Professor helps students record Harrisonburg's rich immigration and refugee history

Contact Information

Mary Gayne

Contact Details

gaynemk@jmu.edu

Description

Professor Mary Gayne is guiding students as they participate in a long-term project involving the diverse immigrant population in Harrisonburg. She challenged her general education history students to dive into the community and begin to document the history of immigration and resettlement. The process began with 5 weeks of extensive reading and gathering 600+ articles to develop a timeline, and that lead to the creation of a website and a public event on campus. Gayne encouraged the students to be innovative with the construction of the website and to reach out to administrators and other faculty members to establish support and funds for the event.

Web Presence

https://www.jmu.edu/news/academic-affairs/2017/5-29-mary-gayne.shtml

Involvement

Involves Students, Involves Faculty

Scope

Hburg/Local/VA

Date

The group is looking at 50 years of immigration and refugee resettlement from 1970-2020. (The project is scheduled to conclude in 2020)

Frequency

Ongoing (Currently in existence, year round)

Primary Focus of Program

Cultural Institutions and Programs

Areas of Engagement

Community Engagement, Engaged Learning

Format

Research Project