Tactics of Persuasion
Explanation of the principles of persuasion and their use in communication, marketing, and social interactions.
Course goal and description: To equip students with advanced theoretical knowledge and practical competencies in persuasion science, enabling them to critically analyze, ethically apply, and effectively counter persuasive tactics across professional contexts including organizational behavior, consumer psychology, health communication, and social influence.
The course will dive into strategic communication that aims at raising the persuasive potential. We will analyse social engineering, sales tactics and other form of persuasion that can help students in the corporate and other work environments to help persuade others into desired behaviours. The course will look at persuasion on an interpersonal level as well as in the context of groups. Marketing aspects of persuasion will also be looked at from a psychological perspective.
Specifically, the course will analyse:
- Interpersonal persuasion tactics from social psychology that relate to sales as well as
influencing another individual. - Social engineering tactics used for public health as well as encouraging specific behaviours.
- Propaganda techniques and propagandistic language in persuasion and influence and
marketing techniques that involve persuasion and picking one brand over another.
This course examines the psychological mechanisms underlying persuasion and social influence through contemporary research and practical applications. Students will explore classical and modern persuasion theories, cognitive biases that affect decision-making, and evidence-based influence strategies used in various professional settings. The curriculum integrates neuroscience findings, digital-age persuasion techniques (including social media influence and algorithmic persuasion), ethical considerations, and resistance to manipulation. Through case analysis and applied projects, students will develop critical thinking skills to evaluate persuasive messages and design ethical influence strategies aligned with applied psychology principles.
|