Historical Memory Project: Ni Olivido, Ni Perdón
Professors Lydia Saravia and Susana Martínez worked with community partner Chicago Religious Leadership Network to examine the ways organized communities in Central America have worked with human rights groups in the US to document and understand past injustices. Students explored how local activists/artists participate in political movements and preserve historic memory, putting these lessons to work in a culminating and interactive public art event.
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DO SAY GAY: Banned Books and LGBTQ+ Freedoms
Professors Barrie Borich and Heather Montes Ireland partnered with Gerber/Hart LGBTQ+ Library and Archives to explore the role of LGBTQ+ libraries in preserving queer history and community. Students studied theory about censorship, LGBTQ+ rights, and democracy while reading banned books about LGBTQ+ lives and working towards a final, collaborative exhibition.
Experiencing Democracy in America
Professors David Lay Williams and Matt Maguire partnered with Alliance Française de Chicago to examine the role of Alexis de Tocqueville’s Democracy in America today. Students participated in civic activities across the quarter while conducting a close reading of Tocqueville’s text and working towards an end-of-quarter public panel with Tocqueville scholars and community archivists.
HX 2022-2023: Environmental Crisis & Action
China's Environmental Voices
Professors Li Jin and Phillip Stalley worked with community partner Sophia's Choice, to explore how Chinese artists, writers, and scholars have interpreted, portrayed, and confronted environmental degradation in China. Students hosted a public film-screening event and poster session, followed by a Q&A with the film's editor.
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Rivers of Life: Chicago's South Side and Its Waterways in Words and Images
Professors Steve Harp and Miles Harvey partnered Friends of the Chicago River to explore how people interact with the Calumet River System. Students made visits to the area, interviewed people who live and work there, and shot documentary photographs. The students hosted a gallery exhibit and opening event.
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Community-Centered Environmental Advocacy
Professors Tim Elliott and Danielle Vance-McMullen worked with the Active Transportation Alliance (ATA) and student teams to research, design, and pilot tactics to engage young people in advocacy for Big Marsh Park. Student teams presented their findings to ATA.
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HX 2021-2022: Immigration and Migration
Sharing Their Stories: Latinx Immigrant Activist' Oral Histories
Professors Amy Tyson and Chris Solis Green worked with the Brighton Park Neighborhood Council (BPNC) to conduct a series of oral histories with community organizers and Latinx immigrant activists. Students then edited these oral histories into a digital and print anthology.
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Geographies of Displacement: Migration and Immigration in Atomic-Age Art
Professors Yuki Miyamoto and Kerry Ross worked with the Japanese Arts Foundation (JAF) to create a student-driven art exhibit featuring handmade floating lanterns. The exhibit and subsequent floating lantern ceremony investigated the ways art has been used to negotiate identity in the Atomic Age.
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Children Seeking Asylum: Creating Digital Media to Support Human Rights
Professors Maria Ferrera and Chi-Jang Yin worked with the Midwest Human Rights Consortium (MHRC) to create videos explaining MHRC's work conducting forensic analyses for the benefit of asylum-seekers in the U.S. The 3- to 5-minute student videos are featured on
MHRC's new website.