“Without the Cold War, what’s the point of being American?” So asks Rabbit Angstrom, the main character in John Updike’s 1990 novel, Rabbit at Rest. In this course, we will examine the Cold War’s impact on American culture throughout the period 1945-1991 and beyond, with a focus on politics, art, literature, television, film, and consumer culture. Primary texts will include writings by Arthur Miller, Mickey Spillane, and Kurt Vonnegut. Scholarly texts will include works by Paul Boyer, Elaine Tyler May, Michael Rogin, and Michael Kackman.  Films will include On the Waterfront, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Manchurian Candidate, Dr. Strangelove, The Day After, and Terminator. Television programs will include I Led Three Lives and The Americans.

FYSE1335A meets 12:15-1:30 PM on Mondays and Wednesdays in Twilight 110.

My office hours are:  Mon. 9:30-10:45 AM, Thurs. 1:00-2:30 PM, or by appointment