HIST 271 - the 1960S in the United States: a Cultural History

DRAFT SYLLABUS

HIST 271 - The 1960s in the United States: A Cultural History

Joe Austin + TA

Meets on Monday and Wednesday, 1-1:50pm, with discussion sections on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday

Questions?

Catalog description: Overview of social upheavals; how 1960s shaped racial and ethnic identities, youth culture, sexual mores, community activism, art and fashion, political values; decade's enduring influence. Prereq: none.

Brief Summary:Cultural history deals with the ways in which humans “make meaningful sense” of their experiences, typically placing its emphasis on art, popular culture, public gatherings, social-change organizations, identities and relationships, and the everyday lives of particular social groups. We’ll begin the course by running through a basic historical narrative of the entire period (“the long 60s”: ~1955-1973) in Module 1. In Modules 2 & 3, we will be “layering” a deeper understanding of the cultural and social history onto that basic narrative framework, looking at specifics and case studies of particular movements, social groups, cultural trends, media, and other cultural/social developments.

Readings: No readings to purchase; all readings will be available for reading/downloading from D2L. The reading list will be about half secondary sources (academic articles and book chapters) and half primary sources (writings, photos, posters, art, films, TV, music, magazines, etc. produced during the 1960s). Expect to read 50-75 pages per week.

Proposed Schedule

Module 1: The Long Sixties in 4 Weeks

1.Long Sixties + Growth Liberalism

2. Long Sixties+ The Cities

3.Long Sixties +Cold War

4.Long Sixties +Education

Objective Exam on Long Sixties + Essay Exam #1

Module 2: Social Groups and Movements

5. Youth(s)

6. African Americans

7. Conservatives

8. Anti-War + Latinos

9. Native Americans + Women

Essay Exam #2

Module 3: Cultures, more or less

10. Film + TV

11. Print Media + Sexuality

12. Research Papers Due: Countercultures + Underground Presses

13. Musics

14. Collective Memories

Essay Exam #3

Graded Works

1. Objective Exam at the end of Module 1, 15% of the final grade. Administered through D2L. 25 multiple choice/T-F questions. Students can re-take this exam 1 time, and keep the higher grade.

2. 3 Essay Exams, one at the end of each Module. Administered through D2L, graded by TA based on Joe’s Grading Criteria. 15% each, (3X15%=) 45% of the final grade. I hand out 10 questions at beginning of each module. D2L randomly selects 4 from that 10, and each student selects 2 of those 4 to write. This exam will be administered through D2L.

3. Research Paper – 5-7 pages, based on course readings, and primary and secondary sources that I provide. 20% of the final grade.

4. Discussion Sections. Attendance mandatory. 20% of the final grade, based on speaking in discussion and short writings for class.