PROGRAM IN AMERICAN STUDIES

1968 was a year of revolt, reaction, and global disruption as cities and campuses around the world plunged into social and political unrest that cut across divides between East and West, North and South, young and old, black and white, rich and poor, communist and non-communist. This class will examine key moments and movements that defined the year and explore what they shared, how they differed, and what became of them; it will consider how and why popular and youth protests spread across diverse societies; it will revisit the arguments, aims, achievements, and limits of the '68 generation; and it will ask what happened to the people, ideas, and sensibilities of 1968, investigating how and why the ferment the '68ers represented evolved and faded. Throughout we will maintain a dual focus on the national origins, aims, and context of the '68 rebellions and the transnational structures and dynamics that shaped them as we reflect on the interplay of the local, national, and transnational contemporary politics. In so doing we will explore how American political culture looks differently when viewed from an international perspective.

Unlike most courses, the purpose of this course is to confront the challenges of both researching and writing in a collaborative manner. To that end, some sessions will be devoted to reading and responding to one another's work. While it can be difficult and intimidating to publicly present one's work, and to publicly critique or question another's work, we shall undertake both in the spirit of support and assistance. Becoming a careful reader, responder, and recipient of constructive criticism are also invaluable skills that fundamentally inform the process by which virtually all scholarly work is produced.