Dr.

Jaime McLean
mcleanj@bethelu.edu
(731) 352-4098

!
HIS 330: America in the 1960s (3.00 HRS)
!

Office Hours: 209 Campbell Hall

M/W 7:30-9:30am
T/R 7:30-11:30am
FALL 2015

Course Description
In this course, we will look at the varied social movements that occurred throughout the United States during
the period historians refer to as the long 1960s, approximately 1955-1975. We will pay particular attention
to the racial, class, gender, and religious dynamics in the United States that gave rise to these movements. To
do this, we will put these movements in historical context, looking at their political and cultural roots. We will
discuss some of the relevant social and cultural theories academics have developed to help understand how
and why these movements arose during this particular historical period.

Course Goals
Through the study of both visual and written primary and secondary sources, by the end of the course
students will begin to
1. Understand the individual and collective motivations that gave rise to a host of social movements in the
long 1960s
2. Understand the social, cultural, and political dimensions of social movements in historical contest
3. Understand the connection between movement culture and the activities of those involved
4. Understand the benefits and costs of using social movement theory to understand the history of social
movements during this period.
5. Understand the connection between identity, culture, ideology and politics.
6. See the intersection between race, class, gender, sexuality and religion at work within these various social
movements of the period.

Course Objectives
1. Students will gain an understanding of the American social movements in the 1960s by studying the social,
cultural, and political conditions that gave rise to them
2. Students will read works from a number of different authors ranging from scholars to primary documents
written during the period we are studying.
3. Students will engage in discussions demonstrating critical thinking skills, a deep understanding of the
material, and the ability to synthesize information into a narrative.
4. Students will engage in writing throughout the course in the form of essay exams and research papers in
order to develop their skills as clear and thoughtful communicators.
5. Students will be able to understand the relationship between geography and the history of the American
nation.

Course Prerequisites: None.

Relationship of This Course to Content Area Knowledge and Skills
This course addresses TN Matrix in General Education, History, and Geography.

Required Texts:
Peter B Levy, America in the Sixties--Right, Left, and Center: A Documentary History
David Farber and Beth Bailey, The Columbia Guide to America in the 1960s
Christian G. Appy, Working-Class War: American Combat Soldiers and Vietnam
Beth Bailey, Sex in the Heartland
Mark Oppenheimer, Knocking on Heaven's Door: American Religion in the Age of Counterculture
Van Gosse and Richard Moser, The World Sixties Made: Politics And Culture In Recent America

Methods of Instruction and Learning

Students will participate in discussions focused on historical texts. Additionally, there will be lectures, videos,
in class activities, and research focused activities employed throughout the semester.
Course Requirements
Final grades will be based on the following:
Participation

300 (200 General Participation; 100 Discussion Leadership)

Extended Book Review

200

Research Paper

300

Final

200

Attendance Policy
Bethel University considers regular class attendance to be essential to the teaching and learning process. Any
unnecessary absence decreases the contribution by and to the students and faculty.
For those reasons, the following guidelines will be honored by faculty and students:
1. All faculty will report in writing to the Office of the Registrar all students whose total absences exceed the
limit published in the class syllabus. The Registrar will record an automatic grade of F. This report is due when
the limit has been exceeded. If any time after the fifth week of classes a student obtains automatic Fs in all
classes due to non-attendance, that student will be asked to leave the Bethel University campus within 48
hours after notification. There is no tuition refund after the fifth week of classes, but board charges will be prorated according to the length of time (in weeks) that the student has had meals in the cafeteria, except in the
case of withdrawal due to disciplinary action. Note: A separate pro-rata refund applies to the student who is
asked to leave during the first term of enrollment.
2. The responsibility for notifying the instructor of anticipated absences and reasons for emergency absences,
and for fulfilling all assignments, rests entirely on the student. The final determination of true emergency will
be at the discretion of the instructor of the course.
3. Class absences due to mandatory participation in or mandatory attendance at events that are sanctioned
by the University/College will not result in penalty to the student through attendance, testing and/or grading.
Absences beyond mandatory participation in University functions may result in an adjustment of grade or an
automatic failure, according to the course syllabus. Guidelines for submitting missed assignments or taking
make-up exams are determined by each individual faculty member as published in the course syllabus.

4. A student cannot request to withdraw from any class in which a grade of F has been received for violation
of the attendance policy as published in the course syllabus.

Academic Honesty
It is a serious violation of the norms of the academic community to appropriate the ideas of other people
without credit or permission, and it is important to learn to discriminate between exploitation and the
legitimate use of the ideas of others. The most general rule is that any use of another persons ideas
whether the source is published or not -- should be acknowledged fully and in detail. If you wish to seek
assistance from another student in the preparation of any written work or exams, consult your instructor first to
determine if such assistance is permissible. If permitted, such assistance should be acknowledged in the
written work. Please remember, the first violation results in a failing grade for the assignment, the second for
the class, and the third in expulsion. This includes any violations for any and all courses at Bethel. This is a very
serious matter and any infraction will be reported so just do not do it. If you can google something, so can I.
For the full statement on Plagiarism, see the Student Handbook.

!
Clinical/Laboratory/Field Experience: none
!

Critical Thinking: This course addresses Bethels critical thinking initiative by asking students to synthesize
information from a variety of sources, draw their own informed conclusions about the past, and through essay
assignments which ask students to use historical knowledge to make arguments about historical events.

!
Month and Year of Syllabus Revision: August 2015
!

ADA Statement: Bethel University is committed to equal opportunity in education for all students, including
those with documented disabilities. If you have a diagnosed disability or if you believe that you have a
disability that might require reasonable accommodation in this course, please contact Disability Services at
352- 4012. Bethel University policy states that it is the responsibility of students to contact instructors to
discuss appropriate accommodations to ensure equity in grading, experiences and assignments.

Grading Scale:
1000 900 = A
890 800 = B
790 700 = C
690 600 = D
<600
=F

!
!

Course Schedule

Topic

Tuesday

Thursday

1 Intros

8/18

Intros

8/20

2 1950s: Happy Days and

Their Discontents

8/25

Levy, CH1

8/27

3 The End of American

Innocence

9/1

Levy, CH2

9/3

Farber, CH1 & Rossinow (p.91)

4 The Black Freedom

Struggle

9/8

Levy, CH3

9/10

Farber, CH2 & Bates (p.79)

9/15

FILM: TBA

9/17

FILM: TBA

6 Great Society & Its Critics

9/22

Levy, CH4

9/24

Farber, CH3 & Berkowitz (p.98)

7 Vietnam

9/29

Levy CH5

10/1

Farber, CH4

10/6

Appy, Working Class War

10/8

FALL BREAK -!
NO CLASS

9 American Culture at a
Crossroads

10/13

Levy, CH 6

10/15 Farber, CH5 & Thompson(p.109)

10

10/20

Bailey, Sex in the Heartland

10/22 Bailey, Sex in the Heartland

11 Womens Liberation and

Other Movements

10/27

FILM: TBA

10/29 FILM: TBA

12

11/3

Levy, CH7

11/5

13 Can the Center Hold?

11/10

Levy, CH 8

11/12 Farber, CH7 & Doyle (p.143)

Roche (p.157)

14

11/17

Oppenheimer, Knocking

11/19 Oppenheimer, Knocking

15 Looking Backward

11/24

Levy, CH 9!
Farber, CH8 & Farber (p.167)!

11/27 THANKSGIVING- NO CLASS!

!
!

Grosse, The World the Sixties

Made (whole)

FINAL EXAM: Friday December 4, 9-11am - Final Papers Due

Farber, CH6 & Bailey (p125)