The second semester of this course will continue with study of time periods and decades not studied in semester one. Why were Americans taken hostage in Iran? Why did the Soviet Union fail? Who shot JR? What was the Seattle sound? Many students and adults cannot answer some or all of these questions, all of which pertain to the years since 1950. Although this course may not provide answers to all of them, it is designed to emphasize the last 50 years, a time period that is often overlooked or deemphasized due to time constraints. The Last Fifty Years is designed to not only examine these eras, but also provide answers to existing gaps in students' knowledge about the second half of the 20th century and beyond. Students can take Last Fifty Years II without having taken Last Fifty Years I.