Oceania in Oregon

INSTRUCTOR INFO

Lagipoiva Jackson

chejack@pdx.edu

COURSE CRN

• Spring 2026

  • 63729

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Narratives of Pacific Islanders in Oregon is a storytelling-focused Capstone that explores Pacific Islander histories, migration, cultural continuity, and contemporary presence across Oregon. Meeting twice a week, the course is designed as a hands-on learning experience grounded in Pacific cultural protocol, consent, care, and ethical representation.

Students learn directly from Pacific Islander elders, practitioners, and cultural experts through guided conversations, demonstrations, and story-sharing sessions that model relational accountability and community-based knowledge practices. The course trains students in multiple storytelling avenues and formats, including short-form oral histories (audio clips drawn from respectful interviews), portrait photography with community-approved captions, a visual heritage wall combining images and interpretive text (bilingual where possible), and a diaspora map that situates stories within place, movement, and community networks. Across the term, students draft, workshop, and revise narrative pieces and exhibition components, building skills in interviewing, audio storytelling, photography, narrative writing, and curation. The culminating project is a public-facing exhibition and digital showcase that brings these stories together in accessible formats, ensuring students leave the course with a strong portfolio and a deeper understanding of Pacific Islander narratives in Oregon.

CONTACT INFO

Lagipoiva Jackson, chejack@pdx.edu