Chicago & Elkhart County
Course Descriptions
GLST 251: Cultural Perspectives
From Chicago to Amish Country (3 credits, local)
This course is based in Goshen, but includes several days in Chicago and day trips to locations from South Bend to Shipshewana. Encounter various religious and ethnic groups, their histories and the global immigration stories that shape this region beyond just today’s politics. You may learn new things about your own borders and crossings as well.
GLST 271: Community Engaged Learning
Latino and Other Ethnic Community Histories (3 credits, local)
We will study oral and public history methodologies and practice the important skills of interviewing as we help our local Goshen Historical Society collect the stories of the Latino community and other groups. To gain practice and perspective, students will first study relevant literature and reflect on insider-outsider positions.
This course is offered every spring semester. It is taught by Julia Schiavone Camacho. It is not represented in the program overview below because it does not require travel or additional fees.
Program Overview
What you can expect to see/learn/do. . .
Chicago to Amish Country
In Pakistani diners, Swedish churches, Puerto Rican radio stations and Amish shops, we will reflect on migration, ethnicity and religion beyond the current headlines. We’ll look at how newcomers from all over the globe have shaped America’s heartland. You might get to try on a sari when we visit with Indian and Pakistani businesswomen or quiz an Amish shop owner about running a business off the grid.
Latino Community Histories
- Practice interviewing older people you know.
- Work with small groups of peers on shared projects.
- Conduct interviews with local business owners of a different culture or ethnicity from your own; or research the local history of an ethnic group other than your own.
- Help the Goshen Historical Society represent our town’s diverse stories and document local and regional history.