FYS 116 The Manipulation of Appearances

Social commentators lament an apparent new rise in dishonesty, the inauthentic" and "spin" in contemporary American society. Such critics are late to the party-individuals and institutions have manipulated appearances for their own ends for centuries. In this seminar we will ask: How do people manipulate appearances successfully? What are some consequences of rampant deception in everyday life? To explore those questions we will study theories of deception and impression management and analyze examples like deceptive advertising political spin and lying in social and work relationships."

Instructor

Shulman