Few periods in history have been more eventful than the first half of the twentieth century in Europe. In particular, the years between 1914 and the 1950s brought one world-historical catastrophe after another, including World War One, the Russian Revolution, the Depression, the rise of fascism in Italy and Germany, the Soviet Stalinist dictatorship, the Spanish Civil War, World War II, the Holocaust, and the advent of the global Cold War.
This course will explore the interaction of these momentous events with the cultural arts. We will discuss how the work of the greatest writers, artists, musicians, architects, film makers, and philosophers during this extraordinary period reflected their times. We will pay particular attention to the historical relation between art and politics in the totalitarian regimes of Germany under Hitler, Soviet Russia under Stalin, Italy under Mussolini, and Spain under Franco. We will study both the art that opposed and supported these political states. In addition to learning about some of the most brilliant works of art and thought in the twentieth-century, the course will be a case study in an intriguing historical phenomenon: how times of intense human tumult and trauma can also be periods of great cultural creativity and intellectual accomplishment.
This Spring session will span the years 1920 to the end of the Second World War. Weekly topics will include: pro-fascist art and sculpture; the exhibitions of “degenerate art and music” in the late 1930s; Bolshevik and Soviet poster art; early Russian science fiction; classical music in Stalinist Russia; and the 1937 Paris World’s Fair. The course can be taken separate from or continuous with the Winter session.

COURSE FORMAT
This is an interactive online seminar course that meets weekly over 6 weeks. Live online sessions will use the zoom platform. Weekly reading or other forms of materials may be assigned. Weekly sessions will be recorded and available for registered participants to access throughout the course.
There are no papers or grades. This course does not offer any credits or certificates. This course is intended for learning for the love of learning.

COURSE MATERIALS
This course will require the purchase of reading materials:
Yevgeny Zamyatin, WE translated by Clarence Brown, 9780140185850
Additional reading materials may be supplied by the instructor.

Registrants will receive access to the course website and the zoom links about two weeks before the course starts.

COURSE CANCELLATION POLICY
Registrants can cancel and receive a full refund up to March 3. After March 3, there will be no refunds issued.
Yale Alumni College courses are subject to schedule changes as well as cancellations. If Yale Alumni College must cancel any course prior to its start due to low enrollment, you will be notified of this by the cancellation date. Upon cancellation of a course, registrants may transfer their registration to another available course or have the registration fee fully refunded.

In the event of a disruption to the original course schedule, including but not limited to; Professor absence, hazardous weather conditions, or local travel restrictions, Yale Alumni College will do its best to reschedule the missed class for the week immediately following the original end date at the same course time and day.