CSER UN3702

I learned so much about the history of the U.S. West, particularly New Mexico and California. I did not know much about the history of the U.S. West before this class, and I was pleasantly surprised with how much information I learned. In addition, I liked that we focused on the study of memory and history as a practice. Finally, I feel like I really got to learn about contemporary and past debates surrounding monuments.

I learned about manifestations and manipulations of memory, and in particular how public monuments can and often are harnessed towards these ends.

the theory and reality of constructing historic narratives and collective memory in the United States, how to define what a monument is, how communities interact with monuments, the role of identity in narratives and counter-narratives, how data can be subjective, the difference between official memory and individual memory, the importance of non-textual and non-linear commemoration

This course combine visual, historical, and data based analysis in way that complimented skills I had previously learned in the Core Curriculum and gave them a more relevant and interesting application.

I just loved the vibe. I'm not sure how much this had to do with the fact that there were only six students in the class, but it was really special. I think that we were all encouraged to talk and share our opinions in a nice way. Also, all of the readings were quite interesting. I think no matter what you study in the humanities, the subjects that we focused on were relevant.

This course was interesting enough that I often found myself thinking about the topics we covered in my extracurricular time.

This was my favorite class this semester! If you are at all interested in history, memory, museums, monuments, etc. I highly recommend taking this course. Brian is an outstanding instructor, and you also get plenty of opportunities to grow as a student and thinker. You will come away from this class with a clearer sense of how historical narratives are made and used in the US, and with more confidence in your abilities to analyze historical narratives.

I found that the things I learned here enriched my discussions not only in other CSER courses, but in casual conversation with friends and family about current events and built environment we exist in. 1 Columbia University: Arts & Sciences Spring 2022 Course: CSERUN3702_001_2022_1-MemoryandMonumentsintheU.S.West : CSERUN3702_001_2022_1 - Memory and Monuments in the U.S. West Instructor: Brian Luna Lucero

Learned a lot about monuments and the role memory plays in shaping them. Learned about data research skills as well.

The importance of monuments in the physical landscape, how monuments operate in Texas, New Mexico, California, etc. and how collective memory is shaped.