CoursesAmerica in the 1960s
HIST 1178

America in the 1960s

The Sixties are mythologized in American memory. From social movements to hippies, the Sixties are often portrayed as a decade of unfettered idealism, chaos, and revolution. The Sixties were indeed a dramatic era of conflict and change, but the experiences of Americans who lived during the Sixties were also remarkably diverse and complex in ways that transcend stereotypes of the decade.

Instructor(s)
  • William Sturkey
Semester

Fall 2024

More than merely a series of conflicts between activists and racists or hawks and doves, the Sixties represented a turning point in American life. The society that emerged in the wake of this profound decade was completely different than anything that had ever existed before.

Through a variety of themes—especially gender, race, foreign policy, and consumer culture—this class will move beyond generic Sixties narratives to offer a multi-faceted examination of American life during the Sixties and explore how the decade has shaped the contemporary United States.

Related Content

Other Courses of Interest

ENGL 0765 - 301

Podcasting

Instructor(s)

  • Chris Mustazza

Semester

Fall 2025

Podcasting has become one of the most popular ways of disseminating the voice, supplanting radio. It has even been a primary driver of the growth of music streaming services like Spotify. This creative-critical seminar situates the podcast historically, analyzes current instantiations of the genre, and teaches hands-on skills to create your own podcasts. The course also frames podcasts as a form of asynchronous dialogue that can be critically engaged with and utilized as a mechanism to comment on societal issues.

Learn More
ANTH 3100/ANTH5100

Middle Passages and Returns (NEW)

Instructor(s)

  • Deborah Thomas

Semester

Fall 2025

This course will engage students in questions of slavery, indentured labor, migration, and repair through the conceptual frameworks of middle passages and returns. We will collectively investigate the routes and roots through which and from which people have traveled back and forth between African, Asian, and American sites in order to ask complicated questions about travel, conscription, labor, spirituality, and self-narration. How do we think about the complex trajectories that brought Africans and Asians to the Americas?  How do we excavate lesser known inter- and intra-continental circulations? In what ways is return theoretically and methodologically im/possible? How has repair been envisioned?

Learn More