In this course we will explore the boisterous Tea Party movement that has been alternately hailed and reviled as a conservative rebirth, insidious “astroturf” campaign, transformative third party, and paranoid wackjob hangout. Lectures and class discussions will cover the movement’s noisy birth, unpack its intellectual roots, compare the movement to other conservative insurgencies, analyze its role in the 2010 midterm election, and consider how it may change in the future.