Christopher von Nagy: Shared history program – public history, museum, or oral history
Title
Shared history program – Public history, museum, or oral history
Mentor
Department
Biosketch
Christopher von Nagy, Ph.D., is interested in the multi-faceted public communication of the humanities, the ways in which humanities research is and can be interpreted to diverse audiences, and how various communities use and understand sites, monuments, and stories. He is a practicing anthropological archaeologist and public historian. He works with students and communities to develop, represent, and collaboratively interpret the oral and documentary historical record — written and material. He currently teaches public history, museum studies, museum education, and digital and spatial history courses. As head of the Shared History program of the Department of History, he oversees an oral history program that began in the 1960s as the University of Â鶹ӳ» Oral History Program and continues today collecting stories from Â鶹ӳ»’s communities. He is involved in applied history initiatives, currently serving as the co-director of the state and grant-funded Racist Covenants Research project which examines historical housing discrimination and its contemporary legacy in Â鶹ӳ». Von Nagy has extensive international archival, archaeological, and geo-archaeological research experience in Mesoamerica, including research in Yucatan, Guatemala, Tabasco, Chiapas, Guerrero, Zacatecas and Mexico City. Von Nagy has taught at both university and secondary levels and has a particular interest in place-based and experiential learning. He is a trained Montessori adolescent educator in addition to holding a doctoral degree in anthropology from Tulane University with a focus on the Indigenous history and prehistory of Mesoamerica. Von Nagy received a bachelor of arts degree from the University of California, Berkeley with a focus on environmental archaeology and has experience as a data scientist on climate science projects.
Project overview
There are several projects students can become involved with. Interested students should indicate which particular project they’d like to work on.
Project 1: Got Armageddon?
This project examines the multifaceted responses by government and civil society to the threat of nuclear annihilation during the height of the Cold War. This exhibit project takes as its point of departure Civil Defense at the Â鶹ӳ» (Lincoln Hall had a fallout shelter), civil society responses in historical Western Germany through the Atomkraft, Nein Danke movement, anti-nuclear manga comics in Japan, Indigenous Shoshone land resistance in Â鶹ӳ», and hands-on museum education on nuclear matters. The project involves historical research, exhibit writing and graphical design, and the design and construction of physical and digital interactives. Students are expected to contribute to archival research, exhibit writing like labels and panels, and will have the opportunity to develop digital skills in the graphic arts (e.g. Adobe Illustrator), page layout, photographic enhancement, and the development of digital interactives. Students will also have the opportunity to develop exhibit-related production skills and the development of physical interactives.
Project 2: Racist covenants research project
This project employs Graphic Information System (GIS), database, artificial intelligence, and traditional archival historical methodologies to document past patterns of legal and contractual racial discrimination in the state of Â鶹ӳ», historical anti-racist movements, and the multiple historical legacies of both. The public communication of the project through the web, social media, apps, and K-12 curriculum development are facets of this project. Students are expected to develop and practice archival, database, and GIS research skills, practice writing for a broad audience, and potentially help with outreach (e.g. public speaking).
Project 3: Community and home oral history project
This project is part of the aforementioned racist covenants research project but collects and examines the memories and stories held by Â鶹ӳ»’s diverse communities about “community” and “home.” The project interviews citizens, community organizers, civil society leaders, and decision makers on the topic of community, home, and historical experience. Oral history work includes learning to and practicing video interview skills, video and audio post processing, transcription, and documentary production. A willingness to learn oral history related interpersonal and technical skills, practice writing for scholarly and popular audiences, and an ability to self-manage and commit to support the efforts of the team are expected.
Project 4: You can’t live here exhibit
This exhibit presents the history and stories associated with Â鶹ӳ»’s historical legacy of early to late mid twentieth century racial discrimination as documented by the Racist Covenants Research Project and Shared History’s Community and Home Oral History Project. The project involves historical research, exhibit writing and graphical design, and the design and construction of a portable exhibit for exhibition at various locations in Â鶹ӳ». The design and printing of marketing material (print and digital) for the exhibit form another aspect of this project.
Project 5: Counter cultures oral history project
This project seeks to capture the voices of Northern Â鶹ӳ»’s youth and the region’s various cultures and counter cultures. This is a student-initiated project we would like to continue. Interested applicants should have a willingness to learn oral history technical skills like interpersonal interviewing, writing for scholarly and popular audiences, and an ability to self-manage and commit to support the efforts of the team.
Project 6: The incubator
The Shared History program in the Department of History hosts public historical and oral historical student-initiated projects. Our goal is to support and encourage undergraduate and graduate students at the Â鶹ӳ» to undertake professional projects reflecting their own scholarly interests. Example projects include the “Sierra Ski History” oral history project and the “What is Reno Food” oral history project. A willingness to adhere to the expectations of the Incubator program, to self-manage and commit to support the efforts of internal and community collaborators is expected. Skill sets vary depending on the nature of the project; however, students can expect to hone research skills, develop interpersonal (e.g. interviewing, observation) and technical skills, and master project management tools as a result of co-developing an incubator project with Shared History.
Pack Research Experience Program information and application