Department of American Studies

“What did you do in the sixties Gramps?” What you want to know but may blush to ask. Considering the myths and realities of the cultural revolutions that shocked America, this class explores pieces of the cultural fabric of the sixties –with attention to the heartland and Bloomington, in particular-- through the prism of music, dating, and recreational drug use.

From Kinsey, sexploitation film, free love, and music icons (including Jim Morrison, Dusty Springfield, and Roy Orbison) to the spread of marijuana and rise of LSD, this course evaluates claims that youth cultures of the sixties charted new cultural frontiers of sex, altered states, and aesthetics.

You will read memoirs by people who lived through the era, poetry, and archival documents; analyze media images and art; watch feature films and documentaries; and listen to music. Grades based on class preparation/participation plus individual and group mini-projects. Cool topic. Mature content.

• S&H
• DUS
• What are CASE requirements?