Figurations of Conspiracy in Contemporary America

Module description

The fear of conspiracy functions as a recurring motif in many American cultural forms including novels, film, television, certain genres of music like hip-hop and rap, graphic novels, and social media. After considering early articulations of conspiracism in the US, this module will focus on 20th and 21st Century mediations and figurations of conspiracy fears and theories. The module will consider conspiracism through key events that have unsettled epistemic certainty and fuelled hermeneutic activity, including the assassination of JFK, 9/11, the election of Barack Obama, and the Covid-19 pandemic.

Throughout, students will be asked to utilise concepts from cultural, critical and literary theory, as well as from the sociology of knowledge and epistemology, to trouble distinctions between fact and fiction, interpretation and 'overinterpretation', justified and unjustified paranoia, official knowledge and popular knowledge, critical theory and conspiracy theory. They will also be encouraged to understand the power struggles that animate competing claims to knowledge and 'legitimacy'. 

This module follows on well from American Popular Culture at Level 5, uses some of the theoretical paradigms as Theory, Culture and Politics After 1960 at Level 5, and would work well with Vernacular Theory or Literature and Media at Level 6. However, there are no formal prerequisites.

 

Assessment details

1 x 4000 word essay (100%)

Educational aims & objectives

1. To introduce students to the role that fears of conspiracy have played and continue to play in American culture;
   
   
2. To critically engage with a variety of cultural forms;
   
   
3. To be able to identify the key characteristics of “conspiracy fiction”;
   
   
4. To develop an awareness of the theoretical approaches to this topic particularly within literary studies, cultural studies, and the sociology of knowledge;
   
   
5. To foster skills in critical and cultural analysis and oral and written presentation skills at a level appropriate to final year degree work.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the module, students will be able to demonstrate intellectual, transferable, and practical skills appropriate to a Level 6 module and in particular will be able to:

1. Articulate key debates concerning the politics of knowledge in the contemporary US;
   
   
2. Demonstrate knowledge of how conspiracy fears have been expressed in American culture in the past and present;
   
   
3. Evaluate competing interpretations and arguments; and critically analyse a range of different cultural sources;
   
   
4. Research and construct a convincing argument using appropriate methods of scholarly presentation;
   
   
5. Carry out independent research; critically analyse different kinds of texts; summarise complex arguments; work in groups; present ideas in oral and written communication;
   
   
6. Compare and select different theoretical models;
   
   
7. Communicate reading and research effectively, through oral presentations and discussion; develop and sustain an argument, drawing on appropriate resources.

Teaching pattern

1 x 2 hour seminar, weekly

In a typical seminar, students will be asked to discuss the primary visual or literary texts and secondary theoretical works in small groups and as a whole. They will listen to and engage with a peer-led group presentation every week. The lecturer will offer mini lectures as and when needed. Students should only take this module if they are interested in thinking with, and analysing theory.

Suggested reading list

• Redstockings Manifesto
• Don DeLillo,  Libra
• Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid’s Tale
• Thomas Pynchon,  The Crying of Lot 49
• Jodi Dean, Aliens in America: Conspiracy Cultures from Outerspace to Cyberspace
• Umberto Eco, Interpretation and Overinterpretation,
• Peter Knight, Conspiracy Culture: From the Kennedy Assassination to The X-Files 
• Richard Hofstadter, “The Paranoid Style in American Politics”

Additional course costs: purchase of 4 novels

You will also be asked to watch television programmes and films. These are available in the library, but you may wish to rent these from streaming services to watch at home. 

Module description disclaimer

King’s College London reviews the modules offered on a regular basis to provide up-to-date, innovative and relevant programmes of study. Therefore, modules offered may change. We suggest you keep an eye on the course finder on our website for updates.

Please note that modules with a practical component will be capped due to educational requirements, which may mean that we cannot guarantee a place to all students who elect to study this module.

Please note that the module descriptions above are related to the current academic year and are subject to change.