The Great War—A Century Later
The Century America Project is a digital history project that explores the experiences of 15 colleges and universities and their communities during World War I and the following year (1914-1919). Together, these colleges and their towns across the nation create a unique picture of the homefront experience in the United States during the Great War, including the impact of the Spanish influenza that followed.
Under the leadership of Dr. Jeffrey McClurken from the University of Mary Washington and Dr. Ellen Holmes Pearson from the University of North Carolina Asheville, undergraduate students from each COPLAC institution conducted archival research on their respective institutions and surrounding communities. After compiling the research, the students developed the website for their individual schools and communities to tell their Great War story (see list below). Each week, the students and professors joined a videoconference and conducted virtual classes, in which they discussed archival research, shared progress on their projects, and discussed larger issues of digital history. The project is a groundbreaking experiment with distance learning and digital history to commemorate the local impact of the Great War, 100 years later.
Participating Institutions and Students
Below is a list of the institutions that participated in this project, as well as the students who conducted research for his/her home institution. Please note that the links below go to the institutions’ websites, not the Century America sites.
Eastern Connecticut State University — Christos Stravoravdis
Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts — Alisia True
Midwestern State University — Joseph Hadwal and Laura Galbraith
New College of Florida — Joy Feagan and Kana Hummel
Shepherd University — James Horn
Southern Utah University — Colin Nimer
Truman State University — Jennifer Marks
University of Alberta, Augustana — James Hudec and Summer Roasting
University of Maine at Farmington — Ryan Sucy
University of Mary Washington — Candice Roland, Jack Hylan, Julia Wood, and Leah Tams
University of Minnesota, Morris — Britta Buchanan and Colm Macnab
University of Montevallo — Christopher Hightower
University of North Carolina Asheville — Ashley McGhee and Benjamin Jarrell
University of Virginia’s College at Wise — Dakota Stanley and Victoria Carter
University of Wisconsin-Superior — Dara Fillmore
