Just Opened For Fall 2026 Quest 2, Information Literacy in Medicine and Agriculture
Students: If you want to develop a toolkit to survive and thrive in the days of A.I. halucinations, disinformation and social media influencers, check out my course. I've taught this class (IDS2935) six times, and students love it.
We have all of the world's information at our fingertips, but it is buried in a sea of deception, disinformation and sensationalism. This ecosystem can be harmful to people, the environment, and industry, and slows the acceptance of new technologies in medicine and agriculture.
The solution is better understanding of self-deception and bias, and how to spot bad arguments. We discuss scientific papers, how to judge quality of evidence, and then how new technologies work, from corn to cancer. We address areas of scientific consensus and social uncertainty, like vaccines, GMOs, chemophobia, and new medical breakthroughs. Finally, we discuss effective communication strategies and how to change hearts and minds across the dinner table or across social media.
There is a significant writing requirement, but I'll support you through it. You will be a stronger writer at the end of the course.
Its relevance and impact have captured the attention of scholars nationwide, and I've been speaking about this class at national meetings, as other universities seek to develop parallel courses.
Contact me if you have questions, kfolta@ufl.edu