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Apropos of nothing, I've got an assignment in The Writer's Practice where students have to unpack a conspiracy theory to uncover its origins and its allure. My experience is that this makes students less susceptible to falling for other hoaxes. https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/566892/the-writers-practice-by-john-warner/9780143133155/
I also have an assignment in the book based in @holden's work on helping students evaluate sources. Combining the two gives students great practice in the kind of thinking you have to do to not fall prey to conspiratorial thinking and deliberate misinformation.
It's not surprising that @holden's work shows us that thinking critically and clearly about sources is a muscle that strengthens with practice. Analyzing an existing conspiracy theory is fantastic practice. https://bookshop.org/books/the-writer-s-practice-building-confidence-in-your-nonfiction-writing/9780143133155
I can testify from my own experience that when students realize they can breakdown a conspiracy and identify misinformation, they experience a serious boost in their sense of agency. Things that seem impenetrable become challenges worth tackling.
One of my chief frustrations with writing instruction built around templates and standardized assessment is that they do not give students the kinds of challenges that help them build self-efficacy and agency. The Writer's Practice is meant to center those goals.
Anyway, if I wasn't being clear, The Writer's Practice is for sale. It's doing pretty well, but more is obviously better and will help keep the book alive. Maybe I could even update for a revised version with all the wonderful additions and variations other instructors send me.
