S (Cult): The 1920s and 1930s: American Culture from Boom to Bust

This seminar explores the dramatic cultural and social transformations of the United States during two pivotal, contrasting decades. We will examine how the euphoric, consumer-driven modernism of the "Roaring Twenties" collided with the profound socioeconomic crises and cultural reorientations of the Great Depression in the 1930s. Investigating a diverse range of cultural artifacts—including literature, film, photography, and music—the course analyzes how Americans negotiated shifting gender roles, racial dynamics (such as the Harlem Renaissance), and class struggles. Special emphasis will be placed on how federal initiatives like the New Deal refashioned notions of national self-identification, labor, and community formation. Ultimately, this course critically interrogates how the cultural production of this era reflected and shaped the turbulent transition from unprecedented prosperity to systemic bust.

The seminar begins in the first week of the semester.

Tue (7) W48/102