TOPICS: PSYCHOLOGY OF CONSPIRACY THEORIES AND EXTREMISM in Spring 2025 (PY3091B)

This course explores the social, cultural, and psychological dynamics of contemporary right wing extremist groups and the falsehoods and outright lies about the past and other groups that nourish these movements. We examine the history and distribution of conspiracy theories and concentrate on the narrative structure and function of conspiracies in motivating individual and group action. The great replacement, the conspiracy theory that whites are being intentionally replaced by other groups, will serve as our primary case study.