SEEING THROUGH CONSPIRACY THEORIES

ARTHIST 102

Course Description

Fake news is not a new problem. In taking on this ongoing issue, we begin before living memory (to avoid the deadening effect of feedback loops within today's media world), with a focus on the visual and built environment. How do conspiracy theories work? Do they fall into patterns? How can we recognize them? If they are empowering, how should we think about that? Visual material plays a special role in the reinforcement of conspiracy theories. Case studies around the world, from the Egyptian pyramids to the birth of "modern" art in the twentieth century, center on ways in which an evidence-based account of the making of an artwork or architectural site has been replaced by a (usually more interesting) story about its true, hidden nature. This story usually purports to reveal the "conspiracy" of an empowered institution or group to keep the truth away from average people. Of course, the reality is often much simpler and the dynamics of power more complex.

Prerequisties

None

Satisfies

This course does not satisfy any prerequisites.

Credits

Offered

Not Applicable

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Instructors (2025 Fall)

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