>I'm sorry to say that this may well be the last '60s course I teach. Why?
>because the courses are not high priority at MY institution (I'm the only
>one who teaches them), even though my students have always responded with
>interest and regard for the period. Further, our faculty is being deployed
>to newly emerging curricular imperatives with the result that I have less
>latitude than I once did in setting my own curricular agenda. (Does anyone
>else have that problem?)
My experience so far is that (a) there is very strong student interest, (b)
I've been lucky to have a supportive department that sees that students are
getting alot out of the class and therefore feels it's important to include it
every spring, (c) there are potentially a few clouds on the horizon in the
"new curricular imperatives" that Sandra mentions. In my own case, I'm trying
to generate a possible new course --a kind of "Democracy Lab" or "Democracy
Project" in which teams of students work with local area residents to help
their empowerment, outreach, & mobilization efforts... If it ever flies (and
it fits into the new "hot" team-learning concept), I'll be faced with some
tough questions: what can I teach less from Intro. Amer. Govt. (which I would
drop, but probably have to teach), Propaganda, Media & American Politics
(which I value as highly as the 60s class), the 60s class, or a seminar that
right now focuses on the Vietnam war. Tough decision!
Ted Morgan
================================
Department of Political Science
Maginnes Hall #9
Lehigh University
Bethlehem, PA 18015
epm2@lehigh.edu
phone: (610) 758-3345
fax: (610) 758-6554