Sample Syllabi

The following is a growing collection of syllabi from educators who are utilizing the New Fascism Syllabus‘ secondary and primary materials in their courses.

If you’re interested in sharing your syllabus with others, please either join our private Facebook group or send us a PDF via the following email address: inquiries@thehistoryinquestion.com.

 

HIST 3907B/POLI 3809B: Populism in History
Dr. Jennifer Evans
Department of History/Political Science
Carleton University

Course Abstract:
“This course is inspired by current events, including the rise of alt-right, populist, and authoritarian parties and governments across the globe. Its aim is to use the tools of historical analysis to deepen our understanding of where and how these movements arose, how populism has appealed to voters in different places and contexts, and, crucially, how leaders have harnessed popular sentiments to their own end. As much as our goal is to develop critical thinking skills to apply to contemporary events, our focus is squarely on a series of historical case studies from across the 20th century. Our job is not to flatten out the past in order to see moments of similarity with the present. Rather, the aim is to decipher the different ways in which authoritarianism has manifested over time. We will think about how popular support has been drawn upon, seized as well as given up, and interrogate the forms of opposition made possible under different historical conditions. In other words, the course will contextualize decision making and outcomes by evaluating different arguments and claims, making matters more complicated at first so as to appreciate more fulsomely the state of play.”

 


 

HIST 41060/51060/71060: Comparative Fascism
Dr. Richard Steigmann-Gall
Department of History
Kent State University

Course Abstract:
“This course examines the theories and practices of fascist movements and regimes in Europe. In order to understand this pivotal episode in the history of the twentieth century, we will examine fascism from a variety of perspectives. Readings and discussions are based on historiographical and critical analyses. While we will attempt to cover the most important European countries that experienced fascism, the course is organized thematically instead of geographically. We will seek to uncover the political, cultural and social dimensions of fascism by considering a broad range of questions, such as: the definitions and origins of fascism; the social roots of fascist movements; issues of resistance and accommodation; attitudes toward gender and class; fascism as imperialism and racism; and the religious dimensions of fascism. Owing to the vast literature on this subject, some aspects of its history will of necessity be excluded. Students should have a working knowledge of modern European history.”

 


 

AEAJ/AHIST 436: Fascism: Japan and Beyond
Dr. John D. Person
Department of East Asian Studies
University of Albany

Course Abstract:
“It is often said that the 1930s and 1940s were the age of fascism. At the same time, “fascism” itself is one of the most debated concepts in modern historiography. While it is quite common for general books on fascism in the English language to label the Japanese case as something resembling, but not quite, fascist, or even omit its discussion entirely, Japanese books on the history of Japan typically refer to the 1930s and 1940s as the age of fascism. This inconsistency is only one of many examples in which we can identify disagreements in what constitutes “fascism.” In this course we will be less interested in defining once and for all what we mean by fascism than examining the different ways in which fascism has been discussed and used as an analytical framework or a category worth engaging, both by writers contemporary to the “era of fascism” and those that came after. And so, while the approach of this course is “comparative” in the sense that we will be comparing situations in different geographical locales (i.e. Nazi Germany vs. Imperial Japan), we will also be comparing the different ways in which “fascism” has been employed as a lens through which the world and its history can be interpreted. Is “fascism” still a useful category in analyzing history and society? By the end of the semester you will have more than a few things to say in response to such a question.”

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