“There's Something Happening Here”: Power, Politics, and Protests in the Long 1960s

3 units

“There's something happening here. But what it is ain't exactly clear...” begins the 1966 song entitled “For What It’s Worth” by Buffalo Springfield. The song, like many of the artists who made up Buffalo Springfield, were central to the tumultuous cultural changes of the 1960s in the United States. The long 1960s have been the inspiration for innumerous pieces of art, music, literature and scholarship across the globe. Representations of 1960s in mass media and popular culture have often simplified the period into a story of charismatic leaders and villains with less attention given to the diverse set of actors, politics, and responses. Certainly, the history of the 1960s includes both charismatic leaders and villainous actors but they also spurred the creation of new cultural forms and new politics which shattered a shaky American consensus. This course examines the history of the long 1960s through an exploration of the politics, counter-politics, cultural productions, and everyday life which captured a pivotal period of American history. Central to the story of the 1960s is the emergence of a large constituency which had been largely sidelined in political and social action in the previous generation—the youth. Universities, colleges, bookshops, bars, and music venues all became gathering places for more than just recreation or learning but for politics and pleasure which would help shape the second half of the 20th century. In this class we will explore those spaces, places, and peoples who shaped the long 1960s and continue to impact the ways in which political change happens and where we imagine power can come from.