AMSTUD 149: Scams, Hoaxes, and Cons

Course Description

From Herman Melville to Elizabeth Holmes, this course looks at the history of fakes and fraudsters in American culture, and how they continue to trick, unsettle, and fascinate us. How does a conman pick his mark? How does this relationship reinforce or subvert systems of power, race, gender, and class? What does a scam or hoax-and our willingness to trust in it-tell us about what we value or believe? Possible texts include writings by James Frey, Patricia Highsmith, and Mark Twain; films Nightmare Alley, The Sting, and The Blair Witch Project; and episodes from the recent television series The Dropout.