Comp Lit 60AC: "(Re)Making American History"

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About the Course Assignment

Since Spring 2019, Dr. Palau has taught and continues to teach Comparative Literature 60AC: “(Re)making American History,” a course that explores Post-Civil Rights (re)makings of American History by studying works by writers and artists who participate in the urgent project of producing alternative and corrective visions of the United States’ past. The creative project in this course asks students to experiment actively with (re)making history themselves by selecting a course material that would serve as a starting point to explore and lift a subaltern history through a creative project that ranges from anything like a comic book to a podcast.

Examples of Student Projects
Screenshot of the Scenes of Subjugation website

“Scenes of Subjugation” Website

A website designed to highlight and (re)define what the “Quintessential American” is through historical moments where people of color were not seen as American. Inspired by several of the course’s texts and material, the group leveraged social media like Instagram to tell the story of those who are often left out of whitewashed history books.

screenshot of asian american website

“Asian American” Website

Developed by a group of Asian American students, this website sought to explore and “revisit” the birth of the Asian American Political Alliance at UC Berkeley and its legacy for Asian American students on campus today. The site features a mosaic of different mediums, ranging from interviews with original strikers and those who have inherited the legacy of AAPA to poetry written by one of the students.

"Sitting on Stolen Land" City of Berkeley Transit Sign

"Sitting on Stolen Land" Podcast

'Sitting in Stolen Land' is a five-part podcast series, developed by undergraduate students in Comparative Literature 60AC, that discusses issues and struggles of Native American communities on and around the UC Berkeley campus related to indigenous rights. Episode topics include federal recognition, The Sogorea Te Land Trust, the Residential Development in West Berkeley, and land acknowledgment.

Student stands in front of UC Berkeley West Crescent Entrance

"Unearthing Homelessness in Berkeley, California" Website

Exploring the historical timeline of homelessness in Berkeley, CA enabled a group of students in Comparative Literature 60AC to recover the lost history of those impacted by homelessness and retell subaltern stories. 

Illustration of Oski Bear that representing how those in power may attempt to bury histories and fail to recognize them full

Twitter Page to Facilitate Conversation About Forgotten Histories

A group of students created a Twitter page to facilitate online conversation about and "reopen" campus histories that may have been forgotten.

More Case Studies
Photograph of Karina Palau

Karina Palau 

Instructor, Comparative Literature

Topics

I wanted an assignment that would get students to bring the concepts that we studied to their world and their experience.
Karina Palau
The creativeness of the project was invaluable…you’re able to turn on all these extra ideas in your head. You’re thinking about things outside of the box from different perspectives...that combined with being able to discuss it was invaluable.
Student
The creative project in this course represents a much more personalized form of education for me. It’s akin to strengthening one of my creative muscles and of a practice that makes me more aware of racial inequity and types of discrimination. So carrying out the project over the course of the semester has definitely strengthened that muscle, a muscle that’s always been there… and it definitely continued to grow this semester!
Student