- France in the Sixties

Catalog description

An exploration of the cultural history of France in the 1960s. This was a decade of radical political, social, and cultural change in France, as in the U.S. and elsewhere: it was a time of post-war prosperity and development but also a period of intense struggle and contestation. The emergence of youth culture and consumer culture was shadowed by social conflict at home and decolonial war abroad. Students will consider a variety of cultural representations that draw out these tensions, including novels, essays, films, songs, and print media. Topics will include: American-style consumerism and resistance to it; the changing roles of women; decolonization and the Algerian War; and the student and worker uprising of May 1968. Students will have the opportunity to delve deeper into a historical phenomenon of their choosing through independent research.