EPOCH, UConn History Department
EPOCH (Engaged, Public, Oral and Community Histories) formalizes the History Department’s initiatives to promote engaged, public, oral and community histories. It fosters collaborative intellectual inquiry between students, faculty, and community-based organizations around a particular historical theme and through a number of training activities and deliverables. Training includes: exhibition design, label writing, oral history training, and dialog facilitation and moderation. Deliverables include exhibits, curriculum, free public lectures, community conversations, and panel discussions. EPOCH encourages students to share their work in a public forum, take informed action on a range of social justice issues, develop curricular resources for K-12 outreach, and partner with community organizations to address a particular theme. Faculty deliver public lectures and host panel discussions in community venues and via web-based platforms. EPOCH partners with organizations such public libraries, community colleges, churches, and social organizations to research and present free public programming and resources that engages historical and contemporary themes. Current areas of research include migration and housing.