HISTORY 404:
Activism and Countercultures in the US Since the Sixties
TUES/THURS --- 2-3:15PM --- AUP 179
Instructor: Dawson Barrett
Contact: barrettd@uwm.edu, 414.229.6700
Office: Holton 375
Office Hours: Thursdays, Noon-2pm, or by appointment
Texts:
Francesca Polletta, Freedom is an Endless Meeting
Joe Austin, Taking the Train
Naomi Klein, No Logo
David Solnit, Globalize Liberation
These books will be available at People’s Books Cooperative (2122 E. Locust).
Limited numbers are available cheaply online or via the UWM library.
Other readings will be available in a packet at Clark Graphics (2915 N. Oakland).
Reading assignments will vary – approximately 100 pages per week. On occasion,
films will take the place of readings. This syllabus is subject to change.
Course Description:
In this course, we will examine key issues in U.S. social justice movements from the
Civil Rights era through the War on Terror. We will explore how and why social
movements have emerged as well as how they have impacted, and continue to
impact, political and cultural debates in American society. Course materials will
engage key issues and strategies from a variety of political movements, ranging from
civil rights to global justice, as well as cultural movements such as hip hop and punk
rock.
Course Goals:
Successful completion of this course will provide an understanding of the role of
political activists and organizers in recent U.S. history as well as an introduction to
the strategic problem-solving approaches they have used.
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Course Schedule:
SEPT 6 – Overview
SEPT 8 – Introductions
SEPT 13 – Resistance
READ: Scott, from Weapons of the Weak
SEPT 15 – Social Movements and Popular Protest
READ: Piven from Poor People’s Movements // Hayden, “M + M Model”
SEPT 20 – The 1960s
READ: Polletta—CH1, CH2, CH3
SEPT 22 – The 1960s, cont.
READ: Polletta—CH5, CH6
SEPT 27 – The Rise of Neo-liberalism
READ: Austin—PROLOGUE, CH1, CH2
SEPT 29 – The Rise of Neo-liberalism
READ: Austin—CH4
OCT 4 – Earth First! and the Environmental Movement
READ: Austin—CH7, CH8, CONCLUSION
OCT 6 – Earth First! // Civil Disobedience
WATCH: The Forest for the Trees **
OCT 11 – The Punk Rock Movement
READ: Andersen, from All the Power // Gosling, “Not For Sale”
OCT 13 – Punk Rock // Alternative Institutions
NO READING
OCT 18 – The Emergence of Hip-hop
READ: Thompson, “Why Mass Incarceration Matters”
OCT 20 – Hip-hop // Hidden Transcripts
READ: Lipsitz, “Hip Hop Hearings” // Rose, from Black Noise
OCT 25 – [MEETINGS]
OCT 27 – Globalization and Free Trade
READ: Klein—Introduction, CH1, CH2 [No Weekly Paper]
NOV 1 – Globalization and Privatization
READ: Klein—CH3, CH4, CH5
NOV 3 – The Global Justice Movement
READ: Polletta—CH7 // Klein—CH13, CH14
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NOV 8 – Corporatization
WATCH: The Corporation
NOV 10 – The Student Movement
READ: Klein—CH15, CH16, CH17
NOV 15 – The Student Movement, cont.
READ: Solnit—CH15, CH16, CH24
NOV 17 - “Guerilla” Theater // Spectacle: Yippies, Yes Men
READ: Solnit—CH5, CH19, CH31
NOV 22 – War on Terror, Protest
READ: Solnit—CH6, CH13, CH14
NOV 24 – [OFF FOR HOLIDAY]
NO READING [No Weekly Paper]
NOV 29 – War on Terror, Repression
WATCH: Shut Up and Sing
DEC 1 – Recession, Wisconsin, and Beyond
NO READING
DEC 6 – Group Presentations
DEC 8 – Group Presentations
DEC 13 – Campus Presentations
Finals Week: 12/19-12/23
NOTE: Reading assignments are to be done before the lecture date for which they
are listed.
Grading and Assignments:
Attendance, Participation, and Weekly Assignments:
Mid-Term Take-home Exam:
Group Project:
Final Take-home Exam:
30%
15%
40%
15%
The format of this course will be a roughly equal split between lecture and
discussion. Students are expected to contribute actively in debates and discussions
about readings and lecture materials. Attendance is mandatory; tardiness and
truancy will result in severely lowered grades.
On Thursdays (except where noted), each student will turn in a short, summary
paper that draws out key themes and problems from the week’s readings and
lectures. These papers should be about 300 words in length (roughly a full page,
double-spaced). Additional short assignments may be given.
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Each student will also participate in a semester-long group project, culminating in
presentations on social movement history, both in class and for the broader campus
community. A more detailed explanation will be distributed early in the semester.
Take-home exams will be given in lieu of in-class mid-term and final examinations.
Detailed explanations will be distributed in the preceding weeks.
NOTE: Failure to pass any one section of the course will result in failure of the
overall course.
Additional UWM policies:
UWM policies regarding students with disabilities, religious observances, students
called to active military duty, incompletes, discriminatory conduct (such as sexual
harassment), academic misconduct, complaint procedures, and grade appeals can be
found at:
www.uwm.edu/Dept/SecU/SyllabusLinks.pdf
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