America in the 1960s
21:512:389
Fall, 2013
Class Location: 424 Conklin Hall
Class Meeting Times: Mon. 2:30-3:50, Wed. 1:00-2:20 (M5W4)
Professor: Dr. Beryl Satter
My Office: 336 Conklin Hall
Email: [email protected]. Phone: (973) 353-3900
Office Hours: Mon. 4:00-5:00 p.m. and by appointment
History Department Office: 323 Conklin
During the 1960s, people who had been "outsiders" in the 1950s--such as AfricanAmericans, Chicanos, Asian-Americans, women of all races, gay men and lesbians, left-wing
and counter-cultural youth, and anti-war activists--raised profound questions about American
society. The issues they explored included the nature of U.S. military interventions abroad, the
meaning of democracy, community, and political participation, the "American Dream" of
financial success, the problem of American racism, the place of ethnic identity in American life,
the role of American women, the rights of gay men and lesbians, and the nature of the family.
This course looks closely at the issues raised by these dissenters of the 1960s. It investigates the
following questions. What activities or values did the protesters challenge? What conditions
provoked their criticisms? What new visions of American society did they offer? How did
mainstream America respond to their challenges?
Class Format
This class will be taught through lectures, class discussions, and small group exercises.
The small group exercises will focus on the readings and films listed in the syllabus. They are
intended to enable you to more fully analyze the readings and films. Discussions by the whole
class will tie together their broader themes. Because of the central place of discussion in the
class, it is essential that you complete the assigned readings by the date indicated on the
syllabus.
Class Goals:
1) Teach students about the major events of the 1960s, and about the ideas of 1960s
thinkers.
2) Train students to critically analyze and interpret a variety of primary source
documents and films.
3) Enable students to understand the political stakes of history itself, and to understand
the complex relationships among myth, history, and popular culture.
4) Give students a historical perspective on current debates that have their roots in the
1960s.
Class Requirements:
1) Attendance, careful reading of assigned texts by date indicated on syllabus, and
participation in class discussion and class workshops.
2) Mid-term exam, to be held on October 14.
1
3) Document essay, 5-7 pages (typed and double-spaced), due on December 2.
4) Final exam, date to-be-announced.
5) Short, informal written responses to class readings, due most class sessions, collected
six times over the semester.
Grading
Mid-term exam.…………….25%
Essay……………………….25%
Final………………………..30%
Class Reading Responses….10%
Class participation…………10%
How short, informal written responses to class readings will be graded
I will give you a question or series of questions for most class sessions. These questions
are intended to help you reflect on the assigned readings or films. I will collect your written
responses six times over the course of the semester. I will not announce in advance when I will
be collecting responses. This means that you must always be ready to hand in your written
response to class films or readings.
Late responses will not be accepted (except in the case of excused absences).
Document Essay
You will be asked to write an essay responding to a question that I will give you about a
week before the essay is due. Answer the essay question by drawing closely and exclusively on
documents you have read for the course.
Class Participation
Please bring an index card and pen to each class. At the end of class, you will hand in the
card with a question or thought about the day’s readings and/or discussion. Please include your
name and the date on the card. The card will not be graded, but counts toward participation.
When we have full-class discussions, you can participate either by asking questions or
making relevant comments. When you are assigned to small groups, each member of the group
must take responsibility for sustaining the conversation. This means you must do the reading,
come to class with questions or issues for discussion and clarification, and participate in the
discussion itself.
You will receive a score for your class participation in the first half of the semester (up to
the midterm) and a score for the second half. Your overall score will be an average of the scores
for the two halves of the semester. Your participation grade will take into account both the
quantity of your participation and the quality of it. Quality of participation is based on your
familiarity with the day’s assigned readings and your ability to think critically about them
The participation grade is calculated as follows:
 10 points: Actively engaged in class discussion and prepared to answer questions
 8 points: Frequently participated in class discussion and demonstrated preparation
 6 points: Occasionally participated in class discussion and demonstrated some
preparation
 4 points: Demonstrated minimal participation or preparation for class discussion
2

2 points: Never participated in class discussion
Attendance Policy
Rutgers University-Newark has a strict attendance policy. Students are required to attend
every class session and are responsible for all material presented in lectures and readings.
Students are allowed four absences, excused or unexcused, with each further unexcused
absence resulting in a deduction of a portion of a letter grade (i.e., B+ dropping to a B). The
recognized grounds for absence are illness requiring medical attention, curricular or
extracurricular activities approved by the faculty, personal obligations claimed by the student
and recognized as valid, recognized religious holidays, and severe inclement weather causing
dangerous traveling conditions. It is important to speak to me as soon as possible about any
absences you know about in advance. Please arrange with a fellow student for class notes.
Students who miss eight or more sessions for any combination of excused and
unexcused absences will not earn credit in this course. Such students should withdraw from
the class.
Persistent tardiness will lower your participation grade. In addition, students who arrive
more than fifteen minutes late without a recognized excuse will be marked absent without excuse
for the class period.
Class Preparation
Like all history classes, this course requires significant reading and preparation. It is
critical that you take the time to carefully read the assigned readings. Everyone reads at a
different pace, but you should budget at least two to three hours to prepare for each class.
Laptop/Tablet/Cell Phone Policy
Laptops and tablets are allowed in class, but I expect that they will only be used for
taking notes or reviewing assigned readings. If you bring a laptop or tablet you must sit in the
front row of class (this is to ensure that you will not misuse the laptop and surf the web during
class). Please consider class time a rare break from the Internet. Likewise, please silence your
cellphones during class and do not talk or text. Students who are observed talking or texting on
their phones or using laptops for purposes that do not belong in the classroom will be counted as
absent without excuse for the day.
Required Purchases/ Printing Policy
All of the readings for the course are on Blackboard. This was done for your
convenience. However, because we will be working with the readings in class, you must print
out most of them. You do not have to print out Farber and Bailey (the textbook). You must print
out and bring to class the remainder of the readings, or all readings that are marked with an
asterisk * on the syllabus. If you don’t have the readings for the day printed and in your
possession in class, you will be marked as unprepared, and your participation grade will suffer.
Please purchase one deck of ruled or unruled 3” x 5” index cards. You will use these to
write your question or comment due for each class session.
Late papers and exams
Papers and exams are due on the dates announced in class or indicated below. Unless
discussed with me in advance, late assignments will have their grades lowered.
3
Policy on Academic Integrity (Cheating and Plagiarism)
Rutgers University-Newark has detailed policies regarding academic misconduct. It is
critical that you learn these rules, because the consequences of breaking them are severe.
Basically, you commit misconduct if you represent another’s work as your own. Most students
know that when they ask a friend to write (or significantly edit) their papers, cut-and-paste text
from a website, hand in a paper they find or purchase online, or look at another student’s answers
while taking a test, they are breaking the rules. But many well-intentioned students do not
realize that even borrowing information without properly attributing the source is also a breach
of academic honesty.
Descriptions of plagiarism and Rutgers’ official policy on academic integrity can be
found at http://catalogs.rutgers.edu/generated/nwk-ug_current/pg582.html and
http://judicialaffairs.rutgers.edu/academic-integrity. Offenses can result in failure of
the assignment, failure of the course, or expulsion from the university. All students are
required to e-sign an “Academic Integrity Agreement” through our Blackboard site. In addition,
all students must sign the Rutgers honor pledge on all major examinations.
Students with Disabilities
Students with disabilities, including learning disabilities, requiring assistance and/or
accommodation should speak with Disability Services in a timely manner.
The Writing Center
The Writing Center, http://www.ncas.rutgers.edu/writingcenter, located in Room 126 of
Conklin Hall, offers writing tutoring and writing workshops to all undergraduate students
currently enrolled in classes on the Rutgers-Newark campus. Their tutors work to help students
become more independent readers and writers capable of responding well to the demands of
writing within the university. It is available to you free of charge and I encourage you to visit the
center during this semester.
Syllabus
Wed. Sept. 4: Introduction
Mon. Sept. 9: The 1950s
Farber and Bailey, pp. 3-12
*William H. Whyte, Jr., The Organization Man (1956), pp. 69-81, 330-337, 344-349
*J. Edgar Hoover, Masters of Deceit (1958), pp. 81-90, 93.
4
Wed. Sept. 11: Dissenting Voices
*Frank London Brown, Trumbull Park (1959), pp. 1-37
*Betty Friedan, "The Problem That Has No Name" (1963), in Bloom and Breines, Takin'
It to the Streets, Second Edition, pp. 388-393 (hereafter "B & B")
*Allen Ginsberg, excerpt from "Howl" (1956), in The New Radicals, pp. 88-90
Mon. Sept. 16: Film, "The Magnificent Seven" (1960)
Farber and Bailey, pp. 13-19
*"Introduction: Myth and History," from Patrick Gerster and Nicholas Cords, eds., Myth
America, pp. xv-xvii.
*Tom Engelhardt, The End of Victory Culture, pp. 3-8, 16-36, 37-53
Wed. Sept. 18: "Magnificent Seven" as Myth and as (1960) History
*Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., "The New Mood in Politics" (1960), in G. Howard, ed., The
Sixties, pp. 44-55
Mon. Sept. 23: Film as a Historical Document: discussion, “Magnificent Seven,” Engelhardt,
and Gerster and Cords
Farber and Bailey, 19-22, 23-25
Wed. Sept. 25: The Civil Rights Movement, 1956-1963
*"Keep On Walkin', Keep On Talkin'", "The Jackson Sit-In," "SNCC: Founding
Statement," and "Testimony Before the Democratic National Convention," in B & B, pp.
13-14, 18-21, 21-22, 34-38
*Martin Luther King Jr., "Letter from Birmingham Jail" (1963), in Thomas Frazier, AfroAmerican History, pp. 343-356
*Barry Goldwater, "The Conscience of a Conservative" (1960), pp. 3-31 (chapters 1-4)
Mon. Sept. 30: James Baldwin on Civil Rights
*James Baldwin, excerpt from The Fire Next Time (1963), in G. Howard, ed., The
Sixties, pp. 112-24
Wed. Oct. 2: Origins of the Youth Rebellion: film, "Seeds of the Sixties”
Farber and Bailey, pp. 55-59
*Engelhardt, The End of Victory Culture, pp. 155-165.
5
Mon. Oct. 7: New Moods on Campus, 1958-1964
Farber and Bailey, 25-32
*David Riesman, "The Uncommitted Generation," 1958-1961
*“The Port Huron Statement" (1962), in B & B, pp. 50-52, 54-55, 58, 59-61.
*Casey Hayden, "Raising the Question of Who Decides" (1964) and Jean Smith, "How to
Help the Ones at the Bottom" (1964), in B & B, pp. 66-72
*Barry Goldwater, “The Welfare State,” pp. 62-69
Wed. Oct. 9: Film, “Dr. Strangelove” (1964)
Farber and Bailey, 34-40
*Engelhardt, The End of Victory Culture, 113-121
Mon. Oct. 14: Midterm Exam
Wed. Oct. 16: The Vietnam War and the Great Society
Farber and Bailey, 40-42
*"President Johnson Declares War on Poverty, 1964"
*Barry Goldwater, pp. 112-117 “”The Soviet Menace”
*"`Hey, Hey, LBJ!,"Lyndon Johnson on Why Fight in Vietnam,” George Skakel, “One
Soldier’s View” (1967-1968), and Lynda Van Devanter, "Home Before Morning" (1983),
in B & B, pp. 153-155, 166-174, 213-219
Mon. Oct. 21: Wartime Atrocities and Anti-War Protests
Farber and Bailey, pp. 44-53
*Engelhardt, End of Victory Culture, pp. 187-193
*"SNCC Position Paper on Vietnam" (1966?), "The Fort Hood Three" (1966) and "My
Lai" (1969), in B & B, pp. 184-185, 204-206, 209-213
*Martin Luther King, Jr., "A Time to Break the Silence" (1967), in T.H. Breen, Power of
Words, pp. 245-247
Wed. Oct. 23: Black Power
Farber and Bailey, pp. 61-62
*Stokely Carmichael, "The Meaning of Black Power," 1966, in Frazier, pp. 411-421
*Larry Neal, "Black Art and Black Liberation" (1969), and "The Black Panther Platform"
(1966), and “Police and the Panthers,” in B & B, pp. 122-130
6
*Richard Nixon, "If Mob Rule Takes Hold in the U.S.," 1966, in B & B, pp. 294-297
*Brad Parks, “Newark 1967: Crossroads, Pt. 2: Five Days that Changed a City,” July 9,
2007, at http://blog.nj.com/ledgernewark/2007/07/crossroads_pt_2.html (or google
“Brad Parks Crossroads Pt. 2”))
Mon. Oct. 28: The Influence of the Black Power Movement: Minority Assertion in the 1960s
Farber and Bailey, 71-72
*"Watts and Little Big Horn" (1966), in B & B, pp. 150-152
*"We Wish to be Fair and Honorable" (1969), in Mintz, Native American Voices, pp
175-176.
*Armendo B. Rendon, "Chicano Manifesto" (1971), "El Plan de Aztlan" (1969), and
Amy Uyematsu, "The Emergence of Yellow Power" in B & B, pp. 135-141, 145-147
Wed. Oct. 30: Campus Explosions, 1964-68
*"The Wedding Within the War," "Catch-801," "Freedom is a Big Deal" (all 1964),
"Freedom vs. Anarchy on Campus" (1966), and "Columbia Liberated" (1968), in B & B,
pp. 81-92, 297-299, 335-338
Mon. Nov. 4: The Counterculture
Farber and Bailey, 59-60, 62-63
*Guy Strait, "What is a Hippie" (1967), Helen Perry, "Human Be-In" (1967), and "The
Digger Papers," in B & B, pp. 268-277
*Timothy Leary, "The Politics of Ecstasy" (1968), pp. 177-183;
*Free (Abbie Hoffman), "The New Niggers," Revolution for the Hell of It (1968), pp.
57-77
*William Hedgepath, "The Alternative" (1970), in B & B, pp. 283-286
*‘’Love it or Leave It: The Conservative Impulse in a Radical Age,” in B & B, pp. 287289
Wed. Nov. 6: Woodstock and People's Park
*"A Fleeting, Wonderful Moment of Community" (1969), "Coming of Age in Aquarius,"
and five documents on People's Park (1969), in B & B, pp. 508-516, 467-476
7
Mon. Nov. 11: The Women's Liberation Movement
Farber and Bailey, 68-71
*“SNCC Position Paper: Women in the Movement" (1964), "Job Discrimination"
(1970), "Now Bill of Rights" (1967), "What it Would Be Like If Women Win" (1970), in
B & B 2ND edition, pp. 37-39, 399-409
*"No More Miss America" (1968), Pat Mainardi, "The Politics of Housework" (1969),
and Barbara Susan, "An Abortion Testimonial," in B & B, 2nd edition, pp. 404-406, 412415, 428-429
Wed. Nov. 13: The Gay Liberation Movement
Farber and Bailey, pp. 72-74
*"Gay Power Comes to Sheridan Square" (1969) in B & B, pp. 499-502
*Martha Shelley, "Notes of a Radical Lesbian" (1969), pp. 306-311;
*"A Leaflet for the American Medical Association" (1970), in Out of the Closets, pp.
145-147;
*Gay Liberation Front, "Come Out" (1970), in Breen, pp. 279-282;
*The Radical Activist: Martha Shelley," and "The Drag Queen: `Sylvia Lee' Rivera," in
Marcus, Making History, pp. 175, 179-186, 187-196
Mon. Nov. 18: Chicago 1968: The Chicago Democratic Convention and Aftermath
*Abbie Hoffman, "The Yippies are Going to Chicago," Revolution for the Hell of It
(1968), pp. 106-112
*Jeremy Larner, "The Chicago Democratic Convention" (1970), "Rights in Conflict,"
and Tom Hayden, "The Trial," in B & B, pp. 366-379
*The Tales of Hoffman (1970), pp. 46-47, 53-54, 55-56, 62-65, 114-117;
*Jerry Rubin, We Are Everywhere (1971), pp. 108-114, 124-129, 162-163, 190-191
Wed. Nov. 20: Violence on Campus and Elsewhere, 1969-70
*"List of Strike Demands” and "Harvard University Strike Poster" (1969), documents on
Kent State and Jackson State (1970), and "Voices," in B & B, pp. 338-341, 476-493
*"COINTELPRO, Who Were The Targets?" in B & B, pp. 317-324
ESSAY TOPIC HANDED OUT
Mon. Nov. 25: Complicating Class, Race, and Sexuality
“To My White, Working-class Sisters” (1970), “Double Jeopardy” (1969), “The
Mexican-American Woman” 1970, “What is Reality,” The Young Lord’s Party” (1971),
“Asian Women as Leaders,” in B & B, around pp. 434-458
8
Wed. Nov. 27: NO CLASS (Rutgers follows Friday schedule)
Mon. Dec. 2: Film, “Medium Cool”:
ESSAY DUE
Wed. Dec. 4: Discussion of Film, “Medium Cool
*June Jordon, "On Listening: A Good Way to Hear" (1967), from Jordon, Civil Wars, pp.
39-44
Mon. Dec. 9: End of the Sixties: The Nixon Presidency
Farber and Bailey, pp. 64-68, 75-76
*Christopher Jencks, "Limits of the New Left" (1967), New Republic Reader, pp. 482487
Wed. Dec. 11: CLASS REVIEW
9