ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses challenges instructors might face when teaching with material texts in undergraduate history classes and describes methods for addressing them. These challenges include (1) introducing undergraduates to work with old books in ways that cohere with other skills and areas of knowledge a course communicates; (2) working with local institutional collections that may or may not include materials that offer diverse historical perspectives; and (3) articulating the value of this mode of teaching to colleagues and administrators unfamiliar with it. The pedagogical approach outlined in this chapter focuses on letting student curiosity drive engagement with old books and offering students collaborative, iterative opportunities to develop their skills in historical and bibliographical analysis. The chapter evaluates the limitations and rewards of this approach, how it can be augmented through collaborations with librarians and curators, and how it maps onto faculty colleagues’ and collegiate administrators’ understandings of effective teaching and learning. Ultimately, this chapter explores not only the pedagogical advantages of “teaching with stuff” but also its costs, with the hope that it will provide insights for history educators (broadly construed) and the curators and librarians who partner with them.
