Project Summary

In 2023, Dr. Janneken Smucker and Dr. Bob Kodosky along with five West Chester University History students travelled to Saarbrucken, Germany, to participate in a 4-institution collaborative week-long immersive study of war, trauma, and memory. Participating institutions were West Chester University, University of Saarland, Ukrainian Catholic University, and Petro Mohyla Black Sea National University. The students worked in groups comprised of one American, one German, and two Ukrainians on oral history/ digital storytelling projects centered on the Russian War in Ukraine. Many of the oral histories were conducted with individuals in Ukraine and some with refugees as part of the Ukrainian diaspora. The interviews were conducted in Ukrainian or English.