Fascism, Spectacle, and Display
| Code | School | Level | Credits | Semesters |
| HART3054 | Cultural, Media and Visual Studies | 3 | 20 | Spring UK |
- Code
- HART3054
- School
- Cultural, Media and Visual Studies
- Level
- 3
- Credits
- 20
- Semesters
- Spring UK
Summary
This module will examine cultural production during Italys fascist regime. There will be an emphasis on the experience of visual culture in public settings such as the exhibition space, the cinema, and the built environment. A wide range of cultural artefacts will be examined, paying attention to material as well as visual aspects. We will consider material such as: rallies, parades, and mass theatre; urbanism in Rome; the fascist new towns; temporary exhibitions; architectural commissions; newsreels, posters, and photographs. Visual material will be situated in the social, cultural and political circumstances of the period. Topics will include: fascisms use of spectacle, fascist conceptions of utopia, the regimes use of the past, the relationship between fascism and modernism, fascism as a political religion, the cult of Mussolini, urban-rural relations, and empire building. The module will also consider the afterlife of fascist visual culture to examine how altered historical contexts might impact upon the meanings of cultural artefacts from the fascist era. We will consider processes of de-fascistisation, re-uses of former fascist buildings, and contemporary exhibitions of visual culture from the fascist period.
Target Students
Only available for History of Arts students, Film and Television Studies students, Liberal Arts students and Exchangestudents.
Classes
- One 1-hour seminar each week for 10 weeks
- One 2-hour lecture each week for 10 weeks
Assessment
- 100% Coursework: 3,500 words portfolio of written work and equivalent
Assessed by end of spring semester
Educational Aims
This module aims to explore the range and complexities of cultural production and consumption during the fascist dictatorship. Rather than considering fascism as a monolithic concept, students will be encouraged to think in terms of multiple, competing fascisms. Discussions of critical readings will seek to problematise concepts of consent and dissent, and consider the relationship between text and context in the production of meaning.Learning Outcomes
Knowledge and understanding
• To develop a nuanced understanding of Italian fascism
• To develop a thorough knowledge of the visual culture of this period
• To gain an understanding of critical approaches to fascism and culture
Intellectual Skills
• To develop advanced skills in the analysis of a range of media (architecture, film, painting, sculpture)
• To engage critically with theoretical and historical texts
• To deploy a range of scholarly literature in the analysis of visual examples
• To analyse the visual culture of this period in its historical and political context
Professional and practical skills
•To plan, carry out, and present independent research
• To manage a large body of disparate sources (primary and secondary)
• To synthesise a wide range of sources whilst developing an independent critical position
• To work collaboratively with peers and contribute fully to class activities
• To seek and make constructive use of feedback to further progress and development Transferable (key)skills
• To take responsibility for one’s own learning and that of others
• To develop effective and engaging communication skills in spoken and written form
• To develop IT skills for research and presentation