World War II in Russia with Jeff Brooks, PhD

Lifelong Learning Logo Course Title: World War II in Russia

Instructor: Jeff Brooks, PhD

Brought to you by Odyssey

March 31, 2026 - April 28, 2026 (5 Sessions)

Tuesdays, 6:00PM ET - 7:30 PM ET

Virtual via Zoom

Course Description: World War II redefined nations, ideologies, and the human experience itself. Examine the global scope of the war, with special attention to the Eastern Front. Through guided discussion, explore the war’s brutal realities, strategic turning points, and lasting impact on Europe, Great Britain, and the United States. Students will confront the glory, horror, and unrelenting violence that shaped the modern world’s political and moral landscape.

Required Course Materials:

Books

Chris Bellamy, Absolute War: Soviet Russia in the Second World War (Knopf, 2007)

Vasily Grossman, Stalingrad (New York Review of Books, 2019)

Films

Soldier Boy (Soldatik) – A Russian feature film based on the true story of Sergei Aleshkov, the youngest soldier of World War II.

The Fall of Berlin (1950, dir. Mikheil Chiaureli) – Please watch the opening segment and the final scenes depicting the fall of the Reichstag and Stalin’s triumphant arrival in Berlin. Available to stream for free on Amazon Prime.

Explore more lifelong learning opportunities in our full SPRING 2026 Odyssey Catalog

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Johns Hopkins Tuition Remission Policies

Tuition benefits are available to University faculty, staff, and retirees only. Employees of Johns Hopkins Hospital, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, or the Applied Physics Laboratory should contact your institution’s Human Resources office for information about tuition remission and eligibility:

Johns Hopkins Hospitals and Medical Institutions: https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/human-resources/benefits/tuition-assistance
Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory: https://www.jhuapl.edu/careers/professional-development

Select the correct ticket pricing during registration. If we cannot confirm your university eligibility, you will be requested to pay the full registration price for each course. Complete eligibility details can be found here.

Withdrawals & Refunds:

If a course is canceled or closed, the registrant is notified immediately, and a full refund is processed automatically unless another course is requested. Registrants who wish to withdraw from an active course must complete the online Odyssey Refund Request Form. Attach any documentation to support your request (e.g., medical documentation, family crisis documentation, etc.).

100% refund: Prior to the start of the course and after the first class.
No refunds: After the first week of each course unless in exceptional cases.

For single-session courses:
100% refundable within two (2) business days of the event.

Please note, refunds apply only to the tuition portion of an Odyssey participant’s charges and are not applicable to any fees or gifts made to the Johns Hopkins Alumni Association. Registrants will be notified by email if a refund is approved within five (5) business days.

ABOUT Jeffrey Brooks (Ph.D)
Professor, History

I study and teach the political and cultural history of modern Russia, the history of the Soviet-American Cold War, and the great works of Russian and Soviet culture in their contemporary context. My The Firebird and the Fox: Russian Culture under Tsars and Bolsheviks (Cambridge University Press, 2019) showcases the genius of Russian literature, art, music, and dance over a century of turmoil within the dynamic cultural ecosystem that shaped it. The Firebird and the Fox explores the shared traditions, mutual influences, and enduring themes that recur in these art forms from 1850-1950. The book uses two emblematic characters from Russian culture—the firebird, symbol of the transcendent power of art in defiance of circumstance and the efforts of censors to contain creativity; and the fox, usually female and representing wit, cleverness and the agency of artists and everyone who triumphs over adversity—to explore how Russian cultural life changed over the period. High culture drew on folk and popular genres, then in turn influences an expanding commercial culture.

My research has been supported by The Guggenheim Foundation, the Fulbright-Hays Program, The National Endowment for the Humanities, the Woodrow Wilson Center, the National Council for Soviet and East European Research, and the IREX Academy Exchange, among others.

I received the Johns Hopkins Alumni Association Excellence in Teaching Award in Arts and Sciences in 2004.

FOLLOWWebsite

Event Date
Starts:
Tuesday, March 24, 2026
6:00pm EDT

Ends:
Tuesday, April 28, 2026
7:30pm EDT

Contact
Odyssey
Alumni Relations Lifelong Learning
1-800-JHU-JHU1 (548-5481)
odyssey@jhu.edu

Ticket Options

	General Registration	$
	JHU Alumni (all divisions) 50% discount. Alumni status will be confirmed.	$
	Faculty, Staff, or Retiree of Johns Hopkins University 80% discount. Employment status will be confirmed.	$
	Spouse or Domestic Partner of Johns Hopkins University Faculty, Staff, or Retiree 50% discount. Employment status of Spouse/Domestic Partner will be confirmed.	$

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Select your registration type

General Registration ($225.00)

JHU Alumni (all divisions) ($112.50)

Faculty, Staff, or Retiree of Johns Hopkins University ($45.00)

Spouse or Domestic Partner of Johns Hopkins University Faculty, Staff, or Retiree ($112.50)

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World War II in Russia with Jeff Brooks, PhD

Required Course Materials:

Books

Chris Bellamy, Absolute War: Soviet Russia in the Second World War (Knopf, 2007)

Vasily Grossman, Stalingrad (New York Review of Books, 2019)

Films

Soldier Boy (Soldatik) – A Russian feature film based on the true story of Sergei Aleshkov, the youngest soldier of World War II.

The Fall of Berlin (1950, dir. Mikheil Chiaureli) – Please watch the opening segment and the final scenes depicting the fall of the Reichstag and Stalin’s triumphant arrival in Berlin. Available to stream for free on Amazon Prime.

Explore more lifelong learning opportunities in our full SPRING 2026 Odyssey Catalog

Johns Hopkins Tuition Remission Policies

Johns Hopkins Hospitals and Medical Institutions: https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/human-resources/benefits/tuition-assistance

Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory: https://www.jhuapl.edu/careers/professional-development

Select the correct ticket pricing during registration. If we cannot confirm your university eligibility, you will be requested to pay the full registration price for each course. Complete eligibility details can be found here.

Withdrawals & Refunds:

100% refund: Prior to the start of the course and after the first class.

No refunds: After the first week of each course unless in exceptional cases.

For single-session courses:
100% refundable within two (2) business days of the event.

Please note, refunds apply only to the tuition portion of an Odyssey participant’s charges and are not applicable to any fees or gifts made to the Johns Hopkins Alumni Association. Registrants will be notified by email if a refund is approved within five (5) business days.

Registration Information

Make a Gift

Payment Information

World War II in Russia with Jeff Brooks, PhD

Required Course Materials:

Books

Chris Bellamy, Absolute War: Soviet Russia in the Second World War (Knopf, 2007)

Vasily Grossman, Stalingrad (New York Review of Books, 2019)

Films

Soldier Boy (Soldatik) – A Russian feature film based on the true story of Sergei Aleshkov, the youngest soldier of World War II.

The Fall of Berlin (1950, dir. Mikheil Chiaureli) – Please watch the opening segment and the final scenes depicting the fall of the Reichstag and Stalin’s triumphant arrival in Berlin. Available to stream for free on Amazon Prime.

Explore more lifelong learning opportunities in our full SPRING 2026 Odyssey Catalog

Johns Hopkins Tuition Remission Policies

Johns Hopkins Hospitals and Medical Institutions: https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/human-resources/benefits/tuition-assistance

Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory: https://www.jhuapl.edu/careers/professional-development

Select the correct ticket pricing during registration. If we cannot confirm your university eligibility, you will be requested to pay the full registration price for each course. Complete eligibility details can be found here.

Withdrawals & Refunds:

100% refund: Prior to the start of the course and after the first class.

No refunds: After the first week of each course unless in exceptional cases.

For single-session courses:100% refundable within two (2) business days of the event.

Please note, refunds apply only to the tuition portion of an Odyssey participant’s charges and are not applicable to any fees or gifts made to the Johns Hopkins Alumni Association. Registrants will be notified by email if a refund is approved within five (5) business days.

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Registration Information

Make a Gift

Payment Information

For single-session courses:
100% refundable within two (2) business days of the event.