The 1960s in Historical Perspective

This course explores a controversial era shrouded in myths and memories. Among the topics it examines are the presidencies of John Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, and Richard Nixon; the Civil Rights Movement; the Vietnam War; the New Left; the counterculture; the women’s movement; the gay movement; the conservative movement; the international dimension of youth protest; and the legacies of the 1960s. The course aims to provide a balanced history of a turbulent time that continues to influence American politics, society, and culture.

Read the course outline here and listen to a history teacher introduce the course below.

STUDENTS- REGISTER HERE

Please create a free K–12 student account. Note: Only K–12 logged-in students will be able to access the registration form.

COURSE CONTENT

  • Twenty-four videos led by Professor Michael Flamm and Professor Michael Kazin
  • A certificate of completion for 12 hours of course time

Readings: Recommended readings related to the course are listed in the Resources link on the course page. You are not required to read or purchase any print materials. Quizzes are based on the content of the recordings rather than the readings.

Course Access: After registering, you may access your course by logging in and going to My Courses under My Account.

PROFESSORS

Michael Flamm, Professor of History, Ohio Wesleyan University, and Michael Kazin, Professor of History, Georgetown University.

Professor Flamm is a scholar of the development and transformation of modern America with a specific focus on the political culture, crime, and foreign policies of the 1960s. His published works include In the Heat of the Summer: The New York Riots of 1964 and the War on Crime (2017) and Law and Order: Street Crime, Civil Unrest, and the Crisis of Liberalism in the 1960s (2005).

Professor Kazin specializes in the political and social history of nineteenth- and twentieth-century America. His published works include What It Took to Win: A History of the Democratic Party (2022) and War against War: The American Fight for Peace, 1914–1918 (2017).

The views expressed in this course are those of Dr. Michael Flamm and Dr. Michael Kazin.