Have you ever heard about Azerbaijan – the largest and populous country in the South Caucasus? This country managed to redefine itself over the past two centuries from a struggling muslim feudal province of the Russian empire to a major regional player with western values. This course will allow you to look into how in a swirl of the 20’s century Azerbaijan and its society rapidly transformed and became first in the Muslim world to emancipate women by giving them voting rights even before some major Western countries. You will learn why Hitler wanted to reach and possess the „Paris of the Caucasus“ – the capital of Azerbaijan Baku during WWII and why Stalin who lived there before WWI loved an Azerbaijani song. The course will also introduce you to the culture of Azerbaijan, theatre and opera, movie industry, Azerbaijani classical music, as well as unique Azerbaijani jazz.