Welcome to HONR 269J's home on the internet. Roughly speaking, this course on America in the 1950s covers the period from the end of World War II until the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. We consider the fifties from a variety of angles -- we read and discuss a novel, several short stories, essays, and poems, as well as two substantial books about American culture in the 1950s; we watch and discuss four classic movies; we listen to a lot of great music; and we examine the birth and early years of many things we now take for granted and probably cannot imagine living without (television, fast food, and advertising, just to name three). We expect and encourage students to explore aspects of this period for themselves, and we provide guidance in the form of bibliographies, pointers to websites and other online resources, etc. (NB: Students who can work productively at independent research seem to enjoy this course more, and do better, than those who cannot.)

This website contains most of the materials you need for the course: syllabus and course requirements; writing assignments and exams; a few selected bibliographies; online versions of some supplementary materials you may find useful; a substantial list of links to remote websites relevant to the course; and a growing list of student projects from previous semesters. If you're curious, you can read the longer description that appears in the Honors Program course booklet.