Material Culture

Choose five events during the 1970s from the following list.

Identify the basic facts, dates, and purpose of the event in two to three sentences in the “Identify” column.

Include why the event is significant in the “Significance” column.

Add a reference for your material in the “Reference” column.

• Post-Watergate Public Opinion
• The Arab Oil Embargo
• Stagflation
• High Interest Rates
• The Crisis of Confidence
• Energy crisis
• The Iranian Hostage Crisis
• The Sagebrush Rebellion
• OPEC
• Gerald Ford
• Jimmy Carter
• Panama Canal

Part II

Imagine you are a cultural anthropologist studying how 1970s culture was represented in television sitcoms.

Select three shows from the list below and watch several full or partial rerun episodes on the Internet. Observe closely in order to address how they reflected the cultural and social movements of the 1970s decade.

Create a 350- to 700-word report on your findings.

Include as many aspects of the following as possible.

Findings:

• Gender, racial, ethnic, and social aspects
• Family relationships
• Fashion and attire
• Values
• Interests
• Material culture
• Reflection of social movements of the 1970s

Television Shows:

• M*A*S*H
• Starsky and Hutch
• The Jeffersons
• Good Times