History 283HM - Topics in the Recent History of the United States: 'The 1960s As History and Myth'

This course offers an in-depth opportunity to explore the 1960s. To what extent was it a unique historical era? Does it make sense to think of a "long 1960s," beyond that decade? We will focus on several political and cultural movements, including civil rights, the anti-Vietnam war struggle, the counter culture, the emergence of feminism and gay rights, and the conservative backlash. How do the political, cultural, and intellectual conflicts of that day continue to shape American life today? Each student will write two research papers based on intensive engagement with primary and secondary sources from the era.