This course examines post-1945 US history from multiple perspectives: political, cultural, and social. We will explore ways in which these different perspectives can be related to one another, as well as overarching frameworks or narratives that help make sense of this period as a whole. Particular themes include Fordism and the welfare state, suburbanization, the Cold War, the Civil Rights Movement, youth culture, mass culture, the crisis of the 1960s-70s, conservative backlash and the New Right, “neoliberalism,” the tech industry, the War on Terror, the financial crisis, and the rise of rightwing populism
Objectives
*Analyze post-1945 US history in its multiple dimensions — cultural, political, economic, social, technological — and understand how these different dimensions are mediated/influence one another over time
*Critically examine historical documents (primary sources) concerning key elements of US history from the period
*Explore different historiographical theories and arguments about the period
There are two assessments:
• Assessment 1 (30%): A short oral primary document presentation (5 minutes)
• Assessment 2 (70%): A short essay (1000 words) on a question related to the course
Course Requirements
Plagiarism is not acceptable at the Institut Catholique de Paris, nor at any other institution of higher learning. Plagiarism means taking the intellectual work of others and claiming it as your own, either inadvertently or on purpose. If you are using the words or ideas of another
person, you need to cite them. Plagiarism also includes the use of Large Language Models such as ChatGPT. If I detect plagiarism on your assignment, you will receive zero credit for that assignment.
In addition to these assignments, you are required to attend all course sessions unless excused. All sessions begin on time—do not arrive after class begins.There is minimal assigned reading for the course, but I expect you to read it carefully and critically. That means that you are able to identify and critically assess its argument and the way that it marshals evidence to support that argument.
Libraries
Practical information
