History 279 - Modern Civil Rights Movement

Sit-ins, marches, strikes, Supreme Court decisions, and the passing of landmark legislative acts filled the news headlines across the country during the 1950s and 1960s. This introductory-level survey course will examine the diverse strategies and philosophies of political, social and cultural figures that led to and fueled the modern civil rights movement in America. By drawing on a range of primary sources such as films, organizational records, and memoirs, this course will explore the origins of the movement, well-known and lesser-known protests and activists to reveal how anti-war efforts, gay and lesbian liberation, neighborhood rights, ethnic nationalism and even grassroots conservatism laid claim to the rhetoric and tactics of the civil rights movement.