#3065 The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz as Political Satire

Register and pay for five classes at once and receive the sixth class for free.  You must register over the phone or in person.  This discount does not apply to registering online.  (The free class is of the same or lesser value.)

Tuesday, July 25, 11:00am - 1:00pm

#3065 The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz as Political Satire  (The instructor will present via Zoom.)

Instructor: Katherine Sturdevant

Newspaper editor Lyman Frank Baum first published his Wonderful Wizard of Oz in 1900 and followed it with many sequels. As many of his readers probably recognized, the story and characters poked tongue-in-cheek fun at many aspects of society and politics in their day. Baum also sent subliminal reform messages! Over time, average readers (many of whom were children) lost that historical perspective. In the 1960s, when we watched the movie annually, scholars realized Baum's tricks anew. Since then, literary analysts and historians have enjoyed interpreting the Oz stories and characters as a way to understand Baum's day and even ours. We're off!

Katherine Scott Sturdevant, MA, BA in History from San Francisco State University, PhD Candidate in Public History at UC Santa Barbara.  She is Pikes Peak Community College’s Senior History Professor and started teaching with what became PILLAR when PPCC first offered lifelong learning classes.  She has won awards in teaching and diversity.  Kathy serves as a speaker, writer, editor, and consultant for community history organizations, such as, the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum and Pikes Peak Library District.  Her first two books teach using historical methods in family history.  As a social historian, Kathy emphasizes past people’s authentic experiences.

$25 PILLAR Members / $40 Nonmembers