Freshman Seminar: Populism and Its Discontent

Populism has a long history in the United States. Democratic president Andrew Jackson, Louisiana governor Huey Long, Dixiecrat George Wallace, the Populist Party of the nineteenth century, the Occupy Movement, the Tea Party and President Donald Trump have all been labelled populists. What does populism mean? Does the populist label fit all of these seemingly disparate people/movements? In this course, we will examine the historical episodes of populism to better understand the rise of President Trump and his own brand of populism. We will also compare populism in the United States to populism in the United Kingdom.  In the final weeks of this course, we will examine the factors driving the rise of populism most recently and consider its impact on democracy.