Sister Act: Applied Historical Research Methods

Abstract

How do can we make our research methods courses more impactful, inclusive, and integrated? How can we engage students more effectively in a course many dread? My answer is to transform our Historical Research Methods course into an applied studies format that integrates active research subjects into the framework of the course. Students will utilize multiple historical research methods throughout the course as they work towards a larger research project on social justice history. As a class, we will be working with the Sisters of St. Francis Oldenburg to collect interviews, conduct archival research, and work towards a joint publication on the history of the order and its relationship to social justice movements since its founding. There will be opportunities for individual undergraduate publications and conference presentations, co-authored work between faculty and students, and student contributions to a larger book project moving forward. This class is a pilot for potentially shifting all research methods courses in the Department of History and Social Science to an applied studies model