The seminar explores the interplay of the arts, popular culture and civic life. It will draw on studies in art, history, philosophy, literature, sociology, and photography.  Among the questions we will address are: How is historical memory constructed, and what are the competing forces that shape it?  What is the significance of public apologies, and does solidarity create moral responsibilities for historical injustices?  What accounts for impulse to control and censor the arts? How is cultural domination exerted, and how is it resisted?  In what ways does rhetoric shape politics, and what role does it play in national narratives?  Why does the contest to control images loom so large in politics and in our everyday lives?