Conspiracies and the Public Syllabus Spring

8/13/2019 Conspiracies and the Public Syllabus Spring

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Conspiracy Theories and the Public

POL 311/AMS 323

Instructor: Dr. Joe Uscinski

Email: [email protected]

Class Time: M 6:25pm - :!5pm"oom: MM 2#6

$%%ice &ours: M' T' ( ):!! * 5:)5 or +, appt.$%%ice: #6! D Campo ano uildin/.

Mail+o0: Campo ano uildin/ ne0t to printer.

Backround!

tru//lin/ to cope 1it an e3er-complicated 1orld' people a3e a seemin/l, endless appetite %or

conspirac, teories. In te United tates alone' people a3e imputed a stream o% alle/ations

a/ainst te ritis' 4renc' a3arian Illuminati' 4reemasons' +olitionists' la3e o1er'Catolics' Je1s' Mormons' Muslims' etnic %i%t columns' communists' capitalists' United

7ations' kull and ones' ilder+er/ers' &oll,1ood' +ike sarin/ pro/rams' and man, more.

Conspirac, teories resonate 1ell +e,ond te mentall, a+errant and in%luence a si8ea+le part o%

te population. 4or e0ample' in 2!!6 a tird o% mericans sared +elie%s 1it te 9## truter;

mo3ement' tat te merican /o3ernment kno1in/l, allo1ed te attacks o% 9##. Conspiratorial+elie%s a3e also in%luenced local' state' and national polic, as 1ell.

(ile o%ten +i8arre' conspirac, teories a3e +road rele3ance to +ot te contemporar, andistorical 1orld. &o1e3er' conspiratorial tou/t ma, +e most important +ecause suc e0treme

%orms o% distrust can lead to crises o% con%idence in /o3ernment' tus +luntin/ te a+ilit, o%

institutions to lead 1en leadersip is necessar,. e,ond st,miein/ political institutions'

conspirac, teori8in/ ma, also contri+ute to polari8in/ politics' 1ic could lead to polic,deadlock or e0tremist policies.

Purpose! Tis course 1ill not ser3e as an e0pos< o% conspirac, teories per se. (e 1ill not tr,to %i/ure out 1o reallykilled =enned,. 7or 1ill 1e disco3er te trut; +eind reports o% alien

a+duction. Instead' tis course takes a +road interdisciplinar, approac to te stud, o%

conspiratorial tou/t' in3ol3in/ researc %rom te istor,' ps,colo/,' political science'pilosop,' and sociolo/, %ields. (, do people +elie3e in conspirac, teories> Tis course

also intermin/les te 1ritin/s o% popular commentators and ?ournalists and plent, o% multi-media

presentations.

Upon lea3in/ tis course' students 1ill #. a3e a stron/ understandin/ o% te istor, o%conspirac, teori8in/ +ot in te U.. and a+road' 2. a3e te necessar, tools to distin/uis

conspirac, teories %rom more ri/orous scienti%ic teories' and . a3e a stron/ understandin/ o%te ps,colo/ical' political' and social %orces tat lead to conspiratorial tou/t and e0treme

distrust. 4urtermore' +ecause tis course o%%ers a 1ritin/ credit' students 1ill lea3e te course

1it increased 1ritin/ skills and readin/ compreension.


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Schedule!*eek Topic %eadins

# Introduction 7one

2 olic, #. &urle, and (alker * (ose ision>

2. apiro * Te "isk o% Disease

. "eason * "u+, "id/e

&istor, #. oert8el - cience

2. (ood * Conspirac, and te aranoid

. Katner * &ere are no 7e1tersH

) ilosop, #. &eins * Critical Teor,

2. De &a3en mit -

. &ustin/ and $rr * Dan/erous Maciner,

5 ro+lems o% E3idence #. =eele, * $% Conspirac, Teories2. Uscinski and arent C. 2

. 7,an' "ei%ler' Udall * &ealt Care

6 ociolo/ical E0planations #. oert8el * elie%2. ri//s * Colera Epidemic

. immons and arsons * elie%s

s,colo/ical E0planations #. Coad, * re Conspirac, Teorists Irrational>

2. Imo%% and ruder -

. &enderson * s,colo/ical Distance

L iases #. McClosk, and Con/ * imilarities and Di%%erences

2. artels * e,ond te "unnin/ Tall,

. Mc&oske, * Case Closed>

Internet and Ideolo/, #. Ke3ondo1sk, * Kunar Kandin/s

2. (ood and Dou/las * Dead or li3e. (ood and Dou/las * uildin/

#! olitical E0planations #. Uscinski and arent C. #

#. Uscinski and arent C. )

#. Uscinski and arent C. 6

## $ter tu%% #. 7FT * &a1aii and 7$s

2. il3erstein * n E0cess o% Trut

. $rtmann - "ussia

#2 Media #. unstein and ermuele * Causes and Cures2. Dou/las * rincess Diana

. Markle, * lien ssassins


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*ords to the *ise 0or the not so $ise!

#. I do not accept emailed 1ork. Do not email an, 1ork to me %or an, reason. I 1ill deletesuc emails 1itout notice. Fou must turn in all 1ork on ard cop,. I a3e a mail+o0 in

Jenkins #).

2. I 1ill delete rude' disrespect%ul' and9or poorl, 1ritten emails 1itout repl,.. I 1ill return poorl, done and9or incomplete 1ork un/radedA ,ou 1ill recei3e a /rade o%

8ero.

). In order to succeed' ,ou must attend. I% ,ou must miss a class session' /et te notes %roma classmate. Make a %riend no1 I cannot lend out class notes' materials' or 3ideos.

5. I 1ill appil, drop uncommitted' casual' or disrupti3e students.

6. I 1ill not o%%er incompletes 1itout a notice %rom te DeanHs o%%ice. et ,our 1ork done

no1 I% ,ou a3e an issue' see me +e%ore te issue destro,s te semester. (e can 1orksometin/ out. o1in/ up in te last 1eek o% class to e0plain on-/oin/ pro+lems

indicates irresponsi+ilit, and 1ill lead to a %ailure.

. Do not arri3e late. I% ,ou do' please enter Guietl, and sit in te +ack. Do not make it a

a+it. Tis class +e/ins at 6:25A ,ou a3e little reason to arri3e late.L. I 1ill not teac te readin/s in class. Fou a3e te responsi+ilit, o% di/estin/ and

compreendin/ te readin/s. "ead and re-read until ,ou understand. Kectures 1ille0pand upon te readin/s' +ut not teac or summari8e tem. Fou ma,' o% course' ask

a+out te readin/s in class.

. Do not treat me like a tele3ision screen. Do not come to class and read te paper' talk on,our pone' pla, on te computer' send te0t messa/es' pla, %ootsies' or cat 1it ,our

+uddies. I 1ill re%er disrupti3e +ea3ior to te DeanHs o%%ice.

#!. Fou must turn o%% and put a1a, all pones' computers' pa/ers' +lack+erries' etcN Bnot

on 3i+rate or silent. 7o e0ceptions. I% I catc ,ou te0tin/' talkin/' cattin/' etc.. I 1illask ,ou to lea3e. Te0tin/ under te desk %ools no one.

##. Use old %asioned note+ooks and pens %or takin/ notesA no laptops allo1ed.

#2. I 1ill report treatenin/ +ea3ior' disrupti3e +ea3ior' pla/iarism' and disonest, to teappropriate campus o%%ice.

#. tudents tat reGuire special accommodations sould see me immediatel,. I% ,ou do not

see me immediatel,' I ma, lack te a+ilit, to accommodate ,ou.#). ll correspondence' email and oter1ise' must a3e a cordial and respect%ul tone. lease

include ,our name and course section. I 1ill tr, to respond 1itin )L ours. (it tis

said' I 1ill onl, respond to emails reGuestin/ to see me in m, o%%ice or to discuss a lon/-

term a+sence. I 1ill delete all oter unreGuested emails. Tr, to ans1er Guestions inclass' on ,our o1n' or +, seein/ me in o%%ice ours. Utili8e o%%ice ours

#5. Do not treat me as a /radin/ sla3e.; I 1ill make e3er, e%%ort to return ,our 1ork as

soon as possi+le' +ut ,our pro/ress in tis class depends on te 1ork tat ,ou do' and noton te /rades tat I /i3e ,ou alon/ te 1a,. In oter 1ords' ,our 1ork 1ill impro3e

trou/ repetition and intense e%%ort' rater tan trou/ te num+ers posted on

lack+oard or te comments I 1rite on ,our papers Bm, comments' o% course' 1ill elp,ou alon/ te 1a,' +ut' ,ou must a+ide +, tem. I 1ill tr, to return summaries eac

1eek in te %irst %e1 1eeks. s te semester pro/resses and ,ou /et te s1in/ o% tin/s'

o1e3er' I 1ill return tem onl, e3er, %e1 1eeks. Do not turn in te same assi/nment


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t1ice. =eep track o% ,our o1n 1ork +, keepin/ electronic and /raded copies. I 1ill post

/rades on +lack+oardA o1e3er te %inal /rade ma, not re%lect ,our true %inal /rade.

#6. Te pro%essor reser3es te ri/t to alter tis s,lla+us at 1ill. lease keep up 1it an,can/es.

#. ood Kuck I% ,ou eed m, ad3ice' ,ou 1ill lea3e ere understandin/ conspiratorial

tou/t +etter tan most people ,ou 1ill e3er meet. I% ,ou do not eed m, ad3ice' ,ou1ill surel, lea3e in disappointment.

Documents

Conspiracies and the Public Syllabus Spring