Contested Histories in Remembering Americana with Raffi Andonian

About this class:

This is a 12-week virtual class using the Zoom platform.

Wednesdays: February 8, 15, 22, March 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, April 5, 12, 19, 26 - 12-1:30 pm CST

We can better understand the world today by studying the provocative people and events of the past. What makes historic sites, monuments, curriculums, publications, films, and symbols so controversial? Conflicts over stories, spaces, and identities derive from their contested narratives, but how do we decide which perspectives are appropriate in each circumstance? We will examine an array of major topic areas, develop strategies for evaluating their histories, explore tools for helping us understand beyond our own opinions, and discuss as a group how we can all learn more and contribute constructively around us.

Instructor bio:

Raffi Andonian is a frequent guest on ABC-NBC-FOX-CBS TV stations nationwide and also produces and hosts his own streaming TV show that aims to challenge the present by inquiring the past. He has authored 3 Amazon best-selling books, and he has a bachelor's and a master's degree in history and another master's degree in historic preservation. He began his career as a guide working at the Gettysburg battlefield, the Martin Luther King Jr. childhood home, and in Los Alamos where the atomic bomb was created.

Humanities North Dakota classes and events are funded in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

HND VALUE STATEMENT

Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this {article, book, exhibition, film, program, database, report, Web resource}, do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities or Humanities North Dakota. However, in an increasingly polarized world, we at Humanities North Dakota believe that being open-minded is necessary to thinking critically and rationally. Therefore our programs and classes reflect our own open-mindedness in the inquiry, seeking, and acquiring of scholars to speak at our events and teach classes for our Public University. To that end, we encourage our participants to join us in stepping outside our comfort zones and considering other perspectives and ideas by being open-minded while attending HND events featuring scholars who hold a variety of opinions, some being opposite of our own held beliefs.