Russian & Eurasian Studies 244PW - Postwar Societies:USSR/E. Eur

What was it like to be a hipster in the Soviet Union? What does rock music have to do with political dissent? This course offers a critical inquiry into the fascinating and vibrant societies of the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe from 1945 to 1989, with a focus on the former. While gaining an understanding of the major political developments from late Stalinism to the end of Communism, we will explore the creative ways in which citizens of the Eastern bloc expressed their agency and initiated societal change. Using a range of primary and secondary sources, including film and literature, we will study themes such as postwar childhood, fashion, music, political dissent, and environmentalism.