AH 410 – ART, POWER AND PROPAGANDA

This course will investigate the intersection of visual culture, art, architecture and urban planning, with political power: art as propaganda for modern regimes.

The seminar-style investigation will approach themes of art and propaganda as they were developed in a limited range of 20th-century political climates, particularly Fascist Italy, Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia, with connections to related historical and political examples.

This seminar will venture beyond the traditional boundaries of Art Historical study by bringing into discussion the current state of research in nationalism and ritual studies on a theoretical foundation in aesthetics. The goal of the course is to advance superior argumentation, evaluate and employ primary historical source material (in translation) and apply current theoretical approaches to art historical research.

Pre-requisites: A 300-level Art History course, preferably also a modern European history course or permission of the instructor.

This course satisfies the information literacy and oral presentation requirements.

Credit hours: 
3