Exhibition Opening
April 13, 2026, 2:15-3 pm
Foyer P2-P5, Philosophicum
Exhibition open April 13-17.
History of U.S. Democracy: Looking Back in Uncertain Times
Posters | Podcasts | Videos | Social Media Posts
250 years after the Declaration of Independence—in times when U.S. democracy is increasingly under scrutiny—it is essential to turn to its historical conceptions in order to understand current issues and trends. The student projects in this exhibition shed light on historical developments and current debates in U.S. democracy in a variety of media formats.
Topics include:
- History of populism
- Media and propaganda
- Free speech
- Women’s roles in U.S. democracy
- Language and democracy
The posters, podcasts, videos, and social media posts were produced by students of American Studies (M.A.) and English (M.Ed.) in the Cultural Studies course “The History of U.S. Democracy: Looking Back in Uncertain Times,” taught by Dr. Julia Velten. We are grateful to the Gutenberg Lehrkolleg (GLK) for funding the course as an innovative teaching project and thank the LeaF.Lab as well as the Zentrum für Audiovisuelle Produktion (ZAP) for their production support during the creation of the videos and podcasts. The exhibition is part of the Obama Institute event series on the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence “These Truths at 250”. Stay tuned for further event announcements.
Everyone welcome!
You can download the poster for the exhibition here.
