Exploring the Counter-Culture

in this assignment you will be looking at images taken by a female photographer who experienced first hand the counterculture movement. When you read about the goals of the counterculture movement remember to think about all the periods we have already studied. The commune movement in particular was heralded as a return to a simpler way of life – but that is a rather extreme misunderstanding of the past – and you have evidence as to why that is! I do want you all to make sure you move past the stereotypes (positive or negative) around ‘hippies’ and think about the goals and the shortcomings of the movement.

You can also think about some of the more famous women of this period – many of whom come out of the music scene, and we can start to think about how women like Joan Baez, Janis Joplin, Aretha Franklin, Joan Jett, Mama Cass, and many others, will all be a part of the larger trends of American society and life during these decades.

Steps to complete the Assignment:

1. Visit A Visual Journey: Photographs by Lisa Law, 1965-1971, an online exhibit at the National Museum of American History.
2. Once you’ve read and viewed Lisa Law’s life in the 1960s, do your own research to find a female singer of that era that you feel embodies Lisa Law’s rejection of mainstream culture.
3. Write a 400-600 words essay comparing the experiences of Lisa Law and your chosen research subject. In your essay be sure to consider the opportunities for women within the counter-culture movement and the limitations that were still placed upon them.