History 259-A: Special Topic in U.S. History: Nostalgia & the Nineties

Over the past ten years, there has been a growing fascination with the 1990s in the United States. The ongoing stream of remakes, reboots, and call backs in movies, tv shows, music, games, and fashion have fed this nostalgia for the culture and aesthetic that is usually associated with the last decade of the twentieth century. In this course, we will be studying the Nineties through a framework of "looking backwards": we will begin by analyzing the current nostalgic phenomenon; followed by delving into the political, social, and cultural history of the "long" 1990s; and ending with a study of what nostalgia looked like at the turn of the century. By adding perspectives from the field of history of emotions, students will engage with primary and secondary sources to explore and unpack how decades are formed and framed as units of time demarcating distinctive social dynamics, ideological debates, cultural styles, and collective feelings. There will be a strong emphasis on popular culture: particularly movies, tv shows, and music. Assignments will include short essays, a "Show & Tell" presentation, and a collaborative final project. Applies toward the North American/United States geographical area for the History (Global) major.