Artwork created for the Pandemic Histories Archive by Jeanette Hernandez (above, left) Laney Dang (above, right) and Alissa Thai (below).
“I just want the misinformation and blaming of specific races and minorities to stop because it … amounts to hate and stigmatization of people who, at the end of the day, are all human.”
— Catherine Pham, Spring 2021
“It was very difficult to adapt to living at home – all of my obligations felt purposeless because I felt a sense of detachment from the world and almost equivalent to nonexistence.”
— Alice Myung, Fall 2020
“By the will of the American people, there will be a new president on January 20, 2021. … These past years, especially this year, have drained my American pride and hope.”
— Isaac Gilbert Rubalcava, Spring 2021
Field study focuses on student reflections
Student reflections of a historic time — 2020-present — are being recorded and archived as part of the School of Social Ecology’s field study project that was created last year when the pandemic caused schools and businesses to shut down or limit activities. More than 180 students, who all have been trained in oral history and ethnographic techniques, have contributed to the project so far. 
Since the School was founded in 1970, every undergraduate has been required to participate in field study, doing 100 hours of service at one of more than 200 partner sites, which include nonprofit organizations, municipal agencies, local governments and businesses. The Pandemic Histories Archive project was developed through a collaboration between the School of Social Ecology, the UCI Libraries, and the Blum Center for Poverty Alleviation’s Compassion in Action program. It offers a unique option for students to meet their field study requirement. Their contributions include field notes about daily life, oral histories, photographs and videos and other files documenting the pandemic and social justice issues during this historic time.
Led by Susan Bibler Coutin, associate dean for academic programs and professor of criminology, law and society, Richard Matthew, associate dean of research and international programs, Blum Center director and professor of urban planning and public policy, and Vivianna Goh, a social ecology Ph.D. student, the project features a blog and it is part of the UCI Libraries archive collection. Elvia Arroyo-Ramirez, UCI Libraries assistant university archivist, and Thuy Vo Dang, archivist for the Southeast Asian Archive and Regional History in the UCI Libraries, collaborated with Coutin, Matthew and Goh, guiding students and helping make the project successful.
Throughout history, pandemics have had pervasive and enduring impacts on societies, Coutin and Matthew note. “In terms of its accelerated global reach, and the forceful responses it has triggered, COVID-19 is a novel experience for humankind, one that is causing considerable suffering and remarkable expressions of compassion, and that will likely catalyze many forms of social and behavioral change across the planet.”
In the U.S., COVID-19 has intersected with multiple forms of inequality and injustice, affecting people in dramatically different ways, they add. “It is important to record these diverse experiences, to be inclusive in assembling the historical record of this crisis, and to give future generations as complete an understanding of what happened as possible.”
Goh says the most rewarding part of the project has been empowering students to share their stories.
“For the past couple years, it's been too easy to normalize all the stressful, historic events we've been living through,” she says. “The Pandemic Histories Archive project has helped students understand the importance of their experiences. Some of our interns are essential workers, parents, international students, or part of other groups that have been severely impacted by the pandemic. Despite their hardships, they've been able to offer many positive insights and cherished moments in their archive submissions. I am so inspired by their resilience and creativity! I'm also grateful to work with Associate Deans Susan Coutin and Richard Matthew, who have shown so much compassion for our students. They make me feel proud to be a part of UCI's School of Social Ecology.”