Supported projects

Course Enrichment Grants and Research Sprints are two ways the library provides intensive and direct faculty support. Past recipients and their projects are listed below. 

Research Sprints

2024

Kiera Allison (School of Commerce) and Spyridon Simotas (French, College of Arts & Sciences): “Virtual Dialogic Writing Center”

The Sprint will support Professors Allison and Simotas in developing an AI-powered writing interface that aims to democratize access to high-quality, personalized writing support. Unlike current AI writing assistants that prioritize speed and ease, this platform re-engages students in the critical processes of writing through interactive dialogue centered on generating ideas, identifying errors, and developing a distinct authorial voice. By simulating the experience of conversing with a knowledgeable writing mentor, this virtual writing center scaffolds the development of essential communication skills, bridges gaps in teacher availability, and empowers students of all backgrounds to cultivate their inner editor and confidently approach real-life conversations about writing.

Library team: 

  • Ronda Grizzle, Project Management and Training Specialist (lead)
  • Jeremy Boggs, Head of Research and Development
  • Sherri Brown, Librarian for English
  • Doug Chestnut, Lead User Experience Web Developer
  • Shane Lin, Senior Developer

Coleen Carrigan (Engineering and Society, School of Engineering): “Magic, Traffic and Autocratic Futures: Computers and the Gendered Economy”

The focus of this Sprint is to work on a monograph, “Magic, Traffic and Autocratic Futures: Computers and the Gendered Economy,” a critical ethnography to advance knowledge on epistemic, social, and allocational justice in computer science and engineering. The considerable gap between popular discourses glorifying computer technology and the actual impacts of computing on society requires further attention. This book addresses this pressing need and critically examines the structural inequalities in STEM education and the tech industry through an intersection of gender, race and labor analyses. “Magic, Traffic and Autocratic Futures” provides innovative pathways for justice in STEM worksites and equitable access to knowledge production in computing.

Library team:

  • Christine Slaughter, Social Sciences Research Librarian (lead)
  • Maggie Nunley, Science and Engineering Research Librarian
  • Erin Pappas, Librarian for the Humanities
  • Kristal Sergent, Associate Librarian for African-American and African Studies

Steph Ceraso (English, College and Arts & Sciences): “Sound in Relation: Toward a Bodily, Multisensory Approach to Invention”

This Sprint will support research related to a new book project, “Sound in Relation: Toward a Bodily, Multisensory Approach to Invention.” This project aims to reimagine how invention is understood in writing studies — as more than an abstract process grounded in logic and ideas — through an exploration of sonic invention practices in a range of disciplines. The book seeks to expand theoretical and pedagogical frameworks to enrich our knowledge of the invention process for composing digital and multimedia texts. The library team will be identifying and gathering sources to help create bibliographies around key terms for the book.

Library team:

  • Sherri Brown, Librarian for English (lead)
  • Amy Hunsaker, Librarian for Music & the Performing Arts
  • Erin Pappas, Librarian for the Humanities
  • Steven Villereal, Audiovisual Conservator

Gerard Fitzgerald (Engineering and Society, School of Engineering): “The Nature of War: An Environmental History of Industrialization in the United States During World War I, 1898-1929” 

This research project will explore the environmental impact of the U.S. industrial and agricultural growth from the Spanish-American War to World War I. This study, in collaboration with the UVA Library Staff, will analyze historical journals from 1900-1925 to understand shifts in conservation and resource management during wartime. The project aims to deepen our understanding of the complex relationship that nature and the environment can play in the process of industrialization and military mobilization during global war.

Library team:

  • Keith Weimer, Librarian for History and Religious Studies (lead)
  • Scott Ackerman, Associate Director for Organizational Culture, Learning, and Outreach
  • Rachel Cressell, Graduate Student, Arts & Sciences
  • Maggie Nunley, Science and Engineering Research Librarian
  • Erich Purpur, Science and Engineering Research Librarian

Andrew Johnston (Architectural History, School of Architecture): “Giancarlo De Carlo, Built Heritage, and Participatory Design”

This Sprint will focus on a book project based on the Italian architect Giancarlo De Carlo, drawing from De Carlo’s lectures and seminars during his tenure at the University of California, Berkeley, where Johnston served as his assistant. Now collaborating with Professor Simona Salvo from Sapienza University in Rome, the project includes digitizing original recordings and transcripts for use in a new seminar course on participatory design. Alongside developing the course, Johnston and Salvo are focused on revising a grant proposal for the Graham Foundation to support the book’s publication. The Sprint project combines archival research, seminar teaching, discussions on copyright, and explorations into AI research tools, all aiming to enrich architectural education and scholarship through a contemporary analysis of De Carlo’s work.

Library team:

  • Rebecca Coleman, Librarian for Architecture (lead)
  • Brandon Butler, Former Director of Information Policy
  • David Hennigan, Grants and Contracts Administrator
  • Miguel Valladares-Llata, Librarian for Romance Languages and Latin American Studies

Pallavi Rao (Media Studies, College of Arts & Sciences): “Mapping Caste in the Indian Media Industries”

This digital humanities project involves creating a social network graph of media ownership to examine its ties to broader domains of power, such as business, politics, and education. By utilizing a prosopographic approach, this research examines biographical data of high-ranking media executives, including caste, educational backgrounds, and institutional affiliations, to explore how these factors influence India’s media oligopolies and the consolidation of various media sectors. Aimed at revealing the dominance of upper-caste elites in media ownership and their impact on content production, this study develops a broader theory and framework to connect caste and capitalism with class formation among the elites using India’s media industries as a site of exploration.

Library team:

  • Erin Pappas, Librarian for the Humanities (lead)
  • Dimitri Kastritsis, Associate Librarian for Global Studies and Development
  • Jenn Huck, Associate Director, Research Data Services & Social, Natural, and Engineering Sciences
  • With consultation with members of the Scholars’ Lab

David Singerman (History, College of Arts and Sciences): “New Histories of Doping in Sports”

This Sprint will advance a project on new histories of doping in sports, which asks questions that move beyond a moralistic framework of clean heroes and dirty villains. Why are certain substances banned, but not others? Who uses these drugs, where do they get them, and how do users learn what to do? How do actors balance knowledge from the laboratory with the evidence from performances on the field? Singerman and the library Sprint team will focus on laboratory and clinical research about performance-enhancing drugs (specifically EPO, human growth hormone, and steroids). Researchers face an inherent tension: the more they investigate the average physiology’s reactions to doping products, the less they can extrapolate to the extraordinary physiology of elite athletes. The goals of this sprint are to (1) assemble a comprehensive library of the scientific research on these drugs in sports, and (2) learn new tools and methods to analyze this body of research.

Library team:

  • Keith Weimer, Librarian for History and Religious Studies (lead)
  • Jeremy Boggs, Head of Research and Development for the Scholars’ Lab
  • Jenn Huck, Associate Director, Research Data Services & Social, Natural, and Engineering Sciences
  • Andrea Denton, Research and Data Services Manager, Health Sciences Library

2023

Rosalyn W. Berne, School of Engineering: Engineering and Society - Animals, Ethics, and Engineering. This Research Sprint will be used to refine and apply the technical tools needed to identify and record key elements found in the searched literature, towards the goal of preparing a book manuscript entitled, Animals, Ethics, and Engineering. The project will draw from the humanities and social sciences to formulate an applied approach to engineering ethics; one that acknowledges and recognizes the responsibilities of engineering design and practice to consider the welfare of non-human animals. 

Library team:

  • Maggie Nunley, Science and Engineering Research Librarian
  • Jenny Coffman, Science and Engineering Research Librarian
  • Chris Ruotolo, Director, Research in the Arts and Humanities
  • Brandon Butler, Intellectual Property and Licensing, Director

Shu-Chen Chen, Arts and Sciences: East Asian Languages, Literatures and Culture - The Sprint will provide and facilitate support for two Scholars of Teaching and Learning research projects that have yielded improvements in assessed student learning outcomes since 2019. The two projects were already presented at national conferences-- the ACTFL annual conference in 2021 and the AAC&U 2022 Conference on Global Learning. By participating in this Sprint, Shu-Chen hopes to extend these presentations into published research material based on the collected empirical findings.

Library team:

  • Ashley Hosbach, Education and Social Science Research Librarian
  • Cecelia Parks, Undergraduate Student Success Librarian
  • Veronica Fu, East Asian Collections Librarian
  • Wei Wang, Librarian for East Asian Studies

MC Forelle, School of Engineering: Engineering and Society - This sprint will further my work on a book project, an examination of how increasingly digital automotive technologies, and the regulatory frameworks that apply to them, are making the work of repairing, maintaining, and modifying cars independently more and more difficult. My goal for Summer 2023 is to complete a detailed book proposal, including at least one substantive chapter where I will  trace the parallels between technological development and regulatory pressures, thus requiring me to identify archives of technical knowledge and archives of regulatory/legislative history. 

Library team:

  • Maggie Nunley, Science and Engineering Research Librarian
  •  Trillian Hosticka, Reference Librarian, and Regional Depository Librarian
  • Erich Purpur, Science and Engineering Research Librarian

T. Kenny Fountain, Arts and Sciences: English - Copyright & Intellectual Property Issues in Digital/Social Media Research. During this research sprint, I would like to work with librarians to identify and evaluate intellectual property and copyright issues in relation to my current book project. I am writing a book—Suspicious Attractions: QAnon and the Lure of Conspiracy Thinking in a Digital Ages—that traces the QAnon conspiracy theory from its historical antecedents to its early days as Pizzagate rumors and 4chan posts, to the now full-blown super-conspiracy amplified daily by conservative media, rightwing politicians, evangelical Christians, and New Age practitioners. My project combines digital ethnography, cultural history, and a close reading of the texts and media that make up this protean, hyper-partisan political myth.

Library team:

  • Sherri Brown, Librarian for English
  • Brandon Butler, Intellectual Property and Licensing, Director

Erik Linstrum, Arts and Sciences: History - This Sprint will support preliminary research for a book project on the British Empire and global reaction after the First World War.  How far did the new model of fascist dictatorship appeal to the empire’s rulers as they faced a wave of revolt from Ireland to Africa to India?  Looking beyond aristocratic figures like Evelyn Waugh and Lord Londonderry notorious for their fascist sympathies, this Sprint will delve into newspapers, magazines, pamphlets, diaries, and letters to determine whether the less celebrated overseas ranks of bureaucrats, settlers, planters, and traders saw European fascism as a solution to British imperial problems.

Library team:

  • Keith Weimer, Librarian for History and Religious Studies
  • Erin Pappas, Librarian for the Humanities
  • Brenda Bunn, Associate University Librarian, Special Collections, & Director of the Harrison Institute
  • Sherri Brown, Sherri Brown, Librarian for English
  • Wei Wang, Librarian for East Asian Studies

Channing Mathews, Arts and Sciences: Psychology - Psychometric Evaluation of the Multidimensional Inventory of Black Identity (MIBI) and the MIBI-Teen. This research sprint conduct an interdisciplinary literature review to assess how Black racial identity has been assessed quantitatively over the past 50 years. This literature review will support psychometric review of the evolution of Black racial identity measurement and its implications for current assessment of Black racial identity in relationship to psychosocial outcomes such as academic well-being, sociopolitical development, and positive mental health. 

  • Christine Slaughter, Social Sciences Research Librarian
  • Jenn Huck, Associate Director, Research Data Services & Social, Natural, and Engineering Sciences
  • Jenny Coffman, Jenny Coffman, Science and Engineering Research Librarian
  • Katrina Spencer, Librarian for African American & African Studies

Nathan Wendte, Arts and Sciences: Anthropology; Interdisciplinary Program in Linguistics - This Sprint seeks to identify strains of research within the emergent field of ecolinguistics that could best explain the particular ecology of Louisiana Creoles speakers in a peripheral zone of the language’s traditional speaker area. The team will sift through the most current ecolinguistics literature while simultaneously gathering information on the sociohistorical and sociolinguistic demographics of Louisiana Creole speakers along the Northshore of Lake Pontchartrain with the aim to support prospective reclamation work within the community.

Library team:

  • Erin Pappas, Librarian for the Humanities
  • Lucie Stylianopoulos, Librarian for Art, Archaeology, & Indigenous Studies
  • Jean Cooper, Principal Cataloger
  • Erich Purpur, Science and Engineering Research Librarian


2022

Janet Kong-Chow, American Studies and English, College of Arts and Sciences: This Sprint supports early research for a book manuscript exploring the processes through which the modern archive (physical and digital) came to be understood as a site of knowledge production in the West, and as such, how its curatorial practices continue to shape and transform ideas of race, ethnicity, gender, and postcoloniality in the American cultural imagination.

Library team:

  • Molly Schwartzburg, Curator, Albert & Shirley Small Special Collections Library
  • Meg Kennedy, Curator of Material Culture
  • Lauren Longwell, University Archivist
  • Chris Ruotolo, Director, Research in the Arts and Humanities

Mary Kuhn, English, College of Arts and Sciences: This Sprint team will research the cultural history of Paris Green, a toxic arsenic-based compound widely used in domestic and agricultural settings in the late nineteenth-century United States. The project will draw on scientific and popular periodicals, agricultural and gardening manuals, advertisements, wallpaper samples, and other domestic material culture.

Library team:

  • Sherri Brown, Librarian for English
  • Maggie Nunley, Science and Engineering Research Librarian
  • Jenny Coffman, Science and Engineering Research Librarian
  • Keith Weimer, Librarian for History, Politics, and Religious Studies

Moira O’Neill, Urban and Environmental Planning, School of Architecture and Law School: This Research Sprint will conduct an interdisciplinary literature review to support writing a book on how local governments implement climate and fair housing policy. The team will review both urban planning and law literature in their investigation of topics relating to spatial inequity, community participation in policy-making, and land use regulation.

Library team:

  • Rebecca Coleman, Research Librarian for Architecture
  • Christine Slaughter, Social Sciences Research Librarian
  • Dan Radthorne, Reference Librarian, School of Law

Michael Puri, Music, College of Arts and Sciences: The goal of this Research Sprint is to flesh out the cultural politics surrounding the relationship between French and German music at the turn of the twentieth century. The composers Maurice Ravel and Richard Strauss receive particular attention as prominent and closely related representatives of the two traditions.

Library team:

  • Amy Hunsaker, Librarian for Music & the Performing Arts
  • Miguel Valladares-Llata, Librarian for Romance Languages and Latin American Studies

Dylan Rogers, Art History and Archeology, College of Arts and Sciences: The Sprint will provide research support for an interdisciplinary book project on the history of the University of Virginia, which seeks to employ methodologies of archaeology, art history, and architectural history to understand better how the University’s physical imprint and cultural significance developed over time. The Sprint will lay the crucial groundwork for identifying and collating the numerous available archival materials housed in the University’s Library that provide insight into UVA’s complex history.

Library team:

  • Lucie Stylianopoulos, Librarian for Art, Archaeology, & Indigenous Studies
  • Ann Burns, Metadata Librarian
  • Rebecca Coleman, Research Librarian for Architecture
  • Meg Kennedy, Curator of Material Culture
  • Lauren Longwell, University Archivist

Jessica Sewell, Planning, School of Architecture: This Sprint will provide support for the forthcoming book, “Gender and Vernacular Architecture,” which is simultaneously a primer for studying gender in vernacular architecture and a guide and manifesto for inclusive methodologies in the study of the built environment. The Sprint will assist in finding and acquiring illustrations, supporting and enhancing the argument, and boosting the beauty and accessibility of the book.

Library team:

  • Rebecca Coleman, Research Librarian for Architecture
  • Erin Pappas, Librarian for the Humanities
  • Brandon Butler, Director, Information Policy

Michael Sheehy, Contemplative Sciences Center: The Sprint will research topics at the intersection of sensory deprivation and meditation with a focus on self-emergent and hallucinatory visual experiences during dark exposure. The team will collaboratively identify multimedia resources on preselected topics in Religious Studies, Anthropology, Psychology, and Neuroscience.

Library team:

  • Keith Weimer, Librarian for History, Politics, and Religious Studies
  • Nawang Thokmey, Librarian for Tibetan, Himalayan, and Contemplative Studies
  • Andrea Denton, Research and Data Services Manager, Health Sciences Library

Ben Small, Architecture, School of Architecture: This project takes a close look at visitor centers commissioned by various government organizations in the United States and asks how these buildings might be understood in terms of local concepts of place and broader political agendas. The project team will collect and interpret documentation such as commission contracts, brochures, and more, related to publicly-funded visitor centers.

Library team:

  • Rebecca Coleman, Librarian for Architecture
  • Christine Slaughter, Social Sciences Research Librarian
  • Penny White, Reference Librarian, Special Collections Library
  • Trillian Hosticka, Reference Librarian and Regional Depository Librarian

2021

Shilpa DavéMedia Studies, Arts and Sciences: This Sprint will investigate how media representations of English speakers and the relationship to the English language comment on racial and social cultural histories of the United States.

Library team:

  • Erin Pappas, Research Librarian for the Humanities
  • Christine Slaughter, Social Sciences Research Librarian
  • Sherri Brown, Librarian for English
  • Keith Weimer, Librarian for History, Politics, and Religious Studies
  • Phil McEldowney, Librarian for Middle East and South Asia Studies
  • Haley Gillilan, Undergraduate Student Success Librarian

Katy Ambrose, Music, Arts and Sciences: This Sprint will provide research support for a book about horn players of African descent in the United States, with a large focus on enslaved huntsmen on the estates of the “Founding Fathers” in Virginia and the mid-Atlantic.

Library team:

  • Amy Hunsaker, Music and Performing Arts Librarian
  • Krystal Appiah, Special Collections Instruction Librarian
  • David Whitesell, Curator, Albert & Shirley Small Special Collections Library
  • Regina Rush, Reference Librarian

Erin Putalik, Architecture, School of Architecture: The Sprint team will research the ways in which formaldehyde-based adhesives and resins became so integral to contemporary building materials. The project will delve into patent history, case law, and key digital repositories of technical literature for building materials, with a focus on the 1940s-70s.

Library team:

  • Rebecca Coleman, Research Librarian for Architecture
  • Trillian Hosticka, Reference Librarian, and Regional Depository Librarian
  • Kristin Glover, Research Librarian, University of Virginia School of Law
  • Maggie Nunley, Teaching and Learning Librarian

Joel Thurston and Stephanie Shipp, Biocomplexity Institute: The Sprint team will conduct a literature review on team science as it relates to working in a virtual environment, and will develop a data collection plan targeting gaps in the literature with a focus on connecting team science practices to practical outcomes (e.g., overcoming communication obstacles, and strengthening interpersonal connections between team members).

Library team:

  • Christine Slaughter, Social Sciences Research Librarian
  • Jenn Huck, Data Librarian
  • Erich Purpur, Science and Engineering Research Librarian
  • Andrea Denton, Lecturer, Claude Moore Health Sciences Library
  • Jenny Coffman, Science and Engineering Research Librarian
  • Erin Pappas, Research Librarian for the Humanities

Nicole Bonino, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese, Arts & Sciences: The Sprint will provide research support for a multi-disciplinary book on the artistic and literary manifestations of migratory dynamics in the urban spaces of the “Southern Cone” (the southernmost area of South America). The project will analyze visual and plastic art, novels, and films highlighting issues of race, space, and social justice.

Library team:

  • Miguel Valladares-Llata, Librarian for Romance Languages and Latin American Studies
  • Lucie Stylianopoulos, Director of Academic Programs and Outreach
  • Leigh Rockey, Video Collections Librarian
  • Winston Barham, Music Collections Librarian

Toni Irving, Darden School: This Sprint will provide research support for a developing project about the relationship between 19th century arcades, consumer culture, and citizenship. The Sprint will lay a groundwork of archival research, related published scholarship, and public data sets to launch this project.

Library Team:

  • Keith Weimer, Librarian for History, Politics, and Religious Studies
  • Trillian Hosticka, Reference Librarian, and Regional Depository Librarian
  • Rebecca Coleman, Research Librarian for Architecture
  • Katrina Spencer, Librarian for African American and African Studies
  • Jenn Huck, Data Librarian
  • Christine Slaughter, Social Sciences Research Librarian

Priya Date, Biology, Engagement, Arts and Sciences: This Sprint will provide support to review current pedagogy literature in order to create a framework to integrate the arts in a science classroom, helping to redesign/restructure a sensory biology course such that it supports creativity and makes science learning accessible.

Library Team:

  • Maggie Nunley, Teaching and Learning Librarian
  • Bethany Mickel, Teaching and Instructional Design Librarian
  • Cecelia Parks, Undergraduate Student Success Librarian
  • Amy Hunsaker, Music and Performing Arts Librarian
  • Nancy Kechner, ADSTP Specialist
  • Jenny Coffman, Science and Engineering Research Librarian

Rachel Most, Anthropology, Dean’s Office, Arts and Sciences: This Sprint will provide research support for a chapter in a proposed book on higher education. The chapter focuses on who should go to college, why one should attend college, what one should expect in college, and why a liberal arts degree is preparation for a lifetime of various jobs and careers.

Library Team:

  • Cecelia Parks, Undergraduate Student Success Librarian
  • Halley Gillilan, Undergraduate Student Success Librarian
  • Ashley Hosbach, Education and Social Science Research Librarian

2020

Derrick Alridge, Curry School of Education & Human Development: Provide research support for a book project about the role of African American teachers in the civil rights movement. The project will draw on oral histories, teachers' personal papers, and various archives to discern teachers' activism inside and outside the classroom. 

Library team: 

  • Christine Slaughter (project manager), Research Data Services and Social, Natural and Engineering Sciences
  • Ashley Hosbach, Research Data Services and Social, Natural and Engineering Sciences
  • Sony Prosper, Special Collections
  • Keith Weimer, Arts & Humanities
  • Penny White, Special Collections

Kirsten Gelsdorf, Batten School:   Engage in research that will result in a book on that will include discourse, data, and case studies arguing for the global humanitarian imperative. The sprint will develop a research plan, including published scholarship, gray literature, and archival sources.  

 Library team:

  • Jenn Huck (project manager), Research Data Services and Social, Natural and Engineering Sciences
  • Molly Schwartzburg, Special Collections
  • Christine Slaughter, Research Data Services and Social, Natural and Engineering Sciences
  • Keith Weimer, Arts & Humanities
  • Trillian Hosticka, Information Services & Spaces

Adrienne Ghaly, Arts & Sciences New Curriculum, English: Provide research support for both a book project and a digital humanities collaboration with JSTORLabs to create visual essays tracking the cultural processes contributing to manmade species extinction in materials of everyday life.

Library team:

  • Sherri Brown (project manager), Arts & Humanities
  • Beth Blanton, Collection Management
  • Jeremy Bartczak, Metadata & Discovery
  • Jeremy Boggs, Scholars’ Lab
  • Ricky Patterson, Research Data Services and Social, Natural and Engineering Sciences
  • Molly Schwartzburg, Special Collections

Jonathan Kropko, School of Data Science: Tech companies, from local startups to giants like Facebook and Google, have programs that use the expertise of tech and data professionals to work on projects to benefit the "social good". We study the rich history of collaboration between UVA researchers and the city of Charlottesville on community-involved projects and we use this history to generate recommendations and guidelines to help projects for the social good be ethical and successful. 

Library team:

  • Erich Purpur (project manager), Research Data Services and Social, Natural and Engineering Sciences
  • Rebecca Coleman, Arts & Humanities
  • Jenn Huck, Research Data Services and Social, Natural and Engineering Sciences
  • Heather Riser, Special Collections
  • Regina Rush, Special Collections

Heidi Nobles, College of Arts & Sciences, English: Heidi Nobles, English, College of Arts & Sciences: Expand archival materials for a developing course on writing processes and products by discovering additional archives, negotiating copyright issues, and creating innovative formats for publishing/producing course material.

Library team:

  • Maggie Nunley (project manager), Research Data Services and Social, Natural and Engineering Sciences
  • Brandon Butler, Scholarly Communications
  • Sherri Brown, Arts & Humanities
  • Brenda Gunn, Special Collections
  • Cecelia Parks, Teaching & Learning

2019

Natasha Heller, Religious Studies, College of Arts & Sciences: Examine publication and citation practices in Buddhist Studies to provide a quantified overview of gender disparities in this field.

Library team:

  • Ricky Patterson (project manager), Research Data Services and Social, Natural and Engineering Sciences
  • Shane Lin, Scholars’ Lab
  • Phil McEldowney, Arts & Humanities
  • Erin Pappas, Arts & Humanities
  • Nawang Thokmey, Arts & Humanities

Fiona Greenland, Sociology, College of Arts & Sciences: Provide research support for a new book project about the restitution of Nazi art plunder as a causal mechanism of moral development in American perceptions of the Holocaust.

Library team:

  • Christine Slaughter (project manager), Research Data Services and Social, Natural and Engineering Sciences
  • Kristin Glover, Law Library
  • Barbie Selby, Arts & Humanities
  • Ammon Shepherd, Scholars’ Lab
  • Keith Weimer, Arts & Humanities

William Hitchcock, History, College of Arts & Sciences: Provide research support for a book project about American opposition to Nazism and the imperialist nations of Europe and Asia, illuminating America’s long history of combating fascism.

Library team:

  • Keith Weimer (project manager), Arts & Humanities
  • Erin Pappas, Arts & Humanities
  • Christine Slaughter, Arts & Humanities
  • Molly Schwartzburg, Special Collections Library
  • Bryan Kasik, Information Services and Spaces

Marcy Linton, Drama, College of Arts & Sciences: Devise a plan to document and provide intellectual access to the contents of the Drama Department’s Historic Collection of Dress.

Library team:

  • Jeremy Boggs (project manager), Scholars’ Lab
  • Bethany Anderson, Special Collections Library
  • Jeremy Bartczak, Metadata & Discovery Services
  • Ann Burns, Metadata & Discovery Services
  • Abby Flanigan, Arts & Humanities
  • Will Rourk, Scholars’ Lab
  • Lucie Stylianopoulos, Arts & Humanities

Katie Stranix and JT Bachman, Architecture, School of Architecture: Expand upon the ideas and the research of the project Rest Ops, which explores the potential of rest stops to provide moments of connection, meditation, and play.

Library team:

  • Rebecca Coleman (project manager), Arts & Humanities
  • Chris Gist, Scholars’ Lab
  • Drew Macqueen, Scholars’ Lab
  • Bill Corey, Research Data Services and Social, Natural and Engineering Sciences
  • Erich Purpur Research Data Services and Social, Natural and Engineering Sciences
  • Jenn Huck, Research Data Services and Social, Natural and Engineering Sciences
  • Barbie Selby, Information Services and Spaces

Kelly Sulick, Music, College of Arts & Sciences. Create a research plan and a literature review across a number of fields relating to the work of the German sound artist/flutist/composer Christina Kubisch.

Library team:

  • Abby Flanigan (project manager), Arts & Humanities
  • Erin Pappas, Arts & Humanities
  • Ammon Shepherd, Scholars’ Lab
  • Lucie Stylianopoulos, Arts & Humanities

Course Enrichment Grants

2024-2025

Ira Bashkow (Anthropology, College of Arts & Sciences)

In this innovative approach for improving research competency in a large class of 180+ students, this introductory anthropology course, “The Concept of Culture,” involves students interviewing a family elder, documenting their stories, and then exploring how the elder’s life was shaped by broader historical and cultural contexts. With many students unaware of effective research techniques, this course will scaffold their research process by constructing generalizable “research pathways,” which will help students engage with personally relevant scholarly writing using library resources. Thus, the project will develop simplified aids to navigating library resources, while giving the research process a personal motivation by connecting it to an experience of deepening the student’s understanding of their own heritage and family history.

Team:

  • Erin Pappas, Librarian for the Humanities
  • Keith Weimer, Librarian for History and Religious Studies
  • Chris Ruotolo, Director, Research in the Arts and Humanities
  • Jean Cooper, Principal Cataloger (and genealogy expert)
  • Bethany Mickel, Instructional Design and OER Librarian 

Matthew Chin (Women, Gender and Sexuality; College of Arts & Sciences)

This new course focuses on conducting historical research grounded in decolonial, anti-racist feminist, and queer perspectives, designed to meet UVA’s writing requirement. Throughout the semester, students acquire skills including crafting research questions, locating pertinent sources, applying appropriate theoretical frameworks, and presenting findings to various audiences. Assignments progressively build upon each other, allowing room for continuous improvement via constructive feedback. Upon completion, students master valuable research and communication skills, while promoting awareness of social justice issues among academic and general communities. Professor Chin will use this opportunity to sharpen his skills in curriculum design, assignment creation, and providing targeted guidance to improving students’ writing skills.

Team:

  • Cecelia Parks, Undergraduate Student Success Librarian
  • Erin Pappas, Librarian for the Humanities
  • Jacob Hopkins, Instruction Librarian/Archivist
  • Grace Hale, Instruction Librarian, Special Collections
  • Bethany Mickel, Instructional Design and OER Librarian

Stephan De Wekker (Environmental Sciences, College of Arts & Sciences)

This course will integrate generative artificial intelligence tools into the environmental sciences department’s “Mountain Meteorology” course to assist students in understanding complex meteorological concepts and analyzing data sets. Using AI tools has the power to make learning more efficient, interactive, and equitable. It will also help Professor De Wekker dedicate more class time to discussing case studies, research, and group activities instead of focusing solely on foundational explanations. Through “peer reviews” of each other’s interactions with AI tools, students will gain greater competency in leveraging this new technology to enhance their learning.

Team:

  • Erich Purpur, Science and Engineering Research Librarian
  • Doug Chestnut, Lead User Experience Web Developer
  • Maggie Nunley, Science and Engineering Research Librarian
  • Bethany Mickel, Instructional Design and OER Librarian 

Ying Gao (East Asian Language, Literature, and Culture; College of Arts & Sciences )

In the CHIN 1060 and CHIN2060 courses tailored for heritage Chinese language learners, a community-based project called “Windows of Shanghai” is being expanded into a long-term initiative in collaboration with the Jefferson-Madison Regional Library. Students will create useful community resources, including bilingual tutorial videos, book directories, and story sessions. This project aims to improve students’ research skills and language proficiency, develop cultural understanding, and promote a sense of community responsibility. By nurturing stronger ties between the University and the local community, this initiative can continue to positively influence future classes, fostering a lasting relationship with local libraries and families.

Team:

  • Wei Wang, Librarian for East Asian Studies
  • Josh Thorud, Multimedia Teaching and Learning Librarian
  • Ashley Hosbach-Wallman, Education and Social Science Librarian
  • Bethany Mickel, Instructional Design and OER Librarian

Adrienne Ghaly (English, College of Arts & Sciences)

In fall 2024, “ENGL 2599: Literatures of the Nonhuman” will focus on deep integration of generative artificial intelligence into the core elements of literary analysis. Following encouraging feedback from previous experiments, we plan to develop effective multimodal assignments using AI to help students develop strong close reading skills, produce literary critical analyses, and engage meaningfully in cultural critique. While the course’s content focuses on literary intersections of the human and the nonhuman, the impact of exploring AI for literary analysis would be widespread and positive, from providing students legitimate and scholarly approaches to the technology, to creating working models for faculty to adopt in their own classes in ways that further the shared outcomes of English literature courses.

Team:

  • Sherri Brown, Librarian for English
  • Josh Thorud, Multimedia Teaching and Learning Librarian
  • Erin Pappas, Librarian for the Humanities
  • Shane Lin, Senior Developer, Scholars’ Lab
  • Bethany Mickel, Instructional Design and OER Librarian

Diana Morris (Applied Mathematics, School of Engineering)

This course in applied mathematics will introduce a new module focused on the use of UVA Library services and collections for finding and assessing data sets. Students will practice locating reliable datasets, describe their origins and limitations, and evaluate their quality and suitability for certain techniques. Addressing broader needs in statistics education, this knowledge will be foundational to successful research in many fields and has the potential to influence instruction in other data-based courses.

Team:

  • Maggie Nunley, Science and Engineering Research Librarian
  • Erich Purpur, Science and Engineering Research Librarian
  • Jenn Huck, Associate Director, Research Data Services & Social, Natural, and Engineering Science
  • Bethany Mickel, Instructional Design and OER Librarian

Lisa Shutt (African American and African Studies, College of Arts & Sciences)

This upper-level undergraduate seminar will focus on the historic River View Farm in Albemarle County, formerly owned by the Carr/Greer family for over a century. The course aims to enhance students’ research skills, especially when working with primary sources from UVA’s Special Collections Library and other repositories. Professor Shutt also hopes to create an open educational resource where students’ research papers contribute chapters to a comprehensive source on River View Farm and the Carr/Greer family. By partnering with the Ivy Creek Foundation, this course will promote undergraduate education in the service of community outreach and the preservation of local Black histories.

Team:

  • Bethany Mickel, Instructional Design and OER Librarian
  • Keith Weimer, Librarian for History and Religious Studies
  • Kristal Sergent, Associate Librarian for African American and African Studies
  • Jacob Hopkins, Instructional Librarian and Archivist
  • Grace Hale, Reference Librarian, Special Collections

2023-2024

Jülide Etem, Arts and Sciences, Media Studies. This course, "Seeking Social Justice through Documentary Film," which was first offered in Fall 2022, critically examines the transformative impact of media on global social issues. Planned enhancements include updating the reading list and activities, incorporating expert workshops, and introducing hands-on training in documentary production and theory. The course aims to foster critical thinking and community engagement among students, encouraging them to produce impactful projects on local social justice issues. 

Library team:  

  • Erin Pappas, Librarian for the Humanities 
  • Brandon Butler, Director of Information Policy 
  • Josh Thorud, Multimedia Teaching and Learning Librarian 
  • Bethany Mickel, Instructional Design and OER Librarian 

Jessie Gibson, School of Nursing. This course, “RN's in Complex Systems” is divided into four units including Legal Issues, Career Planning, Quality and Health Care Systems, and Global Ethics. This project will rework the Quality and Health Care Systems unit through collaboration with the library team to develop more dynamic and effective content delivery methods, such as interactive modules, along with a pre/post survey to assess the impact. Our aim is to improve our teaching methods in order to enhance students' understanding and critical thinking about health care systems, preparing them as future nursing leaders providing optimal health care through evidence-based practice. 

Library team: 

  • Dan Wilson, Associate Director for Collection Management and Access Services, Health Sciences Library 
  • Haley Gillilan, Undergraduate Student Success Librarian 
  • Bethany Mickel Instructional Design and OER Librarian 

Anne Rotich, Arts and Sciences, African American and African Studies.  This course is being redesigned from a 1-credit College Advising class to a 3-credit course titled "African Refugee Cultures and Stories." This new version will explore the cultures and stories of African refugees in-depth, including migration theories, the impact of race and ethnicity, the role of international organizations, and personal resettlement stories, using various activities like digital research projects, quizzes, and weekly reflections. The goal is to enrich students' understanding and empathy towards cultural diversity and displaced people, enhancing students' knowledge and engagement with real-world refugee experiences. 

Library team: 

  • Haley Gillilan, Undergraduate Student Success Librarian 
  • Sherri Brown, Librarian for English 
  • Laura Miller, Assistant Director of Scholars' Lab Public Services 
  • Bethany Mickel, Instructional Design and OER Librarian 

Tessa Farmer, Arts and Sciences, Anthropology. This project will enhance the Global Studies capstone course's focus on information literacy, addressing areas identified as needing improvement in a recent IAS evaluation. The evaluation revealed that while students generally performed proficiently in information literacy, there's room for growth in skills like source evaluation, interpretation, and citation. The proposed project involves collaborating with the library staff to revise the course's skill workshops, focusing on such goals as effective use of UVA/library resources, improving source evaluation, and differentiating students' ideas from secondary sources.  Ultimately the project aims to strengthen students’ research competencies and information management skills.  

Library team: 

  • Erin Pappas, Librarian for the Humanities 
  • Maggie Nunley, Science and Engineering Research Librarian 
  • Cecelia Parks, Undergraduate Student Success Librarian 

Mona Kasra, Arts and Sciences, Drama.  A new undergraduate course in the Drama Department, required for Drama majors and elective for others, will focus on design principles in theatrical production. The course will familiarize students with various aspects of theatrical design, such as scenic, lighting, costume, projections, and sound, and will acquaint students with the collaborative process of stage design. The objective is to leverage the library's resources and expertise to create a comprehensive and engaging course, with a focus on non-textual, digital methods and hands-on activities, enabling students to interact with the library's material and maker labs in innovative ways. This course will be finalized in Spring 2024 and subsequently taught by other faculty as part of Drama’s revised and recently launched undergraduate curriculum. 

Library team: 

  • Amy Hunsaker, Librarian for Music and the Performing Arts 
  • Brandon Butler, Director of Information Policy 
  • Josh Thorud, Multimedia Teaching and Learning Librarian 
  • Ammon Shepherd, Makerspace Manager 
  • Bethany Mickel, Instructional Design and OER Librarian 

Channing Mathews, Arts and Sciences, Psychology. The course, centered on community engagement through mental health prevention science, is being revamped to emphasize community and school interventions, particularly around civic/sociopolitical contexts. Assignments will now include developing practical interventions with community partners and a digital project for science communication of community-engaged research, complemented by updated readings on relevant issues. This change aims to enhance students' skills in both theory and practice of community work, focusing on understanding personal biases and effective collaboration. The course's impact is expected to extend beyond the classroom, fostering valuable partnerships between UVA students and community members. 

Library team: 

  • Christine Slaughter, Social Sciences Research Librarian 
  • Josh Thorud, Multimedia Teaching and Learning Librarian 
  • Bethany Mickel, Instructional Design and OER Librarian 

2022-2023

Gretchen Wiersma, School of Nursing: Students enrolled in the Registered Nurse-Bachelor of Science in Nursing program are licensed RNs working at various medical facilities. The Library’s Course Enrichment Grant will support the development, training, and application of a student assignment in the first semester of Professor Wiersma’s “Foundations of Professional Nursing” course. The assignment will focus on identifying and applying information technology and resources at their facility to support clinical decision making and evidence-based practice.

Library team:

  • Dan Wilson, Associate Director for Collection Management and Access Services, Health Sciences Library
  • Bethany Mickel, Coordinator of the CEG Program
  • Cecelia Parks, Undergraduate Student Success Librarian
  • Haley Gillilan, Undergraduate Student Success Librarian

Evan Shieh, School of Architecture: The goal of Professor Shieh’s course is to create a framework allowing students to reimagine ways in which architects, landscape architects, urban planners, and urban designers can intervene in the context and contentious histories of particular highways through design and policy strategies. Students will be encouraged to rethink highways through multiple scales, from large-scale removal and decking to adaptive conversion and smaller-scale tactical interventions — for example, how an infrastructure serving only single-occupancy vehicles can be reconceived as a positive multi-functional infrastructure fostering multi-modal shared forms of mobility, community-empowering social spaces and amenities, and environmentally sustainable outcomes.

Library team:

  • Rebecca Coleman, Research Librarian for Architecture
  • Chris Gist, Geographic Information Systems Specialist
  • Drew McQueen, Geospatial Consultant
  • Bethany Mickel, Teaching and Instructional Design Librarian, Coordinator of the CEG Program
  • Fang Yi, Educational Technologist

John Edwin Mason, Department of History: Students in Professor Mason’s course, HIST 1501 “The Camera Is Our Weapon,” will focus on the African American portraits in the Holsinger Studio Collection in the Library’s special collections, and will contribute to community engagement programs that support the Holsinger Portrait Project’s 2022-2023 exhibition in the Harrison/Small gallery. Students will learn to work with and interpret primary sources and explore the history of the Charlottesville region and the lives of the sitters in the Holsinger Studio’s portraits. They will also work with the Holsinger Portrait Project’s community advisors to create community engagement materials for the exhibitions, such as pamphlets, docents’ guides, pop-up exhibitions, and web pages. Students will see their work go out into the world and help to change the way that people in the Charlottesville region see their history, both literally and figuratively.

Library team:

  • Rebecca Coleman, Research Librarian for Architecture
  • Krystal Appiah, Curator, Special Collections
  • Bethany Mickel, Teaching and Instructional Design Librarian, Coordinator of the CEG Program
  • Holly Robertson, Curator of Exhibitions
  • Regina Rush, Reference Librarian
  • Katrina Spencer, kls9wv@virginia.edu, Librarian for African American & African Studies
  • Keith Weimer, kw6m@virginia.edu, Librarian for History, Politics, and Religious Studies

Kathryn Schetlick, Department of Drama: In the fall of 2021, Professor Schetlick, inspired by the emergence of new dance podcasts and how they propose new modes of criticism and expand the performance archive, piloted a new podcast project to replace a final written research assignment. Over the course of the semester, each student worked to script a podcast episode about a choreographer that had visited UVA during the first fifteen years of the UVA Dance Program (2006-2021). With the help of the Course Enrichment Grant and a dedicated team of library specialists, she hopes to strengthen and expand this successful pilot alongside the restructuring of the DANC 1400 course “How Dance Matters.” This project will provide students with a platform to express their personal reflections on dance, performance, and its social relevance, and add their voices to a dynamic archive documenting fifteen years of dance at UVA.

Library team:

  • Amy Hunsaker, Librarian for Music and the Performing Arts
  • Brandon Butler, Director of Information Policy
  • Bethany Mickel, Teaching and Instructional Design Librarian, Coordinator of the CEG Program
  • Fang Yi, Educational Technologist

Andrew Ferguson, Undergraduate College, College of Arts & Sciences: First-year students in Professor Ferguson’s “Videogames and Videography” course will explore one of the most critically renowned and culturally resonant games of the past decade, Kentucky Route Zero, and capture their experiences in the form of a weekly play log, a print or digital zine, and a short video essay. Each week they will play through and discuss one of the game’s five Acts and, between class and the library, will work on basic skills and techniques for video editing. Class will conclude with an exhibition of the class video essays and zine art.

Library Team:

  • Josh Thorud, Multimedia Teaching and Learning Librarian
  • Jeremy Boggs, Head of Research and Development, Scholars’ Lab
  • Bethany Mickel, Teaching and Instructional Design Librarian, Coordinator of the CEG Program
  • Jack Kelly, Senior Software Engineer, Accessibility Consultant

Anastasia Dakouri-Hild, Department of Art: Professor Dakouri-Hild will modify ARTH 3595 “Art History Practicum” to dovetail with planning for her exhibition “The Worlds in Between: Egypt, Wawat, Kush and Meroe in Africa” at the Fralin Museum of Art. The project will examine in detail the extent to which Egypt was of Africa culturally speaking: What did Egypt owe to other African cultures of its time and, inversely, what did it bequeath to the latter cultures? The exhibition project is being presented in tandem with a pedagogical effort allowing a cohort of Art History majors to engage with current curatorial practice as active members of the exhibition team.

Library team:

  • Lucie Stylianopoulos, Librarian for Art, Archaeology, & Indigenous Studies
  • Bethany Mickel, Teaching and Instructional Design Librarian, Coordinator of the CEG Program
  • Chris Gist, Geographic Information Systems Specialist
  • Drew McQueen, Geospatial Consultant

2021-2022

Francesca Calamita, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese, College of Arts & Sciences: First-year students of “Food for Feminist Global Thought” will learn how to develop connections between ideas covered in the seminar and everyday life through online and in-class cross-cultural reflections. They will also learn how to critically find, evaluate, and manage sources for their final presentation on food and gender across the globe.

Library team:

  • Erin Pappas, Research Librarian for the Humanities
  • Miguel Valladares-Llata, Librarian for Romance Languages and Latin American Studies
  • Cecilia Parks, Undergraduate Student Success Librarian
  • Bethany Mickel, Teaching and Instructional Design Librarian
  • Leigh Rockey, Video Collections Librarian
  • Christine Slaughter, Social Sciences Research Librarian

Yoon Hwa Choi, East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Cultures, College of Arts & Sciences: Students will be required to research Korean culture using authentic materials and create two 5 to 7-minute videos introducing their topic, in both Korean and English, to students with basic Korean language skills.

Library team:

  • Wei Wang, Research Librarian for East Asian Studies
  • Josh Thorud, Multimedia Teaching and Learning Librarian
  • Bethany Mickel, Teaching and Instructional Design Librarian
  • Brandon Butler, Director of Information Policy

Lisa Goff, English, College of Arts & Sciences: The course “Moving On: Migration to/from US” will include a course enrichment project designed to help the 25-30 class members better understand how their lives, and the lives of their families and friends, have intersected with migration in, to, and around the United States. We will partner with the Library to guide students in researching and documenting their own family trees, using genealogical tools and family interviews to trace their families back in time, as broad geographically as possible..

There will be other options — for example, tracing the family history of an historical figure — for students who are not comfortable with documenting the status of living family members.

Library team:

  • Sherri Brown, Librarian for English
  • Drew MacQueen, Geospatial Consultant
  • Chris Gist, Geographic Information Systems Specialist
  • Krystal Appiah, Instruction Librarian, Special Collections
  • Jean Cooper, Metadata Librarian
  • Bethany Mickel, Teaching and Instructional Design Librarian

Erin Putalik, Architectural History, School of Architecture: This project for a survey course in architectural history will teach students to find lesser-known representations of a single iconic work of early 20th century architecture, showing changes in the work or its context over the course of a half-century or more. Students will be taught to effectively use various image databases and develop annotated, image-based essays that challenge the ways these buildings are typically represented — as standing heroically outside of time, untouched by their human and environmental contexts.

Library team:

  • Rebecca Coleman, Research Librarian for Architecture
  • Bethany Mickel, Teaching and Instructional Design Librarian
  • Ann Burns, Metadata Librarian
  • Brandon Butler, Director of Information Policy

Hallie Richmond, English, College of Arts & Sciences: Students will design a virtual narrative that illustrates differences in student access to challenging and inclusive literary texts in K-12 classes across Albemarle County. The narrative will be housed in a new course website intended to serve English teachers who are seeking open educational resources related to reading and teaching literature of a challenging nature.

Library team:

  • Brandon Walsh, Head of Scholars’ Lab Student Programs
  • Sherri Brown, Librarian for English
  • Ashley Hosbach, Education and Social Science Research Librarian
  • Bethany Mickel, Teaching and Instructional Design Librarian
  • Arin Bennett, Information Visualization Specialist
  • Drew MacQueen, Geospatial Consultant
  • Chris Gist, Geographic Information Systems Specialist
  • Nancy Kechner, ADSTP Specialist

Jennifer Sessions, History, College of Arts & Sciences: Students in a new “Workshop” seminar for History majors will learn essential research skills by exploring the history of crime and scandal in fin-de-siècle Europe and building ArcGIS StoryMaps to organize, analyze, and present their research on a particular case study.

Library team:

  • Keith Weimer, Librarian for History, Politics, and Religious Studies
  • Drew MacQueen Geospatial Consultant
  • Todd Burks, Teaching and Learning Librarian
  • Bethany Mickel, Teaching and Instructional Design Librarian
  • Leigh Rockey, Video Collections Librarian

2020-2021

Christopher Ali, Media Studies, College of Arts of Sciences:  Christopher Ali, Department of Media Studies: Undergraduates will learn about the methods of policy analysis by consulting digital platforms to retrieve and organize key documents, and then apply different methods of analysis such as stakeholder analysis and discourse analysis. These methods will be applied to student’s final assignment, a critical policy memo, and will give students a foundation both in the specifics of policy analysis and in the methods of media studies more broadly

Library team:

  • Erin Pappas, Research Librarian for the Humanities
  • Cecilia Parks, Undergraduate Student Success Librarian
  • Jenn Huck, Data Librarian
  • Brandon Butler, Director, Information Policy

Federico Cuatlcuatl, Studio Art, College of Arts of Sciences:  This course will challenge and engage students in multiple modes of fabrication and digital productions through the conceptual framework of wearable self-portraits.

Library team:

  • Lucie Stylianopoulos, Research Librarian for Art, Archaeology, Classics, Indigenous Studies
  • Ammon Shepherd, Makerspace Manager
  • Josh Thorud, Multimedia Teaching and Learning Librarian
  • Arin Bennett, Information Visualization Specialist
  • Will Rourk, 3D Data & Content Specialist
  • Fang Yi, Educational Technologist

Bremen Donovan, Anthropology, College of Arts of Sciences: Students from across disciplines will be introduced to diverse modes of ethnographic research and creative practice in this course designed to broaden understanding of what rigorous scholarship can look, sound, and feel like. In addition to readings, screenings, and other interventions, students will collaboratively explore different forms of knowledge production and representation, and will engage in practical training to guide them in the conception and bringing to fruition their own small-scale experimental projects.

Library team:

  • Josh Thorud, Multimedia Teaching and Learning Librarian
  • Phil McEldowney, Librarian for Middle East and South Asia Studies
  • Krystal Appiah, Instruction Librarian, Special Collections
  • Chris Gist, Geographic Information Systems Specialist
  • Drew Macqueen, Geospatial Consultant

Erin Lambert, History, College of Arts of Sciences: Students will develop skills in historical research by tracing the travels of a single object through early modern global trade networks and presenting their projects in an ArcGIS StoryMap.

Library team:

  • Keith Weimer, Librarian for History, Politics, and Religious Studies
  • Krystal Appiah, Instruction Librarian, Special Collections
  • Chris Gist, Geographic Information Systems Specialist
  • Drew Macqueen, Geospatial Consultant
  • Lucie Stylianopoulos, Research Librarian for Art, Archaeology, Classics, Indigenous Studies
  • Ronda Grizzle, Project Management and Training Specialist

Stella Mattioli, Spanish, College of Arts of Sciences: The students of Elementary Italian will work in pairs to create an interactive picture book about an Italian cultural aspect that they will have to choose and research. 

Library team:

  • Miguel Valladares-Llata, Librarian for Romance Languages and Latin American Studies
  • Bethany Mickel, Teaching and Instructional Design Librarian
  • Josh Thorud, Multimedia Teaching and Learning Librarian

David Singerman, History, College of Arts of Sciences: First-year students will explore the 2008 financial crisis by learning to think like historians. They’ll combine scholarship, media accounts, and interviews with friends and family into multimedia projects about what it’s like to live through a major historical event.

Library team:

  • Todd Burks, Teaching and Learning Librarian
  • Keith Weimer, Librarian for History, Politics, and Religious Studies
  • Bill Corey, Research Data Management Librarian
  • Josh Thorud, Multimedia Teaching and Learning Librarian

Tyler Jo Smith, McIntire Department of Art/Interdisciplinary Archaeology Program, College of Arts and Sciences: In a seminar setting, students will learn how to research individual objects of religious significance belonging to the Fralin Museum of Art. They will share their final project results using 3D technologies of scanning, printing, and digital presentation.

Library team:

  • Lucie Stylianopoulos, Research Librarian for Art, Archaeology, Classics, Indigenous Studies
  • Bethany Mickel, Teaching and Instructional Design Librarian
  • Arin Bennett, Information Visualization Specialist
  • Will Rourk, 3D Data & Content Specialist
  • Josh Thorud, Multimedia Teaching and Learning Librarian

2019-2020

Jeffrey Boichuk, McIntire School of Commerce: Students will develop life-long skills in the areas of research, written communication, and information, strengthening their marketing projects through connection with the larger marketing literature and the business press at large. 

Library team:

  • Bill Corey (lead), Research Data Services and Social, Natural and Engineering Sciences
  • Todd Burks, Teaching & Learning
  • Jenn Huck, Research Data Services and Social, Natural and Engineering Sciences
  • Hanni Nabahe, Resident Librarian

Phoebe Crisman, Architecture, School of Architecture: Students will improve their ability to employ media-rich technologies and data visualization in their semester-long Think Global/Act Local project, the goal of which is to inspire sustainability action through new interactive research and communication methods. 

Library team:

  • Fang Yi (lead), Teaching & Learning
  • Todd Burks, Teaching & Learning
  • Jeremy Garritano, Research Data Services and Social, Natural and Engineering Sciences
  • Ricky Patterson, Research Data Services and Social, Natural and Engineering Sciences

Kevin Driscoll, Media Studies, College of Arts & Sciences: Undergraduates will engage in original research for media archival projects related to social change; the course will culminate in a museum-style exhibit based on a comparative analysis of media artifacts. 

Library team:

  • Erin Pappas (lead), Arts & Humanities
  • Bethany Mickel, Teaching & Learning
  • Stephen Villereal, Preservation Services
  • Krystal Appiah, Special Collections Library
  • Sony Prosper, Special Collections Library
  • Brandon Butler, Scholarly Communication

Bonnie Hagerman, Women, Gender & Sexuality, College of Arts & Sciences: Working with a detailed data set (created in part by the class) about Olympic medal winners, students will analyze the data to better understand the intersections of gender, race, geography, age, ability, and sexual orientation in the Games.

Library team:

  • Erin Pappas (lead), Arts & Humanities
  • Nancy Kechner, Research Data Services and Social, Natural and Engineering Sciences
  • Bethany Mickel, Teaching & Learning

Foteini Kondyli, Art History, College of Arts & Sciences. As part of a new multilayered approach to learning about Byzantine cities, students will balance scholarly reading and writing with hands-on activities using a range digital technologies, such as 3D modeling, virtual reality, and 3D printing.

Library team:

  • Lucie Stylianopoulos (lead), Arts & Humanities
  • Arin Bennett, Scholars’ Lab
  • Will Rourk, Scholars’ Lab
  • Bethany Mickel, Teaching & Learning

Hsin-Hsin Liang (Department of East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Cultures) and Yingyao Wang (Sociology), College of Arts & Sciences: By enhancing the newly redesigned Media Chinese language course to incorporate expert lectures of current topics on China, library instruction, and media technology workshops, students will better understand scholarly information, develop research skills related to their Chinese studies, and apply newly gained media technology expertise to their video projects.

Library team:

  • Wei Wang (lead), Arts & Humanities
  • Leigh Rockey, Collection Management
  • Todd Burks, Teaching & Learning
  • Fang Yi, Teaching & Learning

Andrea Hansen Phillips, Landscape Architecture, School of Architecture. Architecture students will be introduced to the fundamentals of coding and digital technologies such as web mapping, user experience design, and data visualization, in order to elevate the role of civic engagement and public interest design.

Library team:

  • Rebecca Coleman (lead), Arts & Humanities
  • Jeremy Boggs, Scholars’ Lab
  • Jill Heinze, User Experience
  • Erich Purpur, Research Data Services and Social, Natural and Engineering Sciences
  • Meridith Wolnick, Teaching & Learning

2018-2019

Kim Brooks Mata, Drama, College of Arts & Sciences: Students will develop the skills to engage in research in the context of artistic practice and will enhance their understanding of dance as both an expressive and investigative field.

Library team:

  • Abigail Flanigan (lead), Arts & Humanities
  • Paula Archey, Teaching & Learning

Meredith Clark, Media Studies, College of Arts & Sciences: Students will engage in a critical analysis of social media data to produce case studies about specific issues related to race and digital culture. 

Library team:

  • Erin Pappas (lead), Arts & Humanities
  • Regina Carter, Teaching & Learning
  • Jeremy Boggs, Scholar’s Lab

Max Edelson (History) and Ricardo Padron (Spanish, Italian & Portuguese), College of Arts & Sciences: Students will embark on research projects in a variety of fields of study, gaining understanding of the relationship between space, knowledge, and power, and developing competencies with research strategies and tools. 

Library team:

  • Keith Weimer (lead), Arts & Humanities
  • Todd Burks, Teaching & Learning

Sean Ferguson, Science, Technology and Society Program, School of Engineering and Applied Science: Through hands-on activities, students will learn how to combine quantitative and qualitative material to gain deep understanding of social phenomena, developing their skills in data manipulation, curation, and visualization.  

Library team:

  • Jennifer Huck (lead), Research Data Services and Social, Natural and Engineering Sciences
  • Todd Burks, Teaching & Learning

Bonnie Gordon, Music, College of Arts & Sciences: Students will develop skills in critical reflection and information literacy as they engage with historical sources to understand how music reflects and influences history and cultural change. 

Library team:

  • Abigail Flanigan (lead), Arts & Humanities
  • Paula Archey, Teaching & Learning
  • Bethany Mickel, Teaching & Learning
  • David Whitesell, Special Collections Library

Mary Kuhn, English, College of Arts & Sciences: Students will broaden their understanding of what constitutes an environmental text, conducting research to uncover primary and secondary sources and using digital tools to practice public-facing research and writing. 

Library team:

  • Chris Ruotolo (lead), Arts & Humanities
  • Krystal Appiah, Special Collections Library
  • Meridith Wolnick, Teaching & Learning

Jonah Shulhofer-Wohl, Politics, College of Arts & Sciences: After learning how to define an answerable research question about Middle East politics, students will conduct independent research, gaining necessary skills in assessing, analyzing, and synthesizing information. 

Library team:

  • Christine Slaughter (lead), Arts & Humanities
  • Bethany Mickel, Teaching & Learning

2017-2018

Jeanine Braithwaite, Frank Batten School: Students working on their Applied Policy Projects will gain foundational information literacy skills, allowing them to choosing substantial, meaty policy problems and conduct original research on their area of policy interest.

Library team:

  • Jenn Huck, Research Data Services and Social, Natural and Engineering Sciences
  • Bethany Mickel, Teaching & Learning

George Gilliam, History, College of Arts & Sciences: Working with archival source material, students will learn historical research methods for identifying and finding primary sources, understand the difference between primary and secondary sources, and analyze sources in order to answer a research question.

Library team:

  • Krystal Appiah, Special Collections Library
  • Bethany Mickel, Teaching & Learning
  • Keith Weimer, Arts & Humanities

Cristina Griffin, English, College of Arts & Sciences: As part of their in-depth exploration of the history of gothic literature, students will work with archival texts on a focused information literacy project, learning to form research questions, discover unexpected ways of finding answers, and interrogate information dynamically along the way.

Library team:

  • Chris Ruotolo, Arts & Humanities
  • Meridith Wolnick, Teaching & Learning
  • David Whitesell, Special Collections Library

Katelyn Hale Wood, Drama, College of Arts & Sciences: In this course, with a new emphasis on historiographical methodology, students will engage in the process of information creation, link structures of authority to the construction of historical evidence, and learn effective research strategies. 

Library team:

  • Abigail Flanigan, Arts & Humanities
  • Paula Archey, Teaching & Learning

Zaneta Hong, Landscape Architecture, School of Architecture: Students will understand and practice research and design methodologies related to materials and technologies for the built environment, in the interest of creating a sustainable, ethical, and environmentally-sensitive design practice.

Library team:

  • Rebecca Coleman, Arts and Humanities
  • Jeremy Garritano, Research Data Services and Social, Natural and Engineering Sciences
  • Maggie Nunley, Research Data Services and Social, Natural and Engineering Sciences (then Teaching & Learning)

Deborah McGrady, French, College of Arts & Sciences: Students will learn how to conduct research – in particular to identify and find information, and evaluate its credibility – in their investigations into the historical and artistic legacy of Joan of Arc, from medieval to modern times.

Library team:

  • Todd Burks, Teaching & Learning
  • Lucie Stylianopoulos, Arts & Humanities
  • Miguel Valladares-Llata, Arts and Humanities