Uses of the Past - Memories of World War II in Russia

CLLC-L 220 / CLASS 33955 — Spring 2023

Location
Edmondson Hall C110
Days and Times
Tu/Th 1:15 p.m. - 2:30 p.m., 3 credits
Course Description

On February 24, 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a full-scale military invasion of Ukraine, starting the largest war in Europe since the 20th Century. How did two countries that were deeply connected for hundreds of years and fought together against Hitler end up on opposing sides of a battlefield for “liberation” and “denazification”? This course aims to answer these questions by examining the many uses and abuses of the history of World War II in the Soviet Union and modern Russia. Students will analyze the war's treatment in Soviet and Russian popular culture, public history, and policy by critically examining a wide variety of historical and contemporary primary sources, from speeches and newspaper articles to famous photographs, movies, and monuments. For a final assignment, they will have a choice between a group poster presentation and an individual essay (to be presented conference-paper style).

Instructor: Stepan Serdiukov

Collins Seminars: Selected by Board of Educational Programming (BOEP)