The New World of Ideologies

• Week 1: Understanding ideologies
  We’ll come to a clearer definition of what we mean when we talk about ideologies. We will distinguish between ideologies, political or philosophical theories, and religions or cults. We’ll explore how best to approach the field of ideologies, focusing not on the truth value of a given ideology but rather its characteristics and core beliefs.
• Week 2: What do ideologies DO?
  We’ll engage with the history of theorists who comment on ideologies. We will revisit Marx’s abiding hostility to ideologies, wherein ideologies are inevitably tools of the oppressor used as instruments to make the oppressed pliable and exploitable. We’ll move on through Gramsci and into more contemporary accounts that view ideologies as important mechanisms for popular dissent and even empowerment.
• Week 3: Extremist nationalism
  Having gained a better understanding of ideologies in general, we’ll begin our examination of the ideologies currently shaping our public discourse. Extremist nationalism is once again emerging as an influential means through which populist leaders gain supporters. We’ll look at the historic roots of nationalism to try to discern the resurgence of extremist forms of this ideology.
• Week 4: Fascism’s return
  Few contemporary expressions of fascism openly wear this ideological identity. Nevertheless, it is striking that so many of the leaders, parties and social movements embracing fascist ideology shrink away from this label. This week we will ponder together the enduring appeal of fascism.
• Week 5: Democratic socialism
  The last surge of interest in democratic socialism occurred almost 60 years ago. We’ll explore the origins of this ideology in the mid-19th century, look at its revival in the 1960s-1970s (particularly in Europe) and then examine its new popularity (particularly in the U.S.) today. Through these very different time periods and contexts, we will look for continuities and explore the lessons to be drawn from this perspective on economic and social life.
• Week 6: When ideologies overtake us
  This week we will step back from a close examination of specific ideologies to explore how democracies can accommodate widely divergent, often contradictory ideological perspectives. We’ll take as a premise that preserving democratic practices and institutions must be our primary goal and seek to provide thoughtful suggestions for how to promote and protect ideological pluralism.

By the end of the course, you should be able to:

• Understand what constitutes an ideology
• Recognize different views and responses to ideologies from various political and social theorists
• Explore three of the more dominant ideologies of the present moment
• Identify strategies to integrate ideological pluralism into our democracies

• Academic and non-academic articles, and other online resources
• Participation in written discussions with other students
• Participation in Zoom seminars
• Reflective essay (applicable only to certificate students)

No textbook is required. We will provide all course materials online.