Online World War II studies program expands reach with hybrid memory and monuments course
Fourteen graduate students in ASU history programs alongside ASU faculty and museum staff in the Madlyn and Paul Hilliard Research Library at the National World War II Museum in New Orleans.
Monuments are often used to memorialize significant events — they help us honor the past, connect with history and, oftentimes, create collective memory moving forward.
Over spring break, 14 students in Arizona State University's School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies traveled to Washington, D.C., and New Orleans through a special section of WWS 569: Memory and Monuments. Participants spent four days each in the nation’s capital and New Orleans, visiting memorials, touring museums and engaging in discussions to prepare them for the subsequent spring Session B course.
“I do think that this class is a lot more meaningful with this experience under our belts,” said Alisha Downs, a student in the online World War II studies master’s degree program. “And even some of the monuments that we’re reading about now for class, it’s a lot easier to conceptualize them.”
In Washington, D.C., students spent four days examining the representation of World War II and other major historical events through memorials. They visited tributes such as the World War II Memorial, Arlington National Cemetery, the Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial and the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, exploring the intention behind symbols included on structures, along with how portrayal of information, art style representation and even the location of these tributes in relation to other monuments and landmarks affects their impact.
The majority of students in attendance were in the online WWII studies program, though some attendees were in other online and in-person ASU history graduate programs.
“It was so nice seeing all of my peers who have lived such different lives but also love history as much as I do,” Downs said. “It was neat hearing what history and World War II meant to them, and I think I got a lot from them just as much as I did from the professors.”
In addition to viewing the monuments themselves, the trip allowed students to experience how visitors interact with, and react to, these tributes. One of the most memorable moments, Downs said, was seeing physical evidence of how visitors were drawn to a statue of FDR at his memorial. The first monument at the site, she said, was a bronze statue of Roosevelt.
“His shoulder is completely smoothed out and lightened because so many people have put their hands on his shoulder as they walk by,” Downs said. “It makes you emotional thinking about it.”
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The Study USA group visits the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Museum in Washington, D.C., with Gen. Ben Freakley and Ambassador Michael Polt from ASU's Leadership, Diplomacy and National Security Lab.
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Students and faculty explore Arlington National Cemetery with John Fenzel, president and CEO of Heroes' Path Foundation.
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The Study USA group pauses for a group photo on the lawn of Arlington House overlooking Arlington National Cemetery and the Washington Monument.
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Students and faculty visit the Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial depicting Eisenhower addressing troops on D-Day.
After their time in Washington, the group traveled to New Orleans for four days at the National World War II Museum, an exclusive partner of ASU’s Online Master of Arts in World War II studies.
Along with tours throughout the museum’s campus, students were able to interact with exhibit spaces, curators and artifacts far beyond what everyday visitors typically experience. The group spoke with one of the museum’s creators, Gordon H. “Nick” Mueller; attended lectures from some of the leading authors and historians of the war; and participated in a symposium on General George S. Patton, one of the most well-known and controversial commanders of World War II.
“I think when you go to museums on your own, it’s a bit different,” said Nicanor Ramirez, a student in the history doctoral program, adding that faculty can provide additional context and point out details that may otherwise go unnoticed. “It really changes the way you experience them, and it will change the way I experience them going forward.”
This trip is the most recent in the school’s programming that bridges the gap between online learning and in-person experiences, creating unique opportunities for students to engage in their education in innovative ways. It joins the Scotland Archive Experience, a two-week program for online history master’s degree students to conduct archival research in Edinburgh, Scotland.
“The on-ground experience is a unique opportunity to have our students not only interact with each other, but also with ASU faculty from both the Tempe campus and D.C. as well as our partners at the National WWII Museum,” said Yan Mann, World War II studies program lead. “Our goal is to make this a regular part of the Memory and Monuments course moving forward.”