Theoretical Orientations in Cultural Anthropology: Conspiracy Theory and Social Theory

Description of Course Goals and Curriculum

Most students enrolled in ANT 406 refer to it merely as “Conspiracy Theory.” However, you should keep in mind what the full name of this class is- Theoretical Orientations in Cultural Anthropology: Conspiracy Theory and Social Theory. This is quite a long course title, but it is helpful to remember it because Professor Davis really wants you to understand the theories behind the plethora of conspiracies today. This is why the course alternates in weeks from learning case studies of conspiracy theories like UFOs, clinical trials, climate change, The Cold War, etc. The other weeks that focus on theories such as epistemologies, societal systems, types of knowledge, etc. will help inform the wide range of case studies covered in the hopes of teaching you to problematize what are conspiracy theories, what are actual conspiracies, and how are different theories of knowledge-making giving you the tools to do so. Because weeks focusing on case studies and theories alternate, it can be challenging to piece all of these concepts together, especially because there is no chronological basis for the ordering of the topics. Overall, this course is comparative and cumulative. By the end, you will be able to trace how these cases and theories intersect if you reflect each week how what you have learned is either informed or complicated by what you learned in previous weeks.

Learning From Classroom Instruction

This is a three-hour lecture course, which explains why there is such a heavy emphasis on participation. There are no required Blackboard posts. Instead, you are expected to come to each class with things you want to discuss, questions you want to post, examples from the news, etc. I would suggest annotating as you read and also write on a separate sheet the main points you would like to contribute in class. This will make participating much less stressful if you already have an idea of what you want to write. Listen carefully to other people’s contributions, especially the students who are guiding the discussion that week. Take notes on the discussion; since Professor Davis does not speak much, make sure to learn from your classmates, which was her objective in designing this course. Remember that this class is offered to undergraduates and PhD students. By synthesizing the notes you took on the readings and then the class discussions, you are getting the most out of the interactive nature of this course.

Learning For and From Assignments

I already mentioned how important class participation is in this course, which includes two presentations you have to give over the course of the semester. The other large components of your grade are your midterm and final paper. In terms of grading, there’s not cushion in terms of small assignments like Blackboard posts. In order to do well in this class, I would suggest approaching each grading component as a means of participating in class, of contributing to the discussion. This way, when it is one of your weeks to present the material and to guide the discussion, you are already so used to thinking deeply and critically about the readings regardless of the week that you will be able to structure your presentation with ease. Using the synthesized notetaking system I laid out above each week, producing synthesis papers during midterms and finals will be significantly easier because you have been synthesizing all along. 

External Resources

Being up to date on current events is crucial for success in this course. Keeping an eye out for breaking news stories is important; in this era of fake news, being able to think critically about what you think is a credible news source or not is important skill in general. For this class, it will help ground the social theory you are learning, as well as ground historical sources of conspiratology in today’s day and age. Try to regularly survey a variety of news sources: The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Breitbart, YouTube personalities, Twitter wars, etc. Try not to think of this as extra work, but rather as a means of making the work you are already doing for the class more relatable to the world you live in. Going to McGraw Center workshops on effective reading strategies and deep work really helped me. I learned to see every assignment and supplemental reading I did for this class as an opportunity to change the way I seek out information in my everyday life. This made the work invigorating and worthwhile, rather than overwhelming. I would recommend checking in with McGraw several times throughout the semester in general, but specifically for a course like this. You can get help reading the syllabus in the beginning of the semester, strategize on how to improve after midterms, and make a game plan on how to write the best final paper possible.

What Students Should Know About This Course For Purposes Of Course Selection

Because this is a course designed for both undergraduate and graduate students, you will gain a new perspective on what it means to be an anthropologist by watching some of them train before your very eyes. One of the goals of this course is to allow you to learn from more advanced students, but it’s helpful in also understanding whether this is field you want to pursue. Don’t be afraid to get to know the graduate students- ask them about their research, why they came to Princeton to do their PhD, what kind of planning there is still left for their fieldwork, etc. These kinds of interactions are an amazing part of this course- make sure to seek them out.