Professor: Robert Mauro
4 credits
Overview
Fascism is an ideology, a system of government, and a way of relating to other people in which the individual is subservient to the state. It often combines elements of authoritarianism, totalitarianism, nationalism, and corporatism. Before World War II, many groups in Europe and the United States openly touted fascism. Because of the war crimes committed by the Nazis, few groups today would accept the label “fascist.” However, the key components remain attractive to many – the glorification of strong leaders and the military, the denial of individual civil rights, ethnocentrism, scapegoating, and the suppression of dissent through propaganda, censorship, and violence.
Why are people attracted by the siren call of authoritarian demagogues espousing extreme radical nationalism and suppression of freedom? Why are so many enamored of fascism? Why are people so willing to give up their rights and independence to follow a “strong” leader? Why do we appear to want to “escape from freedom?” Philosophers, psychologists, sociologists, political scientists, and historians have attempted to answer these questions. In this seminar, we will discuss some of this literature and seek answers. Our focus will be on the psychological literature, but we will consider the knowledge accumulated in other disciplines as well.
This is a seminar. We will focus on learning from one another. Most of our time will be spent discussing aspects of the topic based on readings. On some occasions we will watch and discuss relevant films. The syllabus below should be regarded as a general outline. We will begin by following it. If the group wants to go in a different direction, we may depart from the syllabus and follow that thread.
Goals
By the end of this course, students will have developed a reasonably deep understanding of how and why fascism has taken root at various times in various groups and how the underlying processes affect us every day. In the process of developing this understanding, they will have honed their abilities to reason about complex social issues and to communicate their analyses coherently both orally and in written form.