WRIT 307 : Writing the Archives

This course explores archives as sites for cultural interpretation, civic engagement, and social justice. We will explore a broad range of archives, including family archives, community archives, digital archives, and institutional archives. Drawing on feminist, rhetorical, indigenous, decolonial, and other perspectives, we will focus on what stories, social memories and public histories can be revealed through archival research, and just as importantly, what remains hidden, invisible, missing, absent, silenced, or excluded from archival collections. Students will learn how to engage in reciprocal and collaborative archival practices, reflect on questions of ethics and representation, and come to understand research as a lived process. Course projects may include exploring family and community archives, conducting oral histories, contributing to digital archives, and working with community organizations. Through this work, students will cultivate an appreciation for human diversity, one of SUA core values.