Thematic Approaches to the Collections
These guides provide thematic approaches to teaching with collections. Faculty will find discussion prompts — which guide students in careful analysis — and a curated list of art or archival works under each theme.
Memory
Facial Expressions
Perceiving Light and Color
Rewriting History
Symbols of Power
Environment and the Anthropocene
Empathy
Fear and Violence
Race and identity
Body in Health and illness
Gendered bodies
Analyzing Types of Objects
These guides outline questions faculty may use to encourage their students in close and careful observation and study.
Formal Analysis Questions, brief version
Looking at Painting
Looking at Photography
Looking at Sculpture
Exploring Book History Provenance
Example Course Assignments
ENG 350: Literature of the American Renaissance, 1820-1860
HIS 401 / ART 491: Artifacts, Images, and History: The American Southwest
HIS 374: History of the American West
Models from Other Institutions
Many institutions and organizations provide general pedagogical guidance for teaching with primary sources and art; below please find a curated list of such guidance.
Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin College, Teaching at the Allen Memorial Art Museum
Harvard Magazine, Talking about Teaching, Part III: Using the University’s Collections
The Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University, Resources for teaching with art
Society of American Archivists, Guidelines for Primary Source Literacy
The Whitney Museum of American Art, Teaching Tips
Brooklyn Historical Society, Teach Archives