While playing Propaganda, students learn to recognize techniques of persuasion that are often used by advertisers, politicians, editorial writers, and in everyday conversations. Players increase their ability to discern the truth from “smokescreens.” They learn to figure out the reality of situations rather than getting duped by illogical arguments which greatly improves their reasoning skills.
Propaganda is a type of question-and-response game. A central reader reads one example aloud to all players simultaneously. After the example is read twice, players must decide which, if any, technique of propaganda was used in the example.
For instance, “I did poorly in algebra, but the teacher was just too demanding.” The technique used in that example is Rationalization. The different Propaganda techniques, how they are organized, and their definitions are explained in the materials on the AGLOA website.
Students sit in groups of three or four for purposes of checking each other’s answers and keeping score. Many such groups (or tables) may be playing simultaneously in the same room; however, all individual competitors in the room are competing against each of the other students within their grade level’s specific division.
Scores for a single example are based on a player’s correctness and their confidence in their answer selection. A player’s total score for a round is the sum of their scores from each example for that round. After all rounds have been played, the player’s final score is the sum from the four individual rounds played.
Propaganda is a game that assesses a student’s knowledge of recognizing and understanding different techniques of persuasion. Players become critical thinkers.
The official Propaganda Tournament Rules, all necessary playing forms, and instructional materials can be found on the Propaganda Rules and Documents page.