278 Topic: Nazi Culture, 3 cr.
Hermand and Silberman Lec 1 W 6:00-7:40 pm
Disc 301 M 7:00 – 7:50 pm (Silberman)
Disc 306 W 4:35 – 5:25 pm (Hermand)
Many consider Nazi Germany to be the incarnation of evil in the modern world and its culture to be pure propaganda, produced in a tightly regulated political system with clear objectives and a rigid set of criteria for what was acceptable. Many of these perceptions first arose shortly after World War II, colored by a Cold War tendency to seek commonalities between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, as well as the hasty and highly controversial program of denazification conducted in Germany under Allied occupation. Only during the last 20 years or so have scholars taken a serious look at Nazi culture and revealed a much more complex set of factors at work in all areas of cultural life. This course aims to introduce students to the contradictory conditions that led to cultural shifts when the Nazis came to power and then to examine how new policies influenced cultural life. We will consider propaganda and entertainment films, music and theater, art and architecture, youth education and consumer culture specifically in its appeal to women. The goals of this course will be to identify common misconceptions about culture in Nazi Germany, to gain a deeper understanding of the workings of cultural policy, and to assess whether political ideology was able to form something we can identify as a distinct “Nazi culture.”
Students register both for the lecture and one of the discussion sections. The purpose of the discussion section is to talk about and gain a deeper understanding of the issues raised in the lecture. There will be a few additional short writing assignments as well as additional readings designed to expand upon the topic for the week. In addition, there will be a mid-term and final examination.
Readings will be made available on e-reserves and/or through the course website.
