Cbca 1250

The
1960s:
A Cultural History of
Revolutionary America
CÓDIGO: CBCA 1250
SEMESTER: 2020-II

PROFESOR: Shawn Van Ausdal
EMAIL: sk.van20@uniandes.edu.co
OFFICE: virtual (normally: Edificio Franco, 4th floor, G-432)
CLASS SCHEDULE: Tuesday 2:30 to 4:15 (virtual)
OFFICE HOURS: by appointment
TEACHING ASSISTANT: Diana Doorley (dl.doorley10@uniandes.edu.co)

Description:
This course explores the visions, struggles, and enduring legacy of 1960s America through their
(cultural) expression in a range of primary sources: essays, speeches, literature, music, film, TV,
and the like. It is a curso tipo i, which means it will be taught entirely in English. While students
will practice reading, writing, listening, and speaking in English, it is more a “content” than a
language class. This course has two peculiarities. First, it examines the cultural and social history
of the US the 1960s almost entirely through primary sources. We will read classic essays,
speeches, political statements, literature, and long-form journalism. We will also watch movies
and TV shows, as well as listen to sound archives and key musical trends. Second, the course is
organized around the discussion of these primary sources. I will provide general overviews of
relevant themes and debates in order to contextualize the material we examine. But most of
our time will be spent discussing and engaging with, in different ways, the assigned source
material. Students will practice reading primary sources in a critical manner and placing them in
dialogue to build a broader interpretation of historical processes. Honing students analytical and
writing skills through close engagement with primary sources is one goal of this course. A
second is to learn about a pivotal period in American history and to reflect on its legacy in the
US and around the world. As a corollary, the course is also designed to make students think
about how cultural productions, such as literature, film, and music emerges out of particular
social and political contexts. Finally, the underlying goal of this course is to help students
practice and improve their English.

Este es un curso del Ciclo Básico Uniandino – CBU. Los cursos del CBU forman parte de la
educación general del estudiante uniandino y son el pilar de la formación integral de la
Universidad de los Andes. El objetivo del CBU es complementar la educación profesional y
contribuir a la formación de ciudadanos éticos, críticos y comprometidos que conozcan diversas
1
Universidad de los Andes | Vigilada MinEducación - Reconocimiento como Universidad: Decreto 1297 del 30 de mayo de 1964.
Reconocimiento personería jurídica: Resolución 28 del 23 de febrero de 1949 MinJusticia.

perspectivas y herramientas para aproximarse a su entorno. Los cursos del CBU parten de una
perspectiva socio humanística y tienen un enfoque por competencias que se distribuyen en tres
grandes áreas: Colombia, Pensamiento Científico, y Culturas, Artes y Humanidades.

Objetivos de aprendizaje:
• Engage closely with primary sources in order to understand a key historical period.
• Develop critical reading and writing skills.
• Practice reading, writing, listening to, and speaking English.

Metodología:
This course is designed around the close reading of (and watching/listening to) a variety of
primary sources. The instructor will provide short historical overviews to contextualize the
source material. However, the students, both individually and as a class – through writing
assignments, classroom discussion and debate, and a variety of hands-on exercises – will
analyze the assigned texts, develop an understanding of different social movements and cultural
expressions, and reflect on the significance and legacy of this pivotal moment in American
history.

The course will last 16 weeks. Each class will meet virtually for almost two hours once a week.
Students are expected to attend all 16 sessions. Students who miss four (4) classes without a
valid excuse (as determined by university regulations) will automatically fail the course.
Students are also expected to join the virtual classes no later than ten (10) minutes after the
class has begun. Failure to do so will result in an unexcused absence. Likewise, students are
expected to remain connected and engaged for the entirety of the class. Failure to do so will
also result in an unexcused absence. Students who experience any technological,
communication, or other problems that prevent them from attending class or using the social e-
reader Persuall should contact the instructor or teaching assistant.

Students should expect to spend about three hours per week, on average, reading, watching,
listening, analyzing, and commenting on (via Perusall) the assigned texts and other sources prior
to class. Students should also expect to spend about one hour per week, on average, completing
writing assignments and/or preparing for in-class exercises. Additionally, students are expected
to participate in class discussions and activities.

Duración del curso: 16 semanas (6 horas de dedicación semanal)

Distribución del tiempo:
Estrategia y actividades Presencial (total 2 horas) Trabajo independiente (total 4
horas)
Classroom activities 2 hours
Reading (etc) assigned texts 3 hours
Weekly assignments 1 hour
2

Formas de evaluación:

Participation (10% of the final grade):
Since the course is organized around the discussion of primary sources, participation is an
important component of the final grade. Participation will not only be graded as a function of
how often one contributes, but will also depend on the quality of one’s comments and the
degree to which one helps advance the general discussion. At times I will cold-call on students
to answer specific questions or give comments. A silent body in front of the computer counts as
a base grade of 3. Bonuses will be given for participating in class discussions and for few
absences. Non-attendance (without a valid excuse) will count as a grade of 0 for the day.

In-class exercises (20%):
In addition to discussing the assigned material, students will also be given a variety of exercises
to do in class. These exercises will refer to either the assigned readings or to material provided
in class. While often designed for small groups, sometimes these exercises will be done
individually. Unexcused absences will be given a grade of 0 for the day.

Perusall reading exercises (15%):
This semester we will experiment with the social e-reader Perusall to collectively read, comment
on, and ask questions about the assigned texts. Within each text the instructor will ask a
number of questions. Students can respond to these questions as well as comments on the
assigned texts, and ask questions to fellow students to help resolve doubts. The aim of the app
is to help students better understand the readings, foment engagement, and guide “classroom”
discussions. The app also helps the instructor grade student interventions and rewards good
reading habits.

Writing assignments (35%):
Students will be required to turn in various writing assignments, including four (4) short essays
of 500 to 1,000 words each. These exercises will require students to analyze and reflect upon
the assigned materials and class discussions. They will be graded both in terms of content and
language.

Final exam (20%):
This “take-home” exam will require students to write an essay that responds to their choice of a
series of questions based on the assigned material and class discussions. It will cover the
material seen over the course of the semester.

3

CLASS 1: August 11
Topic: Introduction

Required readings:
- TV: Father Knows Best, “The Mink Coat” (1955, season 1,
episode 20) [in class]
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x756ywi
- Soundtrack: Woody Guthrie [in class].

CLASS 2: August 18
Topic: postwar suburban utopias

Writing assignment: pros & cons of suburban life
Required readings:
- Harry Henderson (1953). “The Mass-Produced Suburbs, Part I,” Harper’s Magazine (Nov.
1), 25-32 (excerpts).
- John Cheever (1954). “The Country Husband,” The New Yorker (Nov. 20), 38-48.
- William H. Whyte (1956). The Organization Man (New York: Simon & Schuster),
excerpts.
- “Louis Mumford points to the failures of modern suburbia, 1961,” in Becky M. Nicolaides
and Andrew Wiese (eds.), The Suburb Reader (New York: Routledge, 2006), 299-300.
- Jane Jacobs (1961). “The Uses of Sidewalks: Safety,” in Richard T. LeGates and Frederick
Stout (eds.), The City Reader (New York: Routledge, 2011), 105-109
- Soundtrack: 50s pop music [in class].

CLASS 3: August 25
Topic: youthful rebellion & Beatnic misfits

In-class assignment: presentations on the Beats
Required readings:
- Jack Kerouac (1957). On the Road. (New
York: Viking Press), excerpts.
- Allen Ginsburg (1955). “Howl,” in Howl and Other Poems (San Francisco: City Lights
Books).
- Soundtrack: Bebop (jazz) & early rock ‘n’ roll [in class].

4

CLASS 4: September 1
Topic: freedom and the university

In-class assignment: mock exam
Required readings:
- Students for a Democratic Society (1962). The Port Huron Statement, excerpts.
- Bernard Sanders (1963). “Sex and the Single Girl – Part Two,” Chicago Maroon,
exceprts, https://sandersguideblog.wordpress.com/tag/bernie-sanders/
- Jerry Rubin (1970). “FSM: Shut the Motherfucker Down!” in Do It: Scenarios of the
Revolution (New York: Simon & Schuster), 21-23.
- Stephen Weissman and Doug Tuthill (1966). Freedom and the University
(Lawrence KS: SDS Printing Office), excerpts.
- Robert Cohen and Reginald Zelnik (eds.) (2002). The Free Speech Movement:
Reflections on Berkeley in the 1960s (Berkeley: UC Press):
o Mario Savio, “Thirty Years Later: Reflections on the FSM,” 57-72 (excerpts).
o Margot Adler, “My Life in the FSM: Memories of a Freshman,” 111-128
(excerpts).
- Ellen Sander (1973). Trips: Rock Life in the Sixties. Mineola, NY: Dover, excerpts.
- Film: The Graduate (1967, Mike Nichols, 105 min.)
- Soundtrack: Bob Dylan & the folk music scene [in class].

Topic: intro: racial struggles

Writing assignment: essay 1
Required readings:
- Film: A Raisin in the Sun (1961, Daniel Petrie & Lorraine Hansberry, 128 min.)
- Ta-Nehisi Coates (2014). “The Case for Reparations,” The Atlantic (June),
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2014/06/the-case-for-
reparations/361631/
- Soundtrack: Motown [in class]

Topic: the Civil Rights Movement

In-class assignment: tba
Required readings:
- “Southern Manifesto on Integration” (1956).
Congressional Record, 84th Congress, Second
Session, Vol. 102, part 4. Washington, D.C.:
5

Government Printing Office (March 12).
- James Baldwin (1963). “My Dungeon Shook,” in The Fire Next Time (NY: The Dial Press).
- Martin Luther King Jr. (1963). “Letter from the Birmingham Jail,” excerpts.
- American Experience (2006). Eyes on the Prize: America’s Civil Rights Movement:
o Part 1. Awakenings (1954-56). Watch from 5:30 to 11:00; from 26:40 to 38:36;
and 50:12 to 53:54. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ts10IVzUDVw
o Part 4. No Easy Walk (1962-66).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YYaaEffMFk
- “Fannie Lou Hamer, Testimony to the Democratic Party National Convention, 1964,” in
Brian Ward (ed.) The 1960s: A Documentary Reader (Malden: Wiley-Blackwell), 79-82.
- Soundtrack: Music of the civil rights movement [in class]

Topic: debate: Black Power

Required readings:
- Malcolm X (1964). “The Ballot of the Bullet,” excerpts.
- Stokely Carmichael (1966), “What We Want,” New York Review of Books
(September 22), excerpts.
- Eldridge Cleaver (1968). “On Becoming”
and “Notes on a Native Son,” in Soul on
Ice (New York: McGraw Hill), excerpts.
- “Armed Black Brothers in Richmond
Community,” The Black Panther 1:1 (April
25, 1967), 3-4.
- Elaine Brown (1992). A Taste of Power: A Black Woman’s Story (New York:
Anchor Books), excerpts.
- Optional: (Film) The Black Power Mixtape, 1967-1975 (2011, Göran Olsson, 100
min.): watch “1968” (15:38-21:55) & “1972” (48:30 – 1:03:19).
- Soundtrack: Nina Simone [in class].

Topic: intro: the hippies

Required readings:
- “Naked Protest,” The Daily Californian, Friday,
Aug. 27, 1965, p. 1 & 10.
- “Sexual Freedom League,” Berkeley e-Plaque,
https://berkeleyplaques.org/e-plaque/sexual-
freedom-league/
- “Students: The Free-Sex Movement,” Time Magazine, Friday, Mar. 11, 1966.
6

- Alexander Bloom & Wini Breines (eds) (2003). Takin’ it to the streets”: A Sixties Reader
(NY: Oxford University Press):
o Tom Robbins (1967). “To Dance”: 245-46.
o Newsweek (1966). “Unstructured Relations”: 264-66.
o Guy Straight (1967). “What is a Hippie”: 268-70.
o John Sinclair (1972). “Rock and Roll Is a Weapon of Cultural Revolution”: 243-45.
- Film: Hair (1979, Milos Forman, 120 min.)
- Documentary: Revolution (Jack O’Connell, 1967, 87 min.) [in class]

Fall Break: October 5-9

CLASS 9: October 13
Topic: a magic trip

In-class assignment: presentations
Required readings:
- Tom Wolfe (1968). The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test (NY:
Farrar Straus Giroux), excerpts.
- Timothy Leary (1966). “Tune in/Turn on/ Drop out,” The East Village Other (May 15-June
1 & July 15-Aug. 1), 5 & 8.
- Timothy Leary in conversation with Elsa Knight Thompson, Public Affairs Director for
KPFA, “Tune in/Turn on/ Drop out” (Dec. 12, 1966). Listen from 0:00 to 25:12.
https://archive.org/details/canhpra_000037
- Oregon Public Broadcasting (2014). “Oregon Experience: Ken Kesey,” (episode 803).
Watch from 24:10 to 31:00. (Closed caption available.)
https://www.pbs.org/video/oregon-experience-ken-kesey/
- Soundtrack: Psychedelic Rock [in class].

CLASS 10: October 20
Topic: the Summer of Love

Writing assignment: tba
Required readings:
- “Flowers from the Street (San Francisco Oracle, Aug. 1967), in Irwin Unger & Debi Unger
(eds.) The times were a-changin’: The Sixties Reader (NY: Three Rivers Press), 186-190.
- Joan Didion (1967). “Slouching towards Bethlehem,” The Saturday Evening Post (Sept.
23), https://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2017/06/didion/
- “Trip without a ticket,” The Digger Papers (August, 1968).
- “Warren Hinckle, ‘A Social History of the Hippies,’ 1967,” in Brian Ward (ed.) The 1960s:
A Documentary Reader (Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell), 101-104.
7

- Soundtrack: Ravi Shankar in Monterrey & Woodstock [in class].

CLASS 11: October 27
Topic: Vietnam and the antiwar movement

Assignment: primary document search & share
Required readings:
- “Lyndon B. Johnson, Telephone Conversation with
Senator Richard Russel, 1964,” in Brian Ward (ed.) The
1960s: A Documentary Reader (Malden, MA: Wiley-
Blackwell), 107-110.
- Alexander Bloom and Wini Breines (eds.) (2003). Takin’ it to the streets”: A Sixties Reader
(New York: Oxford University Press):
o Lyndon B. Johnson (1965). “On Why Fight in Vietnam,” 166-168.
o Herbert Carter (1969). “My Lai”, 209-213.
- Soundtrack: Country Joe McDonald and antiwar songs [in class].

CLASS 12: November 3
Topic: ’68

Required readings:
- Gary Snyder (1967). “A Curse on the Men in Washington,
Pentagon,” The Communication Company.
- Jerry Rubin (1969). Yippie Manifesto (Vineyard Haven, MA:
The Not Guilty Bookshop), excerpts.
- Alexander Bloom and Wini Breines (eds.) (2003). Takin’ it to the streets”: A Sixties Reader
(New York: Oxford University Press):
o Tom Hayden (1968). “Two, Three, Many Columbias,” 333-335.
o Columbia Strike Coordinating Committee (1968). “Columbia Liberated,” 335-338.
o Spiro Agnew (1969). “Imprudence in the Streets,” 310-312.
- Irwin Unger & Debi Unger (eds.) The times were a-changin’: The Sixties Reader (New
York: Three Rivers Press): “Weatherman,” 84-92.
- “Indians of All Nations, ‘Alcatraz Proclamation,’ 1969,” in Brian Ward (ed.) The 1960s: A
Documentary Reader (Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell), 194-197.
- FBI COINTELPRO (Counterintelligence Program) selected documents:
https://vault.fbi.gov/cointel-pro
- TV: All in the Family, “Writing the President” (1971, season 1, episode 2).
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2m0622
- Soundtrack: MC5 [in class]
8

Topic: the women’s movement

Required readings:
- Betty Friedan (1963). The Feminine Mystique, in Estelle Freedman
(ed.) (2007), The Essential Feminist Reader (New York: The Modern
Library), 269-82.
- Casey Hayden and Mary King (1966 [1965]). “Sex and Caste,”
Liberation (April), 35-36
- National Organization of Women (1966). “Statement of Purpose.”
- Gloria Steinem (1970). “What Would It Be Like If Women Win,” Time (August 31).
- Phyllis Schlafly (1972), “The Fraud of the Equal Rights Amendment,” in Eric Foner (ed.).
Voices of Freedom: A Documentary History (New York: W. W. Norton, 2017) 324-26.
- “Ruth Miller, Testimony to Senate Hearing on an Equal Rights Amendment, 1970,” in
Brian Ward (ed.) The 1960s: A Documentary Reader (Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell), 142-
146.
- TV: The Mary Tyler Moore Show, “Love is All Around” (1970, season 1, episode 1).
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4zi9id
- Soundtrack: Free to Be You and Me [in class].

Topic: debate: women’s liberation

Required readings:
- Anne Koedt (1970). “The Myth of the Vaginal
Orgasm,” in Anne Koedt, Ellen Levine, and Anita
Rapone (eds.), Radical Feminism (New York:
Quadrangle Books, 1973), excerpts.
- Women’s Liberation [Robin Morgan] (1968), “No
More Miss America,” New York Free Press (Sept. 5),
2.
- Redstockings Manifesto (1969). https://redstockings.org/index.php/rs-manifesto
- Soundtrack: The Chicago Women’s Liberation Band

Topic: gay pride

Required readings:
9

- Franklin Kameny letters to JFK and LBJ in The New York
Public Library (ed.) The Stonewall Reader (New York:
Penguin Books, 2019).
- “Lucian Truscott IV, ‘Gay Power Comes to Sheridan
Square,’ 1969,” in Brian Ward (ed.) The 1960s: A
Documentary Reader (Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell),
138-142.
- Carl Wittman (1970). “A Gay Manifesto” (New York: The Red Butterfly), 1-7.
- MakingGayHistory.com (2019). “Stonewall 50 – Episode 3 – ‘Say it Loud! Gay and
Proud!” https://makinggayhistory.com/podcast/stonewall-50-episode-3-say-it-loud-gay-
proud/
- Gay and Proud (Lili Vincenz, 1970)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OevqwHmeEFI&app=desktop
- Soundtrack: Disco [in class].

CLASS 16: December 1
Topic: legacies of the ’60s

Required readings:
- Stephen Macedo (1997). Reassessing the Sixties: Debating the Political and Cultural
Legacy (New York: W. W. Norton):
o Harvey C. Mansfield, “The Legacy of the Late Sixties,” 21-45.
o Anita LaFrance Allen, “The Half-Life of Integration,” 207-227.

Primary sources:
- See required readings.

Bibliography:
- James Patterson (1997). Grand Expectations: The United States, 1945-1974 (New York:
Oxford University Press).
- Maurice Isserman and Michael Kazin (2000). America Divided: The Civil War of the 1960s
(New York: Oxford University Press).
- Todd Gitlin (1987). The Sixties: Years of Hope, Days of Rage (New York: Bantam Book).
- David Farber, ed. (1994). The Sixties: From Memory to History (Chapel Hill: University of
North Carolina Press).
- Stephen Macedo, ed. (1997). Reassessing the Sixties: Debating the Political and Cultural
Legacy (New York: W. W. Norton).
- Christopher B. Strain (2016). The Long Sixties: America, 1955-1973 (Chichester, UK;
Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons).

10

Additional information:

Ajustes Razonables: Si usted tiene alguna discapacidad visible o invisible y requiere de algún
tipo de apoyo para estar en igualdad de condiciones con los y las demás estudiantes del curso,
se le solicita informar a su profesor/a para que puedan realizarse dichos ajustes a la mayor
brevedad posible. También puede acudir a la Decanatura de Estudiantes
(http://centrodeconsejeria.uniandes.edu.co) Bloque Ñf, ext. 2230.

Convivencia e integridad: El respeto de los derechos de quienes hacemos parte de esta
comunidad académica es la base fundamental de su buen funcionamiento. En esta comunidad
consideramos inaceptable cualquier situación de acoso, acoso sexual, discriminación, matoneo,
o amenaza. Si alguno de los miembros de esta comunidad siente que está pasando por alguna
de estas situaciones o si sabe de alguien a quien esto le puede estar pasando puede denunciar
su ocurrencia y buscar orientación y apoyo ante alguna de las siguientes instancias: el equipo
pedagógico del curso, la Dirección del programa, la Decanatura de Estudiantes (DECA), la
Ombudsperson (ombudsperson@uniandes.edu.co) o el Comité MAAD
(lineamaad@uniandes.edu.co).

11

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