OSHER 550 - The Fascinating Fifties: A Decade of Possibilities and Problems

This course will be a selective history of the 1950s in the United States. It will cover topics such as Cold War tensions, music, literature, motion pictures, politics, crime, sports, racial integration and challenges, and the economy. The lectures will be punctuated with illustrative quotes and youtube samples and will include some weekly handouts. Assuming that most if not all of the students in the class have experienced the 1950s, the course will encourage discussion of those experiences.