Instructor: Christina Smith

Christina Smith
 Biography:

Christina Lea Smith holds a master's degree in Library and Information Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She also completed her master's degree in history from Illinois State University in 2015. Her thesis, titled "Joseph Addison Turner: The Countryman and Confederate Nationalism," won the 2015 James C. Bonner Award for the best master's thesis. Christina has published an article titled "Elizabeth Parsons Wade Packard's Challenge of True Womanhood" in the peer-reviewed Journal of Illinois History.

Christina has been teaching for over twenty years at various colleges in Illinois. Her areas of focus include nineteenth-century American history and Civil War seminars. She is also a volunteer instructor for Bradley University's Osher for Lifelong Learning Institute. Christina often speaks at historical societies, women's groups, and other associations.

Courses by this instructor


Advanced Microsoft Excel

Advanced Microsoft Excel
Topics include working with charts, intermediate conditional formatting, multiple worksheets and workbooks; comments and notes, sharing and protecting workbooks, data validation and using VLOOKUP and HLOOKUP functions.
Friday, May 8, 2026, WDC*D122

Beginning Microsoft Excel

Beginning Microsoft Excel
Excel has become the backbone that powers many organizations. Build your Excel skills in a half-day workshop for beginners.
Friday, April 10, 2026, WDC*D122

Grand Army of the Republic

The Grand Army of the Republic will become the dominant Union veteran organization in the post-bellum period. Although the post-Civil War period will have numerous fraternal orders with large memberships, the GAR will seek out only those who call themselves "veterans." This class will look into the membership, rituals, order and discipline, and national encampments. We will analyze the GAR's membership and popularity declines and later massive growth as its mission shifts to promote pensions. Finally, the class will take an in-depth look how the GAR sought to define American patriotism through the school textbook, the flag, and monument dedications.
Friday, May 8, 2026, WDC*D123

Intermediate Microsoft Excel

Intermediate Microsoft Excel
Learn how to manipulate large worksheets; use multiple worksheets and workbooks; customize Excel; apply advanced formatting; use Excel as a list manager; perform advanced charting options; use auditing and comments features; and create and manage templates.
Friday, April 24, 2026, WDC*D122

Photography and the Civil War

Photography was coming of age during the American Civil War. Mathew Brady and other photojournalists brought the carnage, suffering and sacrifice of war to the home front. Soldiers posed in their uniforms to send final mementoes home to their loved ones. Lastly, photography documented the war from beginning to end with huge impacts to the nation's morale. This class examines how photography was used during the war not only for news propaganda and documenting the ravages of war, but also in remembering and memorializing the dead.
Friday, April 10, 2026, WDC*D123

The Role Animals Played in the Civil War

Animals played very important roles during the American Civil War. Some animals were pets, such as dogs, provided soldiers with a feeling of calm and a connection to home; while other pets, such as hens, provided soldiers with fresh eggs. Animals, such as mules and horses, also played an instrumental role in military operations. Without these animals, cavalry soldiers and artillery regiments would not have been successful in their duties. This class examines the role that animals played during battlefield campaigns, in camps, and on the long march to battle. Explore the regimental mascots, the horses of famous Generals, and learn more about these courageous animals and the soldiers who cared for them by attending this class.
Friday, April 24, 2026, WDC*D123