The Nineteen Sixties in America

Few decades in American history have witnessed the amount of social, political and cultural upheaval as the 1960s. Although many of the movements and issues that have defined this era emerged during the 1940s and only partially faded by the 1970s, the decade continues to define a generation and constitute a watershed in American history. The significance of the 1960s also remains the subject of endless, passionate debate and consensus over its meaning and legacy. This course examines the people, events, and issues of the era through a thematic approach within a larger chronological framework and focuses on domestic social, cultural and political developments. Because the 1960s contained so many seemingly disparate topics and issues, the class will emphasize the connections between and across a broad variety of subjects and disciplines. Topics include the sees of change during the 1950s; the triumph and breakdown of postwar liberalism; the insurgent political and social movements, including the civil rights movement, feminism, antiwar protest, and the New Left; the counterculture; the sexual revolution; drug culture; the space race and technology; music; and the legacy of the sixties.