First-Year Seminar: Introduction to Memory Studies

This course focuses on memory not only as an individual phenomenon but also how our memories for historical events can be determined by the groups to which we belong (collective memory). We will survey such topics as experimental methods and findings in the study of individual memory; questions of accuracy and vividness of memory; false and illusory memories; eyewitness memory reports that are used in trials; methods to greatly enhance learning and memory; and people with extraordinary memories; . We then transition to the study of collective memory, or how our memories and identities are shaped by the groups to which we belong. The topics will include transmission of memories and identity through narratives; shared historical memories; battles over how the past is to be remembered; and revision of the memories of the past to meet concerns of the present. We also consider how memory is used in political arguments. Enrollment is restricted to first-year students..