Catastrophic Memories
Catastrophic Memories: Past and Present Perspectives on the American Civil War and Second World War How do people remember traumatic events? How do those memories impact our American and priorities in the present? How might they guide goals for the future? And what roles can History play in that process? In this course we will examine how two great catastrophes—the American Civil War and the Second World War—have been remembered over time and space. We will consider what roles historical memories play in American society, how collective memories are formed, and what makes them change. To do so, we will consider a broad range of sources—major films, historical fiction, popular non-fiction, and historical scholarship. Students end by examining one facet or feature of these historical memories of their choosing.
Catastrophic Memories: Past and Present Perspectives on the American Civil War and Second World War How do people remember traumatic events? How do those memories impact our American and priorities in the present? How might they guide goals for the future? And what roles can History play in that process? In this course we will examine how two great catastrophes—the American Civil War and the Second World War—have been remembered over time and space. We will consider what roles historical memories play in American society, how collective memories are formed, and what makes them change. To do so …Read more
History is not my thing and this course made it even worse. The professor rephrases and repeats stuff over and over again without making any actual points. Things are worse near the end of the semester, because the prof just lets students "discuss with each other" for half an hour straight. He occasionally writes a few additional discussion questions on the board and waits for us to discuss even longer.
History is not my thing and this course made it even worse. The professor rephrases and repeats stuff over and over again without making any actual points. Things are worse near the end of the semester, because the prof just lets students "discuss with each other" for half an hour straight. He occasionally writes a few additional dis …Read more
Prof Williams is very into his material, but sometimes it feels like he's more interested in discussing his book and talking at us about history rather than facilitating authentic discussion and discourse between students, which is how he claims the class is structured.