On March 22, 2022, Dr. Christine Anderson’s The Age of Total War Senior Seminar traveled to Washington, DC to visit the World War I Memorial, the World War II Memorial, and the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. One running theme in the class has been how public history exhibits and sites shape the collective memory of these wars. The day’s discussion centered on what aspects of total war were represented or displayed (or not) in the memorials and museum, as well as the purpose and function of memorials versus museum exhibitions in developing that collective memory and in educating the public. The class also thoroughly enjoyed the beautiful weather and cherry blossoms including lunch al fresca!
