Course description

History is everywhere in the contemporary world. Whether as education, entertainment, nostalgia, or escapism, the past is constantly being used and abused in contemporary cultures. This unit will examine the ways in which history is used in popular and consumer cultures around the world. Students will examine the creation, representation, and delivery of historical knowledge in film, television, literature, theatre, online media, public spaces, and the visual arts. Through lectures, readings, viewings, listening, and group discussions we will decode historical knowledge in contemporary cultures. Students will also consider the ways in which techniques of historical evidence, narrative, argument, and interpretation translate in practice from one genre to another.

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