HWS News
25 November 2025 Tracing Sovereignty in Washington, D.C.
A new bidisciplinary course brings students face-to-face with the national symbols and stories that shape collective memory.
To find out how history becomes memory — and memory becomes power — 16 students in BIDS 251 “Sovereignty: Politics, Power and the People” headed to Washington, D.C. on Nov. 14 for an immersive weekend of learning.
Part of Hobart and William Smith’s “Matters of Memory” project, led by Professor Matthew Crow, chair of the Department of History and director of Law and Society, the weekend visit was designed to show students how national institutions construct historical memory — and how those narratives shape identity.
The class visited the Library of Congress, the oldest federal cultural institution, and the National Museum of African American History and Culture. A Smithsonian Institution on the National Mall, colloquially known as “the Blacksonian,” the museum is devoted to African American history and culture.
“It was the most amazing museum I think I have ever been to,” says Jade Miranda ’28.
A double major in media and society and politics from Los Angeles, Miranda says the class trip was her first occasion to visit the capital. “I’ve never really traveled except for coming here for college,” Miranda says. “The class is based on sovereignty and how power interacts with the people, but being able to see it firsthand, visit monuments and see things I’ve only read about here on campus was really impactful.”
The experience reflects the broader goals of “Matters of Memory: Confronting Conflicting Narratives in a Small American City,” a program launched this fall and supported by a $500,000 Andrew W. Mellon Foundation grant awarded to HWS earlier this year. Directed by Crow, the interdisciplinary curriculum is being developed to include team-taught courses, community-engaged honors research and student-driven capstone projects examining the role of memory in civic life. The program also includes cultural visits like this one.
Whether we realize it or not, memory is an evolving force, Crow says. “We’re examining the theme of memory and how it shapes what we think of as history, and so what we think of as politically important and possible.”
The trip gave students an opportunity to observe these themes for themselves, says Morgan Wagner ’27, a double major in history and politics. “It was a great way to bond as a class, connect and reflect on how our own lives tie into this feeling of sovereignty in everyday life.”
For Miranda, who ultimately plans to go to law school, understanding the past is important so she can make a positive impact in the future.
“My parents came from Mexico and El Salvador, and I’m a first-generation college student as well,” she says. “It’s important for me to be knowledgeable and deliberate. This class explores a lot of norms in our current society we live by and often follow without much thought.”
Top: On a November visit to Washington D.C., students from "BIDS 251: Sovereignty: Politics, Power and the People” tour the Thomas Jefferson library exhibit at the Library of Congress.
