Conspiracy [Durham, NC]

from $25.00

**This course is in-person only. There is no virtual component. Participants must be age 21+

Full Tuition: $340 — Sliding-scale tuition options are available in the drop-down enrollment menu for you to self-select. To pay in installments, choose to pay with PayPal or Klarna at check out.

From politics to pop culture and from medicine to the media, people have conspiracy theories about everything. It’s easy to think of these ideas as silly or misinformed, but actually, they give us a lot of information about how people understand the world that we all share.

Many scholars have argued that conspiracy theories are ways for people who experience systemic harm to claim agency by critiquing and telling new stories about those in power. Others argue that conspiracy theories are tools used by the elite to mask the actual conspiracies from which they profit. After all, what is capitalism if not a giant conspiracy? And what is the “Epstein class” if not an elite group of conspirators who benefit from “fake news” like Pizzagate and climate change denial?

In this class, we’ll study conspiracy theories as well as their pop cultural and scholarly interpretations in the US and beyond. But we’ll also turn a critical eye on these interpretations. We’ll pay attention to how people talk about conspiracy theories and what this reveals. Why and when do we use the term “conspiracy theory” to describe others? What makes us more or less likely to sympathize with certain conspiracy theories and not others? What can studying conspiracy theories and their critics tell us about our own claims to truth, and the distinctions we make between “knowledge” and “belief,” or “rational” and “irrational”?

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The Fine Print:

Gift certificates may only be redeemed at the full tuition tier.

SLIDING SCALE TUITION

Full tuition is the cost per-student of running the class. If you choose a tier below full tuition, you are receiving a discount. If you choose to make a donation in addition to full tuition, you are helping to cover the cost for students who are not able to pay the full amount.

The mid-level tier is a discounted rate for people whose household income is at or above living wage but who have limited discretionary income.

The low-level tier and the full-scholarship tier are for people whose household income is below living wage or who need extra assistance to meet their needs.

SCHOLARSHIPS

Through our fundraising efforts, we are able to offer three full scholarships per class. The full-scholarship tier is a nonrefundable offering. Each student may only take one full-scholarship class at a time. Because our scholarship funding is limited, if a student selects multiple overlapping classes at the full-scholarship level, they will be disenrolled from all classes.

All sliding-scale and scholarship needs are self-assessed, and we will never request or require proof of need.

Please see our FAQ for more information, including installment plans, refund policy, and sick and inclement weather policy.

Sliding-Scale Tuition:

**This course is in-person only. There is no virtual component. Participants must be age 21+

Full Tuition: $340 — Sliding-scale tuition options are available in the drop-down enrollment menu for you to self-select. To pay in installments, choose to pay with PayPal or Klarna at check out.

From politics to pop culture and from medicine to the media, people have conspiracy theories about everything. It’s easy to think of these ideas as silly or misinformed, but actually, they give us a lot of information about how people understand the world that we all share.

Many scholars have argued that conspiracy theories are ways for people who experience systemic harm to claim agency by critiquing and telling new stories about those in power. Others argue that conspiracy theories are tools used by the elite to mask the actual conspiracies from which they profit. After all, what is capitalism if not a giant conspiracy? And what is the “Epstein class” if not an elite group of conspirators who benefit from “fake news” like Pizzagate and climate change denial?

In this class, we’ll study conspiracy theories as well as their pop cultural and scholarly interpretations in the US and beyond. But we’ll also turn a critical eye on these interpretations. We’ll pay attention to how people talk about conspiracy theories and what this reveals. Why and when do we use the term “conspiracy theory” to describe others? What makes us more or less likely to sympathize with certain conspiracy theories and not others? What can studying conspiracy theories and their critics tell us about our own claims to truth, and the distinctions we make between “knowledge” and “belief,” or “rational” and “irrational”?

—

The Fine Print:

Gift certificates may only be redeemed at the full tuition tier.

SLIDING SCALE TUITION

Full tuition is the cost per-student of running the class. If you choose a tier below full tuition, you are receiving a discount. If you choose to make a donation in addition to full tuition, you are helping to cover the cost for students who are not able to pay the full amount.

The mid-level tier is a discounted rate for people whose household income is at or above living wage but who have limited discretionary income.

The low-level tier and the full-scholarship tier are for people whose household income is below living wage or who need extra assistance to meet their needs.

SCHOLARSHIPS

Through our fundraising efforts, we are able to offer three full scholarships per class. The full-scholarship tier is a nonrefundable offering. Each student may only take one full-scholarship class at a time. Because our scholarship funding is limited, if a student selects multiple overlapping classes at the full-scholarship level, they will be disenrolled from all classes.

All sliding-scale and scholarship needs are self-assessed, and we will never request or require proof of need.

Please see our FAQ for more information, including installment plans, refund policy, and sick and inclement weather policy.