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University of Virginia

The Kennedy Half Century

When John F. Kennedy entered the presidential limousine at Love Field in Dallas, Texas on November 22, 1963, he began his ride into history. That journey continues even today and we call it the Kennedy legacy. This course will explore the Presidency, assassination, and lasting legacy of President John F. Kennedy. Students will learn how JFK’s life, administration, and tragic death have influenced the general public, the media, and each of the nine U.S. presidents who followed. Understanding the Kennedy legacy and being able to identify elements of his legacy within the context of modern politics helps understand many of the vexing problems that developed over the last half century as well as many of the challenges that confront us today. November 22, 1963 was so powerful a moment that in the fifty years since the assassination, every U.S. President that followed JFK has used Kennedy’s words and actions in an effort to craft their own political image. Why does Kennedy’s influence persist, and will it continue? What are the effects? We’ll address these questions and more as we explore The Kennedy Half Century. Follow on Twitter: @JFKclass.

Status: Policy Analysis
Status: Political Sciences
BeginnerCourse9 hours

Featured reviews

EO

5.0Reviewed Dec 6, 2020

I did not know that President JFK's legacy would extend until the 45th President of the United States, Barack Obama. An interesting course to take.

JN

5.0Reviewed Jul 5, 2017

Larry Sabato is a true genius in political thought. Great realizing that he is fascinated by John Kennedy as I am. There was technical difficulty in Coursera realizing that I had finished the course.

OH

5.0Reviewed Jun 5, 2019

Thanks Larry Sabato you're a legend! This course helped me so much and I chose to do my A level history coursework on Kennedy and got a good mark, in part due to this. Loved it :)

BM

5.0Reviewed Apr 11, 2016

Super informative. I love how the lectures are broken down and organized. Highly recommend this course to any JFk, history or political enthusiast!

CO

5.0Reviewed May 13, 2020

Very well put together and presented. New information is provided even for us Boomers who grew up absorbing anything about the life, death and work of Kennedy. Thank you very much.

TB

4.0Reviewed Aug 29, 2020

A little heavy on the sales pitch for the prof's book but nice to see video footage etc used. A little skippy on the more recent presidents but I guess that is fairly likely as time goes on

LS

5.0Reviewed Dec 17, 2016

Extremely interesting and detailed look at a topic which has captured the imagination of my generation. Many thanks to Professor Sabato and his team

MM

5.0Reviewed Jan 1, 2019

A fairly well rounded course on JFK and his legacy. Some new information interwoven with some traditional history on JFK. Overall an interesting course.

MW

5.0Reviewed May 11, 2017

I absolutely loved this course. It was so interesting, I found myself racing through the lectures, because I wanted to find out more.

EF

5.0Reviewed Jan 10, 2023

A phenomenal, non-biased review of JFK's life, politics, legacy, and influence. Highly recommended for anyone wanting to expand their knowledge of the Kennedy Half Century.

SS

4.0Reviewed Aug 22, 2016

A nice course about Kennedy. I didn't know much about him and this course make me able a little more to understand his qualities and his drawbacks.

RM

5.0Reviewed Aug 23, 2020

an absolutely amazing course. finished it over summer while in quarantine as an extra bit of learning and thoroughly enjoyed it.

All reviews

Showing: 20 of 148

Michelle Mattei
5.0
Reviewed Jan 1, 2019
David Hearst
5.0
Reviewed Oct 8, 2019
John Clouthier
5.0
Reviewed Feb 26, 2019
Bérangère
5.0
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Jose Maria Robles Miaja
5.0
Reviewed Aug 29, 2017
Amelia Rivera Barreto
4.0
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jean jessen
4.0
Reviewed Oct 15, 2015
Manuela Pinto
3.0
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michael morris
3.0
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Marco Buttafarro
2.0
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Keith Rathbone
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Leah Goodman
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Ann Dahlen
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Jackson Dian Bobbry
5.0
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James P. Welch
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Scott Mathews
5.0
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Eliana Drew
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Anujay Shrivastava
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Darlene Marchina
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Mauricio Echeverri
5.0
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