Drawing on museum collections in D.C., this course explores how visual images constructed, claimed, and sometimes contested identities across the geohistorical spectrum. Students consider how images convey identities tied to cultural conceptions about politics, religions, race, gender, disability, and sexuality and what such works teach us about visual strategies for conveying identity, past and present. Students analyze images comparatively, in a case-study approach across specific cultures. Individual and group projects develop critical thinking, writing, and presentation skills.