This course will unpack the complex layers of cultural history that have consistently established Berlin as one of the most important centers of contemporary art and culture. Examining related developments in art, architecture, design and film, the course will cover the Berlin scene of the 1920s, the rise to power of Nazism, the post-war building of the Berlin Wall and the cultural identity of a divided city, and finally the transition to post-unification life in the 1990s and 2000s, after Berlin was restored as the capital of Germany. Students interested in continuing their study of Berlin and German culture after the spring term will be welcome to apply for admission to the CCA Summer Study Abroad course Professor Fiss will be teaching in Berlin in 2013 (summer course begins mid-June). The spring-term course will provide an excellent foundation for the summer class's blend of onsite study of Berlin's diverse cultural topographies with an introduction to its contemporary art scene.
This course will unpack the complex layers of cultural history that have consistently established Berlin as one of the most important centers of contemporary art and culture. Examining related developments in art, architecture, design and film, the course will cover the Berlin scene of the 1920s, the rise to power of Nazism, the post-war building of the Berlin Wall and the cultural identity of a divided city, and finally the transition to post-unification life in the 1990s and 2000s, after Berlin was restored as the capital of Germany. Students interested in continuing their study of Berlin and German culture after the spring term will be welcome to apply for admission to the CCA Summer Study Abroad course Professor Fiss will be teaching in Berlin in 2013 (summer course begins mid-June). The spring-term course will provide an excellent foundation for the summer class's blend of onsite study of Berlin's diverse cultural topographies with an introduction to its contemporary art scene.