Explore John F. Kennedy's life and political career as the 35th President of the United States from January 1961 to his assassination in November 1963. Due to the Cold War, Kennedy’s time in office was marked by high tensions with Communists' states. Acting as JFK's Attorney General and as his adviser during his administration, was his brother Robert, who fought organized crime and supported the Civil Rights movement. He was assassinated too during his campaign for presidency in June 1968. What is the legacy of these two famous Kennedy brothers?

DELIVERY MODE

• Face-to-Face

SUGGESTED READING

• Dallek, Robert John F. Kennedy: An Unfinished Life 1917-1963 (Penguin, 2014)
• Isaacs, Jeremy & Taylor Downing, Cold War (Abacus, 2008)
• Schlesinger, Arthur M., Robert Kennedy and His Times (40th Anniversary Edition, Mariner Books, 2018);
• Tate, Tim & Brad Johnson, The Assassination Of Robert F. Kennedy: Crime, Conspiracy, and Cover-Up: A New Investigation (Lume Books, 2021)

COURSE OUTLINE

• John F. Kennedy’s life & political career: His time as President of the USA (1961-1963), The Vienna summit on June 4th 1961, Meeting of John F. Kennedy with Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, The ‘Bay of Pigs’ invasion fiasco (1961), The Cuban Missile Crisis (1962), Kennedy’s visit to Berlin in 1963 and his famous speech “Ich bin ein Berliner”, John F. Kennedy’s assassination in November 1963 by Lee Harvey Oswald, Oliver Stone’s controversial 1991 movie JFK
• Robert F. Kennedy’s life & political career: JFK’s Attorney General & his political adviser, Robert Kennedy’s run for presidency & his assassination in 1968 by Sirhan Bishara Sirhan, What role played the so called 'Girl in the Polka Dot Dress' in Robert Kennedy’s killing and other Conspiracy Theories
• A new Kennedy star: Caroline Kennedy, daughter of John F. Kennedy, is nominated by President Joe Biden as the next US Ambassador to Australia.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the end of this course, students should be able to:

1. Develop a better understanding of the life and legacy of John F. and Robert F. Kennedy;
2. Gain a better understanding of the U.S. history and politics during the Cold War;
3. Gain an awareness of the variety of ways historians approach the past.