The course analyzes and critiques current authoritarian tendencies in civil society and the state, in politics, economy, culture, and individually experienced social life. It will synthesize varied approaches and theories from several disciplines, and will place developments in the US and other nations in historical and multicultural context. Topics may include: authoritarian racism and social control, movements and resistance against authoritarianism, mobilization through mass and social media, and authoritarianism as a global phenomena.