Case 18: Stories of Power and Diversity During COVID: Building an Online Exhibition with Primary Sources

by Rachel Bohlmann and Erika Hosselkus

This case study discusses the outcomes of a one-credit, online course, “Stories of Power and Diversity: Inside Museums, Archives, and Collecting,” offered at the University of Notre Dame. This four-week Winter Session class introduced students, from first years to graduates, to themes of diversity and inclusion in cultural repositories. Readings, guest speakers, and group discussions encouraged critical  examination of issues related to collecting and exhibiting. The course culminated in a group-curated digital exhibition, Still History? Exploring Mediated Narratives. Individual work, group work, meetings with instructors, peer review, and self-reflection exercises all contributed to the final exhibition in important ways. Together, Notre Dame students created an exhibition that engages in complex ways with historical documents. It expresses historical empathy, uniformly questions the motivations of creators, and questions silences and gaps in the documentary record. 

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