AMST0251A-S25
Monuments and Memorials
Constructing Memory: American Monuments and Memorials
“Democracy has no monuments,” John Quincy Adams once famously argued. “It strikes no medals; it bears the head of no man upon its coin; its very essence is iconoclastic.” Yet nearly 250 years after America’s founding, monuments and memorials surround us. In this course we will explore the memorializing impulse; the complexity and depth of emotion evoked by memorial acts; and the oftentimes heated controversies about modes, placement, and subject of representation. We will consider how and why America chooses to memorialize certain people and events, and what is gained—and sometimes erased—in the process. By choosing among a broad range of traditional and non-traditional modes of representation, we will consider how public memorials both reflect and shape Americans’ shared cultural values. The course will include site visits to local monuments and projects in which we propose designs or redesigns of memorials for a 21st century audience.
“Democracy has no monuments,” John Quincy Adams once famously argued. “It strikes no medals; it bears the head of no man upon its coin; its very essence is iconoclastic.” Yet nearly 250 years after America’s founding, monuments and memorials surround us. In this course we will explore the memorializing impulse; the complexity and depth of emotion evoked by memorial acts; and the oftentimes heated controversies about modes, placement, and subject of representation. We will consider how and why America chooses to memorialize certain people and events, and what is gained—and sometimes erased—in the process. By choosing among a broad range of traditional and non-traditional modes of representation, we will consider how public memorials both reflect and shape Americans’ shared cultural values. The course will include site visits to local monuments and projects in which we propose designs or redesigns of memorials for a 21st century audience.
- Term:
- Spring 2025
- Location:
- Axinn Center 105(AXN 105)
- Schedule:
- 9:45am-11:00am on Tuesday, Thursday (Feb 10, 2025 to May 12, 2025)
- Type:
- Lecture
- Course Modality:
- In-Person
- Instructors:
- Deb Evans
- Subject:
- American Studies
- Department:
- Program in American Studies
- Division:
- Interdisciplinary
- Requirements Fulfilled:
- AMR ART CW
- Levels:
- Undergraduate
- Availability:
- View availability, prerequisites, and other requirements.
- Course Reference Number (CRN):
- 22796
- Subject Code:
- AMST
- Course Number:
- 0251
- Section Identifier:
- A