Joy in the Mundane: Winter 2022
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As we entered into the third year of the pandemic, and all the anxiety and stress that go along with it, I thought a good theme for this semester's public history course would be "Joy in the Mundane." Personally, I have found the "new normal" of the pandemic to be disheartening and dispiriting. I had a hunch, that I was not the only one feeling this way. So, in order to push back against the negative thoughts and feelings and reclaim some inspiration, excitement, and wonder, I decided to select a theme which helps us find "Joy in the Mundane." The student groups this semester were tasked with selecting common, every-day items, and creating a digital public history project that recounted their histories. These objects are often overlooked, but have fascinating stories to tell, if we only look. I hope these student projects allow you to recapture the joy in the everyday as they have helped me break out of my funk.
Submissions from 2022
An Exploration of the Mailbox, Leila Al-Khatib, Lena Fiona Bern, Zohra Zekria, and Millicent Lin Jing Marchant
Dentistry, Shaqeel Azees and Nicholas Kablarevic
Dabbing in Dinnerware: An Extensive History of Dinnerware, Jordan Bhar, Sophie Walsh, Safiyyah Khan, and Junbo Cheng
The Microphone – A History of Innovation, Sameed Chaudhry, Adrian Giammaria Giammaria, and Tejeshwar Singh Kainth
Telephone, Joaquin Amico Cueto, Hexi Zhang, and Saifuddin Farooqi Mohammed
The History of Chocolate, Taylor Dafoe, Austin Ruffo, Rachel Ragbir, and Luna Kweder
The History of Hats: Hats Through Time, Russell David, Sufwan Khan, Alex (Bronwyn) Buckenroth, and Benjamin Lilly
Putting the Pep Back in Your Step: The History of the Running Shoe, Megan Devogelaere and Grace Beato
The Computer: From Concept To Commonplace, Mina Farrokhi, Thomas Tremblay, Rachael Sommerville, and Jessica McNea Dooley
Looking Beyond the Mundane World Of Mirrors, Austin Felhaber, Dania Brown, Ashfaq Quader, and Satvik Kathpal
The Internet: Public History Project, He Guan
The Camera: Capturing a Moment in Time, Puneet Kapoor, Ambar Kapoor, and Kathryn Venema
Coffee, Lily Kim and Grace Rockett
The Evolution of Cutlery – Quality to Simplicity, Keegan Pacheco and Spencer Lee
The Hidden History of Rubber Ducks from 1867-Present Time, Jessica Rao, Erin Brooksbank, Morgan Taraborrelli, and Zachary Henderson
The Bagels history and Importance in the Jewish Community, Chloe Ruggiero and Naumair Khilji
Public History Blog: A History of Climate Control, Benjamin Whelan
The History of Paper and its Relevancy in the Current Canadian Climate, Selina Withers, Madeline Rossell, Sitora Homidova, and Sohaila Ghoneim
A Brief History of Ice Cream Development, Yiwen Zhu, Manminder Brar, and Vinh Tran