DPH SMC

We've Been Here Since 1844: Queer History At SMC

Students in HIST 392: Doing History: Oral and Public History researched college archival documents and engaged in oral history interviewing before curating an exhibit on the college's queer history. The Doing History course is aimed at familiarizing students with what historians do to tell stories: from finding excellent primary sources to creating a visual culture analysis, along with contributing to an original oral history project stored at a local archive.

HUST 220 Class Session

Photo taken during a class session of HUST 220, Fall 2022.

The Actual Things They Carried

In Tim O'Brien's novel, The Things They Carried, a collection of stories about U.S. soldiers' experiences during the Vietnam War, he focuses on the importance of inanimate objects. Often, the objects the soldiers carried with them helped them preserve their own truths and sense of identity as they grappled with the toils of warfare in the jungles of Vietnam. These objects and stories they tell often vary by the mission, superstition, necessity, and the soldiers' total awe for the things they carry.

Sharing Stories from 1977

Sharing Stories from 1977 joins historians and technologists who share a strong interest in women's ways of engaging the political world. Our project documents and preserves the stories of NWC participants through biographies, oral histories, historical ephemera, demographic mapping, and interpretive essays.

Listening to Pandemic Narratives 2 Podcast Episode

Over the past two years, doctors Jamie Wagman and Julia Dauer from Saint Mary’s College collected local stories of those impacted by the worldwide Covid-19 pandemic. Last year, they gave a public presentation with clips from some of the narrators who graciously shared their stories. They did it again this past September at the Saint Joseph County Public Library with new narrators sharing a different set of stories. We shared the first presentation as a special on this feed last year, and we’re doing so again now. The full versions of these oral histories are preserved and accessible through the Civil Rights Heritage Center’s archives, and today we share the most recent public presentation. This episode was produced by Jamie Wagman and Julia Dauer from Saint Mary’s College, and Nathalie Villalobos and George Garner from the Indiana University South Bend Civil Rights Heritage Center.

Dr. Julia Dauer Recording Covid-19 Oral History Podcast

Dr. Jamie Wagman Recording Covid-19 Oral History Podcast

Transgender in the Heartland: Transitioning and Seeking Community in Middle America

Dr. Jamie Wagman and history students contributed to Women and Social Movements in the United States, 1600-2000, with an oral history project focused on the experiences of people who transitioned in midlife. It was published in 2020 and includes 20 oral histories, a document list, an introduction and abstract, photos and one video.

Covid-19 Oral History Project Website

In the spring of 2021, students in HIST 392: Doing History contributed to IUPUI's Covid-19 Oral History project: The Covid-19 Oral History Project is a rapid response oral history focused on archiving the lived experience of the Covid-19 epidemic. This project has been designed so that professional researchers and the broader public can create and upload their oral histories to our database. All the data that participants collect and produce will be open access, open source and shared with researchers and the public through the IUPUI Library and the Covid-19 Archive. The dataset will serve as 1) an historical archive that compiles oral histories about the experience of living through the Covid-19 pandemic. 2) a tool that allows individuals and communities to express their understandings, hopes, beliefs, and values about the Covid-19 pandemic. 3) a resource to help researchers, policy makers, activists, artists, and communities interpret and respond to current and future pandemics.

Collection of Covid-19 Oral Histories

Oral histories done by Saint Mary's College faculty and the Indiana University South Bend Civil Rights Heritage Center.

Saint Mary’s event highlights South Bend’s Covid-19 Struggles

Article written by Katelyn Waldschmidt published in The Observer on Oct. 5, 2022.

SMC professors showcase research on South Bend’s pandemic experience

Article written by Samantha Gebert published in The Observer on Sept. 14, 2023.

Jake Webster Studio Visit (6)

Students from Curatorial Studies visit Jake Webster in his studio in Elkhart, IN.

Jake Webster Studio Visit (5)

Students assist Jake Webster prepare his work for transportation.

Jake Webster Studio Visit (4)

Students assist Jake Webster prepare his work for transportation.

Jake Webster Studio Visit (3)

Students assist Jake Webster prepare his work for transportation.

Jake Webster Studio Visit (2)

Students from Curatorial Studies visit Jake Webster in his studio in Elkhart, IN.

Jake Webster Studio Visit (1)

Students from Curatorial Studies visit Jake Webster in his studio in Elkhart, IN.

Preparing Webster Installation (2)

Students work to set up "Come Talk With Me: The Art of Jake Webster" in Moreau Gallery.

Preparing Webster Installation (1)

Students work to set up "Come Talk With Me: The Art of Jake Webster" in Moreau Gallery.