Twelve University of Georgia faculty members have been chosen as 2019-2020 Special Collections Fellows. The fifth cohort of the program represents six schools and colleges with interests ranging from art and education to social work and population health.
Sponsored by the University of Georgia Libraries and the Center for Teaching and Learning, the program guides faculty members as they develop courses that apply archives-centered pedagogy and allow their students to engage with the rich array of materials held in UGA’s three special
collections libraries.
“As a result of this innovative program, UGA faculty have developed or redesigned more than 40 archives-centered courses in 22 different disciplines,” said P. Toby Graham, university librarian and associate provost. “I have no doubt that students are benefitting, and I trust that our faculty fellows also are discovering among our holdings materials that excite them and stimulate their own curiosity and scholarly interests.”
The 2019-2020 Special Collections Fellows are:
• Donna E. Alvermann, Omer Clyde and Elizabeth Parr Aderhold Professor in Education and Distinguished Research Professor, department of language and literacy education, Mary Frances Early College of Education;
• Brandy Burgess, assistant professor, department of population health, College of Veterinary Medicine;
• Melissa Freeman, professor, department of lifelong education, administration, and policy, Mary Frances Early College of Education;
• Moon Jung Jang, associate professor and area chair of graphic design, Lamar Dodd School of Art, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences;
• Lori Johnston, lecturer, department of journalism, Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication;
• Kevin Jones, assistant professor, department of history, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences;
• Roy Legette, associate professor and area chair of elementary music education, Hugh Hodgson School of Music, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences;
• Tony B. Lowe, associate professor at the UGA Gwinnett campus, School of Social Work;
• Anthony Madonna, associate professor, department of political science, School of Public and International Affairs;
• Jane McPherson, assistant professor and director of global engagement, School of Social Work;
• Taylor Miller, assistant professor and academic director of the Peabody Media Center, department of entertainment and media studies, Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication; and
• Elizabeth Saylor, clinical associate professor, department of educational theory and practice, Mary Frances Early College of Education.
The program kicked off in December with behind-the-scenes tours of the Libraries’ three special collections units: the Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library, the Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies and the Walter J. Brown Media Archives and Peabody Awards Collection.
This spring, the fellows will participate in a series of workshops and seminars to introduce the tools and resources of TeachArchives.org, a pedagogical guide developed by the Brooklyn Historical Society. In May, the fellows will present their course designs and seek feedback from their cohort peers and the fellowship instructional team, which includes archivists from the three special collections libraries and the Center for Teaching and Learning.
Since 2015, SCL Fellows have created or adapted more than 40 undergraduate and graduate level courses that feature the archives-centered approach, and several have applied the methodology to other courses.
“The foundations upon which all great instructional activities are built include many of the prominent features of archives-based pedagogy,” said Megan Mittelstadt, director of the Center for Teaching and Learning. “The course designs accomplished by the fellows, under the guidance of a talented instructional team, provide rich and engaging learning opportunities for our students. The SCL Fellows program is a true asset to UGA’s teaching and learning environment.”
