As a graduate of a small liberal arts college, I understand the importance of student-faculty engagement. Having the opportunity to conduct my own research while working closely with a faculty advisor was one of the most important activities I engaged in as an undergraduate and I carry that individualized focus into my classroom.  

My research on the ordinary person’s experiences during and after the Civil War directly influences my teaching, and allows me to incorporate a diverse array of voices into my classes, which is important because I teach a diverse range of students. Explaining the ways in which runaway slaves assisted the Union war effort is much more interesting and impactful to students when told through the eyes of Alan Pinkerton’s operatives who gained valuable information from them rather than simply giving statistics on the number of contrabands from each Virginia county. Additionally, my introductory courses use primary sources heavily to encourage students to form their own conclusions about a specific period. This, of course, is the heart of the historian’s craft and encourages students to analyze a particular time period or event by asking questions of the past themselves which, in turn, provides them ownership of their own learning. For example, in my Nineteenth Century America class, students read documents that discuss the causes of the Civil War and firsthand accounts of life during the war. Students are divided into groups and, using Thomas Nast’s political cartoons as an example, each group draws a political cartoon that represents one of the documents. The groups present their cartoon to the class and this process enables students to hone their critical thinking skills by engaging in analytical discussions on the sources.

In the History of American Technology, students use primary sources to debate whether the industrialization of America in the nineteenth century was a necessary evil or a positive good, an activity that encourages them to have a role and a voice in class. Finally, in my upper level Civil War seminar, students examine photographs from the war, encouraging them to analyze aspects of primary sources they previously had not considered. Students learn to notice more than simply clothing – they take into account the surroundings of the photo as well as more minute details that help hone their analytical abilities and encourage a broader understanding of the importance of context.

My teaching meets students where they are to engage them about the past.  I teach through social media, using toolsall twenty-first century college students are familiar with. I begin each semester, for one example, with an exercise in which students write down the following: their last social media post (from Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram), their last text message, something in their bedroom and something that they are carrying with them at that moment. Thisexercise challenges students to think about how future historians will study our current society and illustrates the importance of context and analysis in understanding primary sources. At both the University of Arkansas and Randolph-Macon, I have spent a significant amount of time assisting and advising students. As all my classes include multiple written assignments, I regularly meet one on one with students to provide feedback. My enthusiasm and innovation in the classroom ensures that students feel comfortable seeking out extra help if needed.