The USA in the 1960s was still under the influence of the cold war politics, while the countercultural movement was gaining momentum and a youthful society of “baby-boomers” began challenging authority, social practices of the silent 50s, USA neo-colonialism (the Vietnam War, CIA intervention in third world countries), USA internal colonialism and racism. Writers and film directors responded by creating dark, uncompromising visions of a USA society of affluence but of limited personal choices. The course will focus on novels, such as Thomas Pynchon’s The Crying of Lot 49, and films, such as (The Manchurian Candidate, The Parallax View, The Conversation, The Three Days of the Condor), that explore the no way out of individuals aware but unable to circumvent political and social realities predominant in the 1960s and early 1970s. Course textbook and outline/list of readings are available. Assessment: Final exam.
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Course Outline
