The Secret Life of Flags
Taught by Casey Wolf
Casey Wolf is a geography buff who grew up down the street from the largest flag manufacturer in the country. She spent four years in Minnesota as a student of film, media, and body heat retention at Carleton College. Back in her native New Jersey, she teaches children how to swim, takes care of other people's doggies, and stage manages/ushers for an historic movie palace.
Perhaps a nation's most potent tool for inspiring a sense of belonging, solidifying national identity, and reducing Olympic athletes to sobs, flags use (mostly) graphic language to present the history and culture of a people to the international stage. But unless we find out more about the symbolism and stories portrayed in the flags of other countries, it's just a lot of pretty colors blowing around in Rockefeller Center. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
We will discuss how revolutions, legends, empire-building, and movements like Pan-Africanism and Pan-Arabism have all left their mark on current national flags. Improve your global geography and learn the stories behind the flags of our world, from Kiribati to Kyrgyzstan!
No need to be a vexillologist, or someone devoted to the scientific study of flags. Anyone curious is welcome!
