F26-41 Historical Events and Their Impact on American Life: 1970s to the Present NEW
Class | Registration opens 8/16/2026 9:00 AM EDT
American society has undergone a massive transformation since the 1970s. These changes have occurred in the social, economic, technological and political areas of life. This course will examine some of the key events in those areas:
• Social movements involving civil rights, women’s rights, LBGTQ+ rights and the impact on societal norms
• Economic disparities and how inequality has fueled political unrest and tensions
• Media and technological influences involving AI, rise of the internet, social media and how they have contributed to misinformation
• Political polarization and Supreme Court decisions—an analysis of the ideological divide
Additionally, unforeseen crises such as 9/11 and the COVID pandemic have served to precipitate change and exacerbate polarization.
This course will encourage critical thinking and civil discussion about how these events have led to the current state of division and will explore pathways that could lead to a more unified nation.
Beverly Sadowski
 | Beverly Sadowski earned a BA in History and Psychology and an MA in Education from Baldwin Wallace University. She taught in the Berea City Schools until her retirement in 2014. Bev continues to speak on the Kennedy presidency and both the JFK and RFK assassinations to a myriad of educational and professional organizations, libraries and private groups throughout the Cleveland Metropolitan area. She recently was a featured speaker at Johnson City Community College in Kansas City, Kansas (April,2024) and Dallas (November,2024), at conferences sponsored by the JFK Historical Group in collaboration with Project JFK. |