| The Archive Pedagogy Project began in 2005, when Marilyn Francus began to teach advanced undergraduates the conventions of working with and understanding of rare texts. A 2006 Eberly College of Arts and Sciences Summer Development Grant supported Marilyn Francus's research in the West Virginia University Rare Book Room and the development of modular exercises for students. A 2017 Eberly College of Arts and Sciences Summer Humanities Grant supported Christopher Urban's later reconstruction and updating of the site. As a result, the Archive Pedagogy project has now grown into a resource for faculty to integrate archival pedagogy in their courses, and stands to continue development through instructional use and feedback. We hope you will help by sharing any feedback you might have. |
This site features four types of exercises and an assignment archive
- A transcription/editing exercise, in which students are given a passage from a 16th-, 17th-, 18th or 19th-century text, general information regarding the older conventions of spelling and punctuation, and a series of questions to consider. Then students transcribe the passage and edit it–-which requires students to think through issues of language, editorial conventions, and annotation. Finally, students write a brief (1-2 page) essay in which they develop a thesis about the passage and/or editing practices. The texts are available to faculty electronically through Early English Books Online and scans that the library has provided.
- An illustration exercise, in which students analyze illustrations from texts from the 17ththrough 20th centuries. (Formal knowledge of art history is not required). The students are given prompt questions regarding the style and composition of the illustration, the relationship between the illustration and the text, and illustration as a form of interpretation. These prompts focus student thinking on the meaning(s) of illustration in cultural practice so that students can develop their ideas about illustration and apply them to a variety of contexts. Students then write a brief (1-2 page) essay in which they develop a thesis about the illustration and/or illustration practices. The illustrations are available to faculty electronically through scans that the library has provided.
- A material culture exercise, in which students analyze a book as a physical object, subject to technologies of book production and marketing. Prompt questions are provided to encourage students to think about the physical aspects of the text (size, paper, cover composition), marketing (advertisements for the publisher and the author), and textual devices (dedications, prefaces, and so on)—all of which affect audience reception before purchase. In so doing, the exercise works towards student recognition of the text as an object that was produced by a particular technology and marketed with a specific audience in mind. Students are then asked to write a brief (1-2 page) essay in which they develop a thesis about the text – either as a physical object, or as evidence of the book in its cultural moment. Images of the texts for this exercise are available to faculty electronically through scans that the library has provided.
- An edition exercise, in which students compare two editions of the same work. Longfellow’s “Hiawatha,” Twain’s Huckleberry Finn, Malone’s editions of Shakespeare, Pope’s “Rape of the Lock,” and Ben Jonson’s The Alchemist are signal instances from the Rare Book collection. Students are asked to compare and contrast passages and aspects of the two editions in order to draw their attention towards editorial choices (regarding both primary text and critical apparatus), textual stability over time, and the marketing of a text to a particular audience. Students are then asked to write a brief (1-2 page) essay in which they develop a thesis about editorial practices. The texts are available to faculty electronically through scans that the library has provided.
An assignment archive, which features assignments based on the exercises above, and rare book assignments developed by WVU faculty and librarians.
All texts are available in the WVU Rare Book Room (6th Floor, Wise Library)
and have been approved by the library staff for use.
Each assignment can be adapted to meet your course needs; some faculty may want
students to submit responses to the prompt questions rather than write an essay,
while others may want students to write a longer essay. Feel free
to tailor the assignment (and the assessment rubrics) to the needs of your students
and your course.
The Rare Book Pedagogy Unit’s annotated bibliography provides useful references on book production, marketing, and literacy for the faculty based on the holdings in Wise. A brief annotated list of Internet resources for faculty use is also available.
If you choose to incorporate a module from the Rare Book Pedagogy Unit, please
fill out the
attached form regarding the module and its effectiveness. Comments
and suggestions to improve the modules are most welcome:
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