The Global Space Age

Catalog description

Over the course of the twentieth century the infinite void that surrounds planet Earth stimulated the human imagination as never before. For several decades, anticipation of human spaceflight was intimately bound with futuristic visions of technoscientific progress, while space exploration became key to societal self-images. This course charts the rise and fall of the Age of Space from a global perspective. Individual sessions will be devoted to the ‘rocket fad’ of the Weimar Republic, Nazi ‘wonder weapons,’ the so-called Sputnik shock and the American moon landings, UFOs and alleged alien encounters, as well as providing an introduction to the historical origins of techno-nationalism, from the Cold War to today’s Space Race in Asia. This is an advanced undergraduate seminar open to juniors and seniors. Participants should have taken at least one history class and have written a research paper with bibliographical references. Prerequisite: POH OR any HIST-SHU OR any HUMN-SHU course Fulfillment: CORE STS; Humanities Advanced course (18-19: Digital Approaches or Topic)