Faculty of Arts
Research project description
Come work with Jennifer Saul, who is studying the linguistic devices that are used to spread misinformation, disinformation, and bullshit. These include dogwhistles like "the storm is coming", used by QAnon adherents to communicate with each other; figleaves like "I'm just asking questions" which make people more likely to claims they would otherwise dismiss; and strategies to evade content moderation (like use of a carrot emoji by anti-vaxxers). Your own research needn't be limited to these though. You'll be in a department with philosophers like Carla Fehr, who works on both epistemology of ignorance and algorithmic bias; Patricia Marino, who works on algorithmic bias and formal philosophical methods; Laura Mae Lindo, who works on anti-racist communication and philosophy of education; and Katie Plaisance, who works on scientific communication.
Fields of research
- Epistemology
- Philosophy of Language
Qualifications and ideal student profile
Prospective graduate student researchers must meet or exceed the minimum admission requirements for the programs connected to this opportunity. Visit the program pages using the links on this page to learn more about minimum admission requirements. In addition to minimum requirements, the research supervisor is looking for the following qualifications and student profile.
- MA: Strong UG degree (or at least minor) in Philosophy, interest in philosophy of language and in misinformation/disinformation.
- PhD: Strong MA in Philosophy, interest in philosophy of language and in misinformation/disinformation.
Faculty researcher and supervisor
- Jennifer Saul
Professor, Waterloo Chair in Social and Political Philosophy of Language, Department of Philosophy
View faculty profile →
View Jennifer Saul's scholar website→
Graduate programs connected to this project
Important dates
The Language of Misinformation and Disinformation is an open and ongoing research opportunity. Expressions of interest can be submitted for any term.