HIST 517: The Seventies

The Seventies
 

Looking back on the 1970s from just across its finish line, one contemporary observer famously remarked that, after the tumult of the 1960s, “it seemed like nothing happened.” But, from the vantage point of nearly 50 years, we can now see that Americans who lived through the 1970s witnessed more than their fair share of historical turbulence—maybe even as much as we are living through now.

 In this course, we will try to ride it out through the turbulence of Watergate, oil shocks and nuclear accidents, the end of the Vietnam War, terrorist bombings and hijackings, the largest labor strike wave in US history, and something called “stagflation.” But at least we will have some of the best movies, music, and television Americans have ever made to keep us going.

Class is capped at 30. Class-time dedicated to discussion of prepared readings, watchings, and listenings. Students will also engage in an independent research project.