Course Syllabus

“The Events of May 1968” (in France and elsewhere)

Six-Week course (Fall II), 120 minutes) Thursdays 1:00-3:00 (except Thanksgiving) Bath Library (second floor)

Instructor: Bill VanderWolk

Week 1(November 5): 

–Where were you in May 1968?

The Prelude

–Anti-War Demonstrations: Berkeley, Columbia and elsewhere

–Nanterre: Université de Paris (March 1968)

–Civil Rights Demonstrations following MLK assassination

–the Prague Spring

–film: 1968: The Year that Shaped a Generation

–H.W. to prepare for Class #2: Research: What were the causes of student unrest in France in May 1968? And autumn 2026?

Weeks 2-3: “Les événements de mai” (France)

Week 2 (November 12)

–the Students: demonstrations, strikes, violence, street art/theater, talk

–film: “Confrontation”

–Quotations from The Merry Month of May (James Jones, 1970)

–H.W. to prepare for Class #3: thought questions: TBA

Week 3 (November 19)

–the Workers: strikes, demonstrations, factory occupations

–the Police’s point of view

–film: “Mai ’68 dans l’œil de la police” (“May ’68 seen through the eyes of the police”)

–H.W. to prepare for Class #4: thought questions: TBA

The Aftermath

–the return to normalcy: What had changed in France? and What had not changed?

–the cultural revolution (France): music, film, sex, drugs, women’s movement

–H.W. to prepare for Class #6:  Debate: 1968 was a true revolution

NO CLASS NOVEMBER 26 (Thanksgiving)

Week 4 (December 3)  Elsewhere

–film: “The Soviet Invasion of Czechoslovakia” (August 20-21, 1968)

–U.S.A.: the cultural revolution

–the war and demonstrations continue; music, film, drugs, sexual liberation

–What was your favorite song/group/type of music? Favorite film (from the list TBA)?

–Berlin, Mexico City (“La Noche Triste”, “The Night of Sorrows”) (October 2)

Week 5 (December 10)

Film: Milou en mai (“May Fools”): 1968 through the media

Week 6 (December 17) Conclusions

–Discussion of Milou en mai

–A new world? politics, culture, the economy, attitudes

–What has become of the generation of 1968?

–Debate:  1968 was a true revolution/or just a revolt (definitions)