Hot Cold War: Asia and Culture

3.0 credits · Undergraduate

The Cold War is the biggest historical event of the twentieth century. It profoundly shaped the world that we live in today. But surprisingly, the Cold War remains understudied. Cold War scholarship focuses predominantly on the USA or the USSR and the history of political or military conflict. At the same time, it overlooks Asia as one of its key arenas and does not pay due attention to the cultural dimension of the phenomenon. This writing seminar will focus on culture – film, art, architecture, and literature. We will also look at the Cold War from the vantage point of Asia and discover why it was hot there. You will practice writing about cultural production and gain new perspectives on modern non-Western history. (ASIAN-SC)