Meet the Summer Session B Interns

A monument, a controversial legal maneuver, an oral history: all three have provided the jumping off points for exploring the past for bright History students enrolled in HIST 398, the History Undergraduate Internship, this Summer Session B. As they earn three credit hours and satisfy Loyola’s Engaged Learning requirement, these students are working closely with faculty and public historians to apply the skills they learned in the classroom to real world projects. Read on to learn more about their projects – and then visit their blogs to learn about their experiences in their own words!

Have you ever wondered about the history behind the Marytr’s Wall that runs in front of Madonna della Strada to the right of the IC in the East Quad? It commemorates the murder of six Jesuits, their housekeeper, and her daughter in El Salvador twenty-five years ago this November. In preparation for a major commemoration at Loyola, Kendyl Berger is working with Prof Dina Berger this summer researching their lives this summer. Follow Kendyl's blog to learn more about these brave men and women and the opportunities and challenges she has faced in researching this important topic.

A group of Catholic radicals broke into a Federal building with the intention of stealing and burning draft cards in 1971, were photographed by an undercover FBI agent, and when they came to trial were… acquitted. The Camden 28, as this group came to be known, is the subject of Professor Michelle Nickerson’s new book and Juan Basadre’s HIST 398 internship. Juan, who is planning on applying for law school, is studying the legal strategy of Jury Nullification, the power of a criminal or civil jury to acquit the defendant even against overwhelming evidence to the contrary. Follow Juan’s blog to learn more about this fascinating and controversial legal concept and how he has gone about researching legal history.

Can you imagine what it must have been like to be a Japanese-American soldier serving your country overseas in World War 2 while your family has been forced into an Internment Camp back home? This is just one of the many experiences that Gabe Berenson is uncovering as an intern at the Pritzker Military Library. His blog recounts the oral histories with veterans from many different wars that he has been transcribing. Through their experience we learn about such important issues as the Veteran’s Administration, the impact of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, and the danger of - and sacrifices that one has to make in - wartime. Gabe also shares his thoughtful insight into how this experience is helping him grow as a historian.

What will your internship experience be? There is plenty of time to arrange an internship for the Fall 2014 semester. Contact Prof Kyle Roberts (kroberts2@luc.edu) for more information.