Rejecting Reason: Dada and Surrealism in Europe and the United States

In this multimedia interdisciplinary course, we will consider the history, theory, and practice of Dada and Surrealism, from its Symbolist and Expressionist roots at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century through its late expressions in the beat culture and pop art of the 1950s and 1960s. Dada's emergence in Zürich and New York in the midst of World War I set the tone for its stress on irrationality as an oppositional strategy. Surrealist research into the domain of the unconscious continued this extreme challenge to dominant culture but in a revolutionary spirit that proposed new possibilities for personal and collective liberation. The international character of the movements -- with substantial cross-transmission between Europe and the United States -- will be emphasized. Prerequisites: L01 113, Intro to Western Art; L01 215, Intro to Modern Art; or permission of instructor.
Course Attributes: FA AH; EN H; BU Hum; AS HUM; FA HUM; AR HUM

Rejecting Reason: Dada and Surrealism in Europe and the United States

GLOBAL STUDIES 3875

Section 01