AMST 30395 - Reagan's America: The 1980s

Institution:

University of Notre Dame

Subject:

American Studies

Description:

In his campaign for re-election to the presidency in 1984, Ronald Reagan released a television commercial that began with the line, "It's morning in America again." The ad suggested the many ways in which President Reagan and the Republican Party were improving the economy and bringing optimism back to America. "Under the leadership of President Reagan," the commercial concluded, "our country is prouder and stronger and better." Reagan's campaigns for the nation's highest office stressed the themes of patriotism and individual responsibility, while his presidential administrations oversaw an economic agenda that privileged corporate America and wealth production and a foreign policy that justified extreme measures by citing the dangers posed by the Soviet Union and communism. The United States in the 1980s was dominated by the presidency and personality of Ronald Reagan. His aggressive economic and foreign policies influenced the major events of the decade, while his politics helped to shape the wider culture, a period often characterized as "the me decade" (and one Madonna called "a material world" in a hit song). In this course students will explore the 1980s and assess the conventional wisdom about Reagan and the decade he dominated. Were Americans too blinded by greed to confront the nation's social problems, or was there a serious debate going on about individual conscience and social responsibility? Students will debate these and other questions as they explore several of the major themes of 1980s America: the Cold War, the Christian Right, progressivism, conservatism, popular culture, and the media. In addition to probing political speeches, congressional testimony, the Reagan diaries, pop music, and sitcoms, students will also examine some of the new books by historians, who are just now beginning to come to grips with this pivotal recent time in American history. This course is open to all students; no previous knowledge of the topic is necessary.

Credits:

3.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.nd.edu

Phone Number:

(574) 631-5000

Regional Accreditation:

North Central Association of Colleges and Schools

Calendar System:

Semester

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