Conspiracy Planet (Coursera)

What are we to make of these claims? What do they say about our societies? How do they impact history, or reflect larger historical trends? How do we understand the context of these ideas? And how do we understand them in relation to objectively confirmed conspiracies, of which there are at least as many? How do we know when a conspiracy has really happened, and cannot simply be dismissed as a ‘theory’? We will grapple with these questions together through short videos, quizzes that will help you check your understanding of the material, discussion, and a final project in which you will create your own conspiracy theory.

What You Will Learn

- Learners will be able to identify conspiracy theories.

- Learners will be able to evaluate and critique conspiracy theories.

- Learners will be able to create their own conspiracy theories.

Syllabus

WEEK 1

Introduction

This module is an introduction to the basics of conspiracy theory.

WEEK 2

Richard Hofstadter and the "Paranoid Style"

This module focuses on American historian Richard Hofstadter's book "The Paranoid Style in American Politics."

WEEK 3

Protocols of the Elders of Zion

This module covers the antisemitic conspiracy theories that grew from the fabricated text "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion."

WEEK 4

World War I

This module focuses on conspiracy theories invented to explain Word War I.

WEEK 5

JFK Assassination

This module covers some of the countless theories of the assassination of American President John F. Kennedy.

WEEK 6

Marilyn Monroe & Princess Diana Conspiracies

This module is an exploration of the relationship between grief and conspiracy theories.

WEEK 7

Conclusion

This is it. This is the last module, in which you will create your own (original) conspiracy theory and evaluate the conspiracy theories of your fellow learners.