POLI 1230 Esoteric Politics: Political Perspectives on Secret Societies
Politics is not always institutional and overt through public debates, campaigns, elections, demonstrations, and partisanship. Throughout history, the political landscape in many countries has been significantly shaped by esoteric brotherhoods and closed circles of influential leaders. This course explores the political history and contemporary relevance of various clandestine societies, including the Freemasons, Yakuza, 'Illuminati,' and the Dozo hunters in West Africa. Additionally, the course aims to demonstrate that while absolute transparency is an ideal in politics, secrecy continues to play a role in the functioning of contemporary democracies, manifesting through secret services, classified materials, non-public negotiations among political leaders, and informal discussions on critical public issues.
Course overview
- Department
- Political Science
- School
- MCAS
- Credits
- 3
- Level
- Undergraduate
- Offered
- Periodically
Course evaluations
- Course rating
- 4.23 / 5 · Very Good
- Instructor rating
- 4.37 / 5 · Very Good
- Terms evaluated
- 1
| Term | Instructor | Course overall | Instructor overall | Well organized | Clear learning objectives | Intellectually challenging | Helpful assignments | Applicable beyond course | Attendance necessary | Weekly effort | Responses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring 2026 | Jacques Ngimbous | 4.2 | 4.4 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.3 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.6 | 1–3 hrs/week | 31 of 38 |