In this course, students read, watch, and play with critical views of media and memory. Through this work, students discover how both directed and accidental processes of media shape our perception of the past and the present. The course teaches students how to analyze media that is disconnected from context and has taken on new meanings. Students also learn how to strategize engagement in a social media landscape where media artifacts are weaponized. They practice crafting public media and writing compelling arguments to general audiences.
To fuse Design into this course, Professor Bell has reimagined essay writing for public humanities to center the audience as a co-writer with the students, incorporating audience analysis, goal setting, and collaboration into the process. Framing writing as a design exercise provides an opportunity for students to start thinking about writing in a new way.