Due Sep 6 – Sep 8

HW for Tuesday:

There is no HW for our first class.

HW for Thursday:

To bring everyone up to speed on the 1960s, I’d like you to read a bit in Christopher Strain’s The Long Sixties : America, 1955 – 1973. You’ll find it available online via the BU library website. (Let me know if you have trouble navigating the library’s website; alternatively, you can purchase the book on Kindle for $30.)

First, read Strain’s brief (6 page) Preface. Then post in the comments below, claiming one chapter from the book that you plan to focus on, with the aim of presenting that chapter’s findings to your classmates on Thursday.

Here’s a run-down of what each chapter covers, to aid you in making your choice:

1. The Fifties (trends that led into the Sixties)
2. From New Frontier to Great Society (mainstream liberal policies from FDR in the 1930s to LBJ in the 60s)
3. The Cold War
4. The Civil Rights Movement
5. Student Rebellion (on-campus protest, esp. vs. Vietnam)
6. Vietnam Quagmire (the shift in public opinion about the war)
7. Sex Gender & New Feminism
8. Revolutions Left and Right (mostly drugs and music)
9. Small Steps, Giant Leaps, New Concerns (high technology, both the Moon Landing and computers)
10. Minority Empowerment (Black Power and parallel movements)
11. Sucking in the Seventies (trends from the Sixties that led into the Seventies)

In preparing for class, keep in mind that you won’t have much time to speak: less is more. Any two of the following three things will do nicely:

• The main historical trend in the chapter.
• A striking anecdote from the chapter.
• A less-known individual or organization that’s worth remembering.