David Lauderback, Ph.D.

Syllabus
Studies in History: “1968”
Summer 2009

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LADS 6371-01

R 6:30-9:00
Studies in History: 1968
  
FLEX 118

SUMMER 2009

OFFICE HOURS

R 6:00 pm - 6:30 pm

Contact me at:

davidlau@stedwards.edu 

We can also meet by appointment. Just ask!

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email: davidlau@stedwards.edu 

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Course Description -- 1968:  The Year Everything Changed

Tet . . . Martin Luther King . . . Bobby . . . Chicago . . . “Secret plan” . . .  For Americans, the year 1968 continues to resonate in the popular consciousness as a dividing line between “then and now.”  The seething cultural clash that manifested through the 1960s came to a head in 1968 and forced the nation to reexamine many of its tenets and practices in ways that we are still trying to understand.  But what the people of the United States experienced in that year reflected a global phenomenon that, in many respects, only touched our cultural mind and then but gently.  Despite the dramatic memory of that pivotal year and the fundamental challenges the events of 1968 posed, and continue to pose, to American society and culture, the world saw a massive cultural and political upheaval in which “young people” sought to redefine national memory and their very identity.  The level of violence, the extremes of politization, and the sheer human cost of 1968 around the globe simply dwarfed the American experience and continues to challenge the world in the present time. 1968 means the rise Terrorism and Liberation Theology, the dominance of Post-Modernism and Globalization, and the power of nationalism wedded to religious fundamentalism. 1968 represents one of those watersheds in history to which the people’s of the world can point to that moment in time and say “everything is different now.” 

The course seeks to place 1968 in its global context.  To that end, students will trace the events and, most particular, the words and ideas of the participants of the profound cultural and political currents of the year.  They will have the opportunity to examine the words of Jean Paul Sartre, Alexander Dubcek, and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, Che Guevara, and Abbie Hoffman; Arthur Clarke, Mao Zedong, and Lyndon Johnson; Kwami Ture, Franz Fanon, and Andrei Sakharov.  They will learn what happened in the streets of Prague, Saigon, and New York; along the boulevards of Paris, in the Plaza de las Tres Culturas, and the parks of Chicago; and in the ditches of My Lai, the tenements of Detroit, and the kibbutzim of the Holy Land.  Students will also be able to read and watch and learn the power of the “generational divide,” the “modern-traditional dichotomy,” and “rural-urban migration.”  The course will allow students to explore how all these themes played themselves out in the press, in politics, and in war.  The class will also take advantage of the wealth of extant popular expression, such as television, film, music, literature, and poetry. 

The Year Everything Changed will focus on what happened in 1968, why it happened, and what people thought – then and now.

Required Reading

Carey, Elaine. Plaza of Sacrifices: Gender, Power, & Terror in 1968 Mexico. Univ. of New Mexico Press, 2005
ISBN-10: 0826335454 ISBN-13: 978-0826335456
Garcia Marquez, Gabriel. One Hundred Years of Solitude. Harper, 2006.
ISBN-10: 0060883286 ISBN-13: 978-0060883287
Giles, Robert H., & Robert W. Snyder, Eds. 1968: Year of Media Decision. Transaction, 1999. 
ISBN-10: 0765806215 ISBN-13: 978-0765806215
Kaiser, Charles. 1968 in America: Music, Politics, Chaos, Counterculture, and the Shaping of a Generation. Grove, 1997. 
ISBN-10: 0802135307 ISBN-13: 978-0802135308
Ross, Kirstin. May ’68 and Its Afterlives. University of Chicago Press, 2004.
ISBN-10: 0226727998 ISBN-13: 978-0226727998
Shen, Fan. Gang of One: Memoirs of a Red Guard. U of Nebraska Press, 2006. 
ISBN 0803293364, 9780803293366
Suri, Jeremi. The Global Revolutions of 1968. 2007. ISBN-10: 039392744XISBN-13: 978-0393927443
Williams, Kieran. The Prague Spring and Its Aftermath. Cambridge University Press, 1997. ISBN-10: 0521588030 ISBN-13: 978-0521588034

Studies in History “1968” is a graduate level reading seminar. To that end, students will read a text each week. See the Course Schedule for the reading assignments. Students will also have selected primary sources to read for each class meeting. See the Course Schedule and the Reading Links for the document assignments for each class.

Discussion — 20 %

All students will participate in class discussions on a regular basis. “Participating” does not mean giving the “right” answers; it means critically evaluating the course reading, sharing your thoughts, and integrating what you learn from class discusssion. Discussion will comprise 20% of your course grade.

Critical Reviews — 80%

Students will complete six (6) critical reviews. I will drop the lowest grade of the first five (5) critical reviews. If you wish to skip a week, that will be the review grade that I drop. Please see the Course Schedule for the dates by which you must submit your Critical Reviews. Each critical review will evaluate the assigned reading for that week. Students will determine the success of the author in proving their thesis. In each critical review, you will:

The critical review will be double spaced and 900-1000 words, or about 4 pp. Students will submit their critical reviews electronically via e-maill as a Word or PDF document to davidlau@stedwards.edu. Reviews are due at 5:00 pm on the date due. The critical reviews will constitute 80% of your course grade.

Privacy

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) protects the privacy and confidentiality of educational records. So, to protect your privacy grades will not be given out over the phone, through a fellow student, or via e-mail.

Special Circumstances

If you have a specific physical, psychiatric, or learning disability and require accommodation, please let me know early in the semester or as soon as you are eligible. You will first need to provide documentation of your disability to the Student Disabilities Office located in Moody Hall 155.

Academic Honesty

St. Edward's University expects academic honesty from all members of the community and it is our policy that academic integrity be fostered to the highest degree possible. Consequently, all work submitted for grading in a course must be created as a result of your own thought and effort. Representing work as your own when it is not a result of such thought and effort is a violation of our code of academic integrity. Whenever it is established that academic dishonesty has occurred, the course instructor will impose a penalty upon the offending individual(s). (See student handbooks for more specifics regarding academic dishonesty.)

Incompletes

Incompletes will be given ONLY with a medical excuse certified by a physician. All incompletes MUST be completed within the first four weeks of the following session.  THERE ARE NO EXCEPTIONS TO THIS POLICY.

Withdrawals

Student Withdrawals:

Students may withdraw from the course for academic reasons. Withdrawals must be completed according to the guidelines of St. Edward's University. See the St. Edward's Catalog procedures for withdrawing from a class and the St. Edward's EdWeb for the deadline by which you must withdraw from a class.

Instructor Withdrawals:

The instructor will NOT withdraw students for failing to fulfill any of the course requirements, see above. Instead, students will receive a grade based on their performance in the course. Students who fail to fulfill any of the course requirements will receive a F. Therefore, if a student registers for a course it is the student's responsibility to satisfy the course requirements. If "life happens" and you cannot finish the course, be sure to withdraw. Once again, see the guidelines in the St. Edward's Catalog for details and the St. Edward's EdWeb for the deadline by which you must withdraw from a class.

Office Hours

It is essential that students and the instructor make a concerted effort to maintain open lines of communication. In other words, talk to me. Problems generally are easier to solve BEFORE they happen. You are encouraged to discuss any questions you may have regarding the course, the material, and your performance. To that end, I have scheduled time to meet with students.  My office hours are listed at the top of page 1 of this Course Syllabus. If those times do not fit your schedule, please feel free to make an appointment.  You may also contact me via e-mail at:  davidlau@stedwards.edu. I do have one request. If you make an appointment, please make every effort to keep that appointment.

Student's Classroom Responsibilities

The purpose of this course is to acquaint you with the dynamics of 1968. You will be responsible for learning a considerable amount of information in a short period of time. You must demonstrate on your critical reviews that you can analyze what you have read and discussed. I will do my best to give you every opportunity to learn.  In return, I ask that you give yourself the opportunity to do the same.

Consequently, I ask that students conduct themselves in the following manner:

Bring an open mind; listen to the instructor and, especially, your classmates. Think critically about everything that is discussed in class. The free exchange of information is vital to the pursuit of learning.

Copyright

The instructor reserves the right to all lecture materials, handouts, and interpretations presented in class, and any said materials may not be reproduced in any form without the express, written consent of the instructor.


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© David Marcus Lauderback, 2009 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED