American Studies 232 - AMER CONSERVATISM-AGE OF TRUMP

This course surveys the recent history of political conservatism in the United States, with an emphasis on the present moment. Topics include the various ideological strains that inform American conservatism (traditionalism, Christian evangelicalism, neoliberalism, neoconservatism, reform conservatism, Alt-Right); affective styles and strategies that animate conservative politics; institutional networks that support conservative coalition-building and the propagation of conservative ideas (media, think tanks, PACs); the “tribal” polarization of the American political parties around issues such as race, gender, sexuality, climate change, and gun control. We will seek especially to analyze and interpret the election of Donald Trump as the nation’s 45th president. (E)