Chevron Left
Back to The Kennedy Half Century

Learner Reviews & Feedback for The Kennedy Half Century by University of Virginia

4.6
stars
489 ratings

About the Course

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....

Top reviews

JN

Jul 4, 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.

KB

Oct 21, 2015

I really loved this class! Professor Sabato taught this class so eloquently and so well. I have studied the JFK Presidency and Assassination for years, and I loved learning more from this course.

Filter by:

101 - 125 of 143 Reviews for The Kennedy Half Century

By George T

•

May 30, 2017

Very interesting

By Xavier M

•

May 25, 2020

Very helpful

By George K I

•

Sep 17, 2015

excellent !

By Lauren C

•

Jun 26, 2016

Excellent!

By KIP B

•

Dec 16, 2022

Brilliant

By nurys r t

•

Nov 20, 2022

excelente

By Arturo C

•

May 30, 2017

Amazing!

By Kleber L d S

•

Jun 15, 2020

Ótimo.

By Poliane m a

•

Sep 23, 2020

Great

By Zain T

•

May 19, 2020

Good

By mansi g

•

Oct 2, 2018

easy

By li w

•

Jun 26, 2016

well

By Jonny J

•

Jan 25, 2017

Mm

By Daniel B

•

Mar 24, 2017

i

By Todd D F

•

Nov 16, 2015

V

By W B

•

Feb 13, 2021

I think that from the outset it should have been made clearer that most of the course content is based on the instructor's book so that the student could decide between the options of reading the book either before/during the course for a more in-depth analysis or selecting a different option of learning about JFK from another more unbiased source of information.

With that said, the course was still very informative, and the author presented the information from an angle that combined both personal observation and secondary research, which in my opinion made the presentation of material more interesting and memorable than if the instructor had instead served as a narrator who was simply reading off lists of facts about JFK.

Overall, I would recommend this course as a good introduction to the overall history of JFK's life and lasting legacy.

By laura k

•

Aug 3, 2020

I very much enjoyed the course. It was very informative especially in how Kennedy's legacy has affected those Presidents who came after him. My only complaint about the course was that every once in a while I felt it was more of an advertisement for the Kennedy Half Century Book and Website. I have the book and have visited the cite, but I don't think the course needs so many references to getting the book. What I think would be best is that maybe parts of the book become essential readings within the course. I don't like to be pushed to buy something and so many references to the book made me feel like I was being pushed to buy. I did really enjoy everything else. Thanks so much for the hard work that went into putting this together.

By Thomas J

•

May 22, 2020

The subject matter and the presentation was very good. However, I agree with others that the course was really just a collection of videos that all together make up an interesting documentary. Not really what I would expect from a Coursera course especially if you pay for the certificate. Additionally, the constant reminder to buy the book makes the course much like an informercial at times.

By Gareth H

•

Dec 15, 2021

Excellent content. I would agree with other reviewers that it is a bit of a selling job for the presenter's book, but the content is interesting. However, given the recent biography (pt 1) of Kennedy by Frederik Logevall, which is excellent, there is now more up-to-date analysis.

By Maria G

•

Jul 12, 2020

It was a well organised and excellently delivered course.Professor Sabato was extremely engaging and he provides a wide range of historical sources which help make the topic come alive. You just want to keep going on with the next lesson

By Muhammad M A

•

Sep 3, 2015

Nice course, it's content is highly tied to it's title. It gives you an overview over the US presidents since JFK not only him, also some information before he took the leadership.

You can finish it in 5 days or less !

By MARGARET H

•

Jul 21, 2020

The instructor said Obama lived in the Philippines. It was Indonesia. So this makes me wonder about the veracity of his book. However, he does seem to have a deep love of Kennedy, and this was fun to hear.

By Tamsin B

•

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

By Craig P

•

Jun 30, 2020

I loved the course and learnt so much! It would get a 5-star review, if not for the completely over-the-top marketing of the book in the obvious search for additional sales.

By Abdulrahman H

•

Jan 21, 2017

The course is really really great, the reason that i gave it 4 stars not 5 is only because the professor has been frequently promoting for his personal book!