How can an ideology that seems to fit so perfectly the needs of a particular national experience adapt to many different historical, social, and economic contexts? In its global approach to fascism, this course aims to show that since its theorization in the early twentieth century, this ideology has produced similar trends in state violence in disparate geographical spaces. We will begin the class by defining fascism and looking at how it was precisely through a set of cultural practices that it was able to implement its powerful ideology—in varying forms, with varying degrees of success—in Italy, Spain, Portugal, and across the Atlantic in Brazil, Argentina, and the US. We will read the American novel It Can't Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis and we will watch Italian films that show the conditions under which fascism was developed. We will also visit the University of Michigan Special Collections to look at the actual propagandistic fascist (and anti-fascist) materials.

This course counts toward the Italian major and Italian minor requirements. This course counts toward the Portuguese minor as a cognate.

Note about the hybrid nature of the course: the minimal online component of this class consists of asynchronous work to be done individually on your time. That might include: listening to recorded lectures about more theoretical aspects of the class; summarizing readings for class; producing small reflections based on prompts. All class discussions and listed trips will be in person (unless University guidelines change).

Class Format:

Course taught in English.