This course delves into discussions surrounding "difficult" heritages, "dark" tourism, and stories of conflict, pain, and shame explored by museums, exhibitions, and historic sites. It also explores the role cultural institutions and sites play in times of conflict and uncertainty. Classes will be structured around a series of questions such as: What is heritage? Who gets to decide what will be memorialized? What are the socio-political contexts in which stories are told? Who are the audiences for this work?

We will investigate evolving definitions as well as practices, ethics. and ideologies of curating and collecting, learning, and leadership of spaces and places sharing histories of war, genocide, oppression, inequality and on-going threats to survival. We will approach topics with criticality, curiosity, and empathy, working together to reflect upon museum and heritage professionals as not only stewards and storytellers, but also as active and powerful community builders and change agents.