Authoritarianism and Resistance

Class Description

We will begin with an introduction to the leading model and research regarding authoritarian personality. I will emphasize how authoritarianism at the socio-political scale emerges from the scale of individual personality – in other words: how “the personal is political and the political is personal”. Considering how this model explains the current rise of authoritarianism and predicts its consequences, we’ll explore how, no matter what position in society one is situated, with whatever one’s particular ability and means allow, each of us can stay informed, maintain sanity, nourish courage, and exercise the personal freedom necessary to resist authoritarian oppression, aggression, and destructiveness. “We were never more free than under the German occupation.” -Jean-Paul Sartre *Need a minimum of 5 students to hold class. Mondays, 1:00 – 2:30 In Person: B2 Class Limit: 20