This course is both an introduction to public history theory and practice and an examination into the contentious history of incarceration in the United States, particularly through the lens of the long history of incarceration of Indigenous people.
The United States has the highest rate of incarceration in the world. Not only does the country incarcerate a greater total number of people than any nation, but the U.S. also has the highest per capita rate of people in prisons and jails. As the prison population has grown exponentially since the early 1970s, people of color have been impacted to a disproportionate degree. Drawing upon historical and contemporary sources, this course will historicize the era of mass incarceration and explore the human realities of incarceration in the United States. We will place particular emphasis on incarceration as it has impacted American Indian people in Minnesota and in the region.
This course also provides a hands-on introduction to the theory, methods, practice, and politics of public history through participation in the Global Dialogues on Incarceration, a multi-site collaboration among twenty universities organized the Humanities Action Lab
(HAL) at the New School for Social Research. This project will culminate in the production of a traveling exhibit
(debuting in New York City in April 2016 and traveling to at least 19 cities thereafter), web platform, and public events centered on incarceration. Throughout the course, students will work together to produce locally focused content for the HAL exhibition and web platform.
This course requires that students work collaboratively on public history project relating to the incarceration of Indigenous peoples. A
substantial amount of student time over the semester will be spent on developing exhibit and website projects.