Section B05. The Nazi Aesthetic
In this course we will explore the origins, nature, history, and legacy of fascism, primarily within the socio-political and cultural context of National Socialism in Germany. We will broaden our conceptual and analytic understanding of (German) fascism and examine the political and cultural strategies that the Nazis employed to gain and maintain power.
In the second half of the course we will inquire into the ideological mechanisms of fascist aesthetics and investigate how the aesthetics of the national socialists relates, to this day, to the concepts of masculinity and femininity, race, class, and nationhood. We will examine and discuss a variety of textual and visual materials--essays, articles, literature, paintings, photos and films--and analyze how these insidious mechanisms and strategies may be currently at play in our global and popular culture(s).
(Tessa Lee)