Department of English

What do we think we, as a society, “know” about past events and their significance? How did we come to “know” this? This course takes a rhetorical perspective on the contested nature of public memory, primarily in the United States. We will examine what public memory is, how it is perpetuated, how and why it is configured to privilege some historical interpretations over others, and how it is modified over time. This semester we will examine various media of memory such as museums, popular film, monuments and memorials, living history museums, children’s toys and collectibles, television, tourist souvenirs, and more.

• S&H
• What are CASE requirements?