HUMN 17

About this course

This course explores the cultural, historical, and philosophical dimensions of conspiracy theories, cult movements, and secret societies throughout history. Through an interdisciplinary humanities lens, students will analyze the emergence and evolution of these phenomena, and how they reflect and impact broader anxieties, beliefs, and power structures. Topics include ancient mystery cults, medieval heresies, secret orders, and the psychological and sociological factors that sustain them. The course emphasizes critical analysis of narrative construction, myth-making, and the use of secrecy and exclusivity in shaping cultural identity and social control. Students will engage with primary and secondary sources, including folklore, literature, chronicles, film, journalistic and popular media to examine how conspiracy and secret societies have been represented and why they persist in the collective imagination. This course emphasizes analytical, interpretive, and reflective approaches to human cultural production and belief systems.

No section is scheduled at Foothill College for Fall 2026. The course can still be offered in a later quarter.

Enrollment availability changes frequently. Confirm status in the official FHDA registration system before enrolling.

Prerequisites

The Foothill catalog lists no prerequisite for this course.

Advisory: “Advisory: One of the following: ENGL C1000 or C1000H or ESLL 26.”