HIST 340 - Doing Local History–Community-Based Learning in Elyria

FC SSCI CD

4 credits
This course offers students an opportunity to learn about and to practice doing local and community history in collaborative partnership with community partners in Elyria, Ohio. As part of the Lorain County Racial Equity Project, the class will focus on documenting, preserving, and communicating the history of race and housing in Elyria. The class will document where African Americans lived over the course of Elyria’s history and explore the factors that shaped neighborhood residential patterns, including economic class, migration, government policies, and environmental racism. We will also explore how historians can work collaboratively in documenting and researching histories that are relevant and useful for grassroots community organizations. Students will build a digital archive of historical materials, suggest sites for historical markers, and create a physical exhibit that tells the story of race and housing in Elyria. Field trip(s) required; class will include offsite visits to Elyria.

Community-Based Learning