Community-Engaged Course Name: English 304W: Creativity and Conflict – Literature of The Great War

 

Community Partner: Virginia War Museum

 

Course Description: English 304W in Spring 2024 forged a unique partnership with the Virginia War Museum to deepen our literary studies of WWI with archival research on the WWI history of Newport News. Students worked in the archive of the VWM to identify WWI-era artifacts from Newport News and build an interactive map of the city based on a 1919 map in the collection.  Integrating archival research with historical context, transatlantic WWI literature, and studies on commemoration, students discovered, read, and synthesized original materials that mutually reinforced their study of wartime literature.  Our map, which will soon be available via City of Newport News Parks and Recreation, will help visitors and residents see the dynamic changes that the war boom brought to the City of Newport News.