This semester, students in our Introduction to the Humanities course have each selected an undergraduate research project. Our goal with these projects is to familiarize students with critical research skills in the humanities, as well as allow them the opportunity to develop and present their research to a wider audience. Students will be presenting their findings at the end of the semester, along with an opportunity to present at the annual MC-Tougaloo Undergraduate Research Symposium in the Spring. We will also be using their research to support the ongoing research of the Holtzclaw Institute.

greene-archives
Jean Greene, director of library services and archivist, shows students materials from the Holtzclaw Archives during a recent class visit.

Students have selected their projects in consultation with a faculty mentor and work is well underway to develop their work. The projects require regular meetings with the mentors and a minimum of 20 hours of work. In August, we presented students with the following topic ideas as a starting place for their work:

 

  • Focus on the Jubilee singers and the importance of the group and their connection with the school’s success (student project: transcribe some of Dr. Cooper’s Tougaloo project Oral History interviews)
  • Create a newsletter of current events on campus and connect with historical events from the campus
  • Use video or presentation tools to illustrate the journey from Tuskegee to Utica
  • Archival study — selected students would work with Ms. Greene to preserve current information (possibly pair with community volunteer to identify photos, type finding guides at the folder level, etc.).
  • Create panels for a walking path presented initially as a temporary exhibit, then write a grant for permanent display
  • Film clips which could be used in future projects
  • Create a map of Holtzclaw related places (where did faculty, staff, students come from…where did they go?) — using Google maps or GIS software
  • Annotations for Black Man’s Burden
  • Editing raw video of Holtzclaw Lecture Series talks
  • Research Holtzclaw’s family tree
  • Create a location/tour app
  • Research differences between different educator’s autobiographies (i.e. BTW & Holtzclaw)
  • Create replicas of buildings — architectural models (Mr. Knight could be a resource here). An eye toward use in a museum exhibit.
  • Farmers Conference re-enactment (film this)
  • Photo Journal
  • Oral Histories (record and process them)
  • “Creation” – a Hinds-Utica version
  • Book review of SiE/BMB. Several students could take this project and do chapter reviews.

We are excited to see where the students go with their research!