In this course, we will move backwards from 1910 to the 1890’s and forward to World War I to discuss modernization, a history of the economic and social processes of industrialization, urbanization, consumerism, mass immigration and bureaucratization as well as modernism, the aesthetic and artistic responses to those developments.

“So the whole question comes down to this: Can the human mind master what the human mind has made?” Paul Valery Many of the most challenging issues we face today have their origins in a sequence of massive societal shifts that emerged around the turn of the last century in Europe and North America. This course will explore some of those challenges by attempting to understand how they emerged and why. We will read some classic accounts of the rise of capitalism, urbanization, globalization and bureaucracy. We will also discuss a number of the most significant social, political, economic and cultural developments that together characterize modernity including the rise of advertising, amusement parks, the movie industry, popular music, and department stores. And we will use these accounts to help us understand contemporary concerns, including the nature of modern branding, the appeal of Disneyization, the meaning of fashion and influencers, the role of fantasy media, the appeal of sensationalist movies and the context of global climate change.

Repeat Rules

Course is not repeatable for credit.

Requirements class fulfills