Within the past few years, a conversation has sparked about the significance of national memorials all around America, specifically memorials and statues dedicated to leaders of the Confederacy in the Civil War. It has since begged the question: How are places tied to our memory, and what do those artifacts of our places mean? Here in Northwest Arkansas, we have a few sites that incite strong feelings and memories that are worth discussing, such as the Confederate statues located in both Bentonville and Fayetteville. Why is the one in Bentonville so controversial, yet the Fayetteville one is not? How were they put in place? What about other sites of memory, such as our own family homesteads, burial plots, or national memorials of significance? Katie Powell holds a Ph. D. in English from the University of Arkansas, and her studies have focused on the ways in which communities remember specifically problematic events of our history. In the course, she will discuss the interesting history of memorials and dive deeper into the implications that their places have on our community.

Instructor: Katie W. Powell