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It is often said that those who do not remember the past are doomed to repeat it. Here, we ask students to remember in order to repeat --the act of remembering. This assignment asks students to remember by making a memorial to a person who made an impact upon them. In addition to teaching students the importance of rememberin g those who have passed away, this assignment connects the student’s experience to a broader legacy. Throughout history, different civilizations have erected memorials to show respect and to remember the dead. Indeed, most of the world’s existing antiquities represent memorials, from the Egyptian and Mexican Pyramids, to Greek temples and tombs, to India’s Taj Mahal. In the recent past, scholars have explored the role of memorials and the importance of sharing memories as a group in order to collectively grieve and remember. |
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You will need: |
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In completing this lesson, successful students will: |
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Exercise 1: Remembering to Remember The Instructor should go over the glossary terms and discuss social history and the concept of remembering with the class. History at its most basic is the study of change over time and the formal analysis of this change. Why is History important?
According to William Lund: “History is important because WE ARE the past: we are the sum of all the events--good, bad, and indifferent--that have happened to us. This sum product guides our actions in the present…. The only way we can understand who we are and how we got to be that way is by studying the past. Similarly, the only way we can understand others is by studying their past. If we don't understand what made them who they are--in terms of how they think and act--we will make all sorts of mistakes in our interactions with them. Think of how you treat people differently based on how you know them. The same is true for countries when it comes to diplomacy. Our failures in Iraq were borne of a limited understanding of who they are (because we haven't taken the time to truly study and understand their past).” Instructors should go over the following questions with the class as a group: What are the different ways that we remember as a society? Why do we remember? Who and what do we choose to remember in our community? Should we include other subjects? Why? Why not?
Memorials
Instructors should review local history and determine any memorials in the community. Exercise 2: Memory Trunk Assignment Sheet Describe the person by completing the following questions: William Lund. “Why is history important? – Yahoo! Answers.” Yahoo!. http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070910231157AA0WEgW accessed on November 15, 2008. |
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