of the global environment and human development and analyse the factors affecting them – a practical assignment, independent work.
3. Argue based on facts to analyse information using scientific databases – practical assignments, group and independent work.
4. Explain and present the results of their own work to others – presentation of independent work results.
5. Responsibly plan the completion of the assignments given – independent work.
6. Able to collaborate and communicate within a group – practical assignments, group and independent work.
COMPETENCES to
1. Recognize reliable information to shape a fact-based understanding of the world – group discussions during practicals.
2. Identify and describe global challenges, explain them based on facts obtained from and substantiated by research papers – independent work, practical assignments.

3. Replace instinctive reaction with critical thinking based on the theoretical knowledge acquired – presentation of independent work results.

Course Content(Calendar)

1. The concept, substance and meaning of factfulness. An explanation of the concept of factfulness, its connection with other sciences. A flow and a pyramid of information and the levels. Information as an economic resource. A fact-based understanding of the world (lecture - 1 hour, practical - 1 hour).
2. Hans Rosling's instincts of factfulness. Characteristics of gaps, negativity, straightness, fear, size, generalization, destiny, isolation, guilt and urgency, their use (lecture - 1 hour, practicals - 2 hours).
3. The role of factfulness in business. Globalization. A global understanding, its role in business development. Global statistics and use of the data to understand globalized markets (lecture - 1 hour, practical - 1 hour).
4. A digital society. The evolution of society. An information society, its negative features and measures to reduce them. The digital gap. European Union strategic policy papers and the Europe 2030 strategy in the context of the digital revolution. The concept and meaning of post-truth (lectures - 2 hours, practical - 1 hour).
5. An evaluation and reliability of a source of information. The identification, verification and analysis of false information based on scientific sources. An evaluation of information that is difficult to verify. Attitudes towards information and awareness that affect the clarity of judgments and assumptions. The mass media and reality coverage (media literacy). Implicitness and explicitness. Discourse analysis (lectures - 2 hours, practical - 1 hour).
6. An analysis, reliability and interpretation of data. Use of statistical information sources, data interpretation. Use of scientific databases to check the reliability of data (lecture - 1 hour, practicals - 2 hours).
7. Fact verification tools. Disinformation on social media. Facebook news testing. "Re: Baltica" fact verification and social media laboratory "Re: Check" (lectures - 2 hours, practical - 1 hour).
8. The perception of information on social media. Perceptual errors. Attracting the attention of the interlocutor. Social problems and empathy. Emotional reactions. Authority errors. Primary effect. Blind zone effect. Third party effect. Cognitive perspective. Objectivity. Interpersonal intelligence. Irrational fear and constructive action (lecture - 1 hour, practical - 1 hour).
9. The recognition of conspiracy theories. The features, origin and spread of conspiracy theories. Preventive activities and a refutation (lecture - 1 hour, practicals - 2 hours).
10. Global societal development challenges. Social indicators and an assessment of the quality of life (a global pandemic, a financial collapse, climate change, extreme poverty, global population change, population income change). Misconceptions. Extremes. Mass media coverage (lectures - 2 hours, practical - 1 hour).
11. Opinion leader marketing and the role of influencers in the market. Influencer marketing. The role of influencers in the market. A sense of trust and deception. Sponsored content or "bought reality". Consumer protection. Ethics (lecture - 1 hour, practical - 1 hour).

12. Communication on social media. Social account maintenance. Presentation skills. The art of speech, rhetorical techniques and persuasion skills (lecture - 1 hour, practicals - 2 hours).

Requirements for awarding credit points

A formal test with a mark. The final mark consists of the following pieces of assessment:
• practical assignments (max 10 points) – income levels of the population in the world, the role of influencers in the market, information provision and social perception;
• presentation of independent work results (max 40 points) – fact verification on social media / false message identification / conspiracy theories;
• presentation of independent work results (max 40 points) – global human development problems, fact-based characteristics and analysis of the factors by using Hans Rosling’s “thinking tools”;
• class attendance (max 10 points).
A score of 10 is equal to one point on a 10-point marking scale. The practical assignments and independent work must be submitted and the tests must be taken only within the time specified

Description of the organization and tasks of students’ independent work

Studies of the course’s materials and literature.
The completion and presentation of practical assignments and independent work.
The preparation for the tests.

Criteria for Evaluating Learning Outcomes

The assessment of the course represents a formal test with a mark. The final mark represents a cumulative assessment of the above-mentioned pieces of assessment.

Compulsory reading

1. Roslings H., Roslings Ū., Roslinga-Rēnlunda A. Factfulness. Desmit iemesli, kāpēc situācija pasaulē šķiet sliktāka, nekā ir patiesībā. Rīga: Zvaigzne ABC, 2019. 336 lpp.
2. Cialdini R.B. Influence: Science and Practice. Fifth edition. Boston: Pearson Education, 2009. 259 p.
3. Smil V. Global Catastrophes and Trends: The Next Fifty Years. Cambridge: The MIT Press, 2008. 307 p.

4. Reller T. Elsevier publishing – a look at the numbers, and more. [tiešsaiste]. Pieejams: https://www.elsevier.com/connect/elsevier-publishing-a-look-at-the-numbers-and-more

Further reading

1. Kūlis M. Finis Veritatis? Par patiesību un meliem. Rīga: LU Akadēmiskais apgāds, 2021. 432 lpp.
2. Kahneman D. Thinking, Fast and Slow. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2011.499 p.
Kahneman D. Thinking, fast and slow. London: Penguin books, 2012. 499 p.
3. Ellenberg J. How Not To Be Wrong. Penguin Group, 2014. 468 p.
4. Michel W. The Marshmallow Test. Random house, 2015. 336 p.
5. Ariely D. The Honest Truth About Dishonestly. HarperCollins, 2012. 304 p.

6. Gapminder fonda mājaslapa [tiešsaiste]. Pieejams: https://www.gapminder.org

Periodicals and other sources

1. Re:Check. Re:Baltica faktu pārbaudes un sociālo tīklu pētniecības laboratorija [tiešsaiste]. Pieejams: https://rebaltica.lv/recheck/
2. Sazvērestības teoriju atpazīšana. [tiešsaiste]. Pieejams: https://ec.europa.eu/info/live-work-travel-eu/coronavirus-response/fighting-disinformation/identifying-conspiracy-theories_lv

3. Constructive Institute. Journalism for tomorrow. [tiešsaiste]. Pieejams: https://constructiveinstitute.org

Notes

Elective course for the ESAF academic bachelor programme Economics and other programmes