War, Trauma, and the Humanities Events:
Patrick Russel
"War and Trauma"
November 6, 2017
Join Patrick Russell, founder and director of The Making History Project, for a discussion of soldier's stories, from the coast of France to the Middle East.
Inspired by a visit to Omaha Beach in Normandy, France in 2010, Russell collects oral histories of veterans and archives them with the U.S. Library of Congress. Through his work, he gives veterans an opportunity to talk about the ways in which their experiences of combat have affected them while preserving their stories for future generations. Russell plans to expand the project to include stories from the Korean War, Iraq, and Afghanistan as well.
A Reading by R.M. Ryan
November 14, 2017
Join poet and memoirist R. M. Ryan for a reading from his memoir, There's a Man With a Gun Over There, an autobiographical novel based on his military experiences.
An antiwar activist while in graduate school, Ryan received a draft notice after the Tet Offensive in 19683. Opposed to the war, he considered moving to Canada until an army recruiter promised him a place in a German language class at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California. When he graduated as a translator, he was sent to Military Police School, a decision that kept him physically out of harm's way but caused severe and unexpected emotional consequences.
About his book, Ryan offers: "All of us men with guns were pretty scary ... even scarier is the realization that most of the people who come through the American military are trained killers. These people are your neighbors. They're your relatives ... We need to face up to what we're doing, both to peasants in the Third World and to our own children."
Veterans Speak: A Town Hall Event
Hosted by Kevin Smith, GSU Director of Veterans Affairs
December 4, 2017
Five student veterans, along with Professors Rosemary Johnsen and Andrae Marak, lead a discussion on how engaging war-related humanities sources enables veterans to make connections with their own experiences and to help others better understand war's impact on those who serve.
Regional and national news and information about the War, Trauma, and the Humanities grant:
New GSU Program Enlists Arts to Combat PTSD
Alumna Creates Course to Offer Better Understanding of War Experience
National Endowment for the Humanities Grant Awards and Offers
Veterans Act as Team Leaders in Discussions About War, Trauma, and the Humanities During the Dialogues on the Experiences of War Course