GH 301: Conspiracy Theories in American History

Conspiracy theories have impacted United States History during several critical episodes.  Instead of seeing conspiracy theories as a periodic oddity, this class explores how and why conspiracy theories arose at particular points in the American past and analyzes both how they influenced the course of our history and what their existence might mean relative to American notions of identity and values. Often times fears of conspiracy formed critical components for how historical actors sought to make sense of their experience, from the way American colonists viewed the machinations of King George and his court leading up to the Revolution, down to how figures like Senator Joseph McCarthy utilized Cold War fears to advance a political agenda. This class aims to examine key movements in American History through the lens of conspiracy theories.  I do not conceive of this course as a sociological dive into the world of the conspiracy minded. Rather I view the class as a way to explore American History through conspiratorial thought and to question the ways American culture and thought have birthed conspiracy theories at particular times, and then to analyze what it might reveal about the fears and anxieties prevailing at those times in an effort to more deeply understand the evolution of American History.

Instructor: Dr. Daniel Clark

Professor Daniel A. Clark has served as an ISU faculty member for twenty years, teaching courses in American History.  He also serves as the coordinator for the Social Studies Education program.  He has published two books, one on the how the practice of going to college became integrated into American notions of success and power (Creating the College Man, 2010), and one on the history of Indiana State University (the first of two volumes).  His primary field of research is American Intellectual and Cultural History. He earned his graduate degrees in history from Purdue University (Ph.D. in 2001; MA 1993), and his BA from Millikin University in 1990.

Please contact Dr. Clark if you have questions about this course.