LFU:online

The course participants should learn to recognize and analyze conspiracy-theoretical "argumentation patterns" and figures and their social backgrounds on the basis of selected filmic and literary examples. Accompanying reading of scientific literature on conspiracy theories should help to deepen the knowledge acquired. 

Conspiracy theories have always been popular in times of crisis. Today, however, the internet and social media contribute that they are no longer limited to small subcultural bubbles, but are widely circulated. Dealing with such theories is therefore important, especially in order to provide convincing counter-arguments to the many insecure people who are susceptible to such theories but have not yet succumbed to them. The topic of conspiracy is omnipresent in film, TV and literature as well. Due to their narrative character, filmic and literary material is particularly well suited to analyzing conspiracy-theoretical "argumentation patterns" and figures of thought and understanding their social backgrounds. Sociological, psychological and theological literature on the topic will deepen the knowledge acquired from cinematic and literary analysis. 

Introduction to systematic film analysis, analysis of selected filmic and literary examples on the topic, group work, presentations

written exam

Benz, Wolfgang. Die Protokolle der Weisen von Zion: Die Legende von der jüdischen Weltverschwörung. München 2011.

Butter, Michael: »Nichts ist, wie es scheint«. Über Verschwörungstheorien. Bonn 2018.

Dyrendal, Asbjørn u.a. Handbook of Conspiracy Theory and Contemporary Religion. Leiden 2018.

Eco, Umberto. Verschwörungen: Eine Suche nach Mustern. München 2021.

Faulstich, Werner. Grundkurs Filmanalyse. Paderborn 2013.

Girard, René. Der Sündenbock. Zürich 1998.

Simmel, Georg. Das Geheimnis und die geheime Gesellschaft. In: Soziologie: Untersuchungen über die Formen der Vergesellschaftung, 383-455. Frankfurt/M. 1992.

Weitere Literatur wird im Seminar bekannt gegeben.

Pool of films (selection):

Der ewige Jude (Hippler 1940)

Jud Süss (Harlan 1940)

Paris nous appartient (Rivette 1960)

The Manchurian Candidate (Frankenheimer 1962 & Demme 2004)

Dr. Strangelove (Kubrick 1964)

The Prisoner (McGoohan 1967 & Hurran 2009)

Die Delegation (Erler 1970)

The Parallax View (Pakula 1974)

The Three Days of the Condor (Pollack 1974)

The Conversation (Coppola 1974)

Mississipi Burning (Parker 1988)

JFK (Stone 1991)

Wag The Dog (Levinson 1997)

23 – Nichts ist so wie es scheint (Schmid 1998)

π (Aronofsky 1998)

Minority Report (Spielberg 2002)

Munich (Spielberg 2005)

The Da Vinci Code (Howard 2006)

Bug (Friedkin 2006)Die Protokolle der Weisen von Zion - Karriere einer Fälschung (Necek 2008, Doku)

Take Shelter (Nichols 2011)

Snowden (Stone 2016)

J’Accuse (Polanski 2019)

Die sieben größten Verschwörungstheorien der Geschichte (Reufels/Hompf 2020, Doku)

Further films are possible upon consultation!