casnewsletterspring2020

1200 S. Jay St. Aberdeen, SD 57401-7198 northern.edu Nonprofit Organization U.S. Postage PAID Aberdeen, South Dakota Permit No. 77 Visit northern.edu , click on “ Give Now” and select “College of Arts and Sciences” to support the College of Arts and Sciences. Update your contact information with the NSU Foundation to hear about alumni events in your area or contact the NSU Foundation to learn more, 605-626-2550. Your donations fund: Student travel | Speaker series | Scholarships | Student research TODAY IS THE DAY SUPPORT OUR STUDENTS AT NORTHERN STATE UNIVERSITY WORKS INCLUDE video games about high school English syllabi, mannequins draped in essays about NSU fashion trends, posters showing how the switch from typewriters to word processors affected the way local histories were designed, and books illustrating changes in the advertising practices of The Exponent throughout the 20th century. These projects were created by students in Dr. Ben Harley’s ENGL 201 composition course. Students were asked to use the library’s archives to study the literacy practices of any historical community within the greater Aberdeen area. Once the research was completed, students created displays that reflected, both in content and in style, the material they had learned. At the end of the semester, students presented their projects to a panel of librarians who chose several to be displayed the library for the duration of the spring semester. Students found the work both challenging and rewarding, especially since students in introductory courses are not usually given the opportunity to design their own research projects for public consumption. “When we were first assigned the Archival Literacy Project, I was a little concerned and overwhelmed by how big the project was and what exactly we had to do,” said Kendra Hinz, whose mannequin project is currently on display; however, she said that the experience ended up being quite rewarding: “[It was] the most fun I’ve had in a class. I was pushed to create something I never even thought I could do.” Projects are currently on display in the gallery of the Beulah Williams Library, although there are plans to move them to the archive reading room at the end of February to make room for other exhibits. ARCHIVAL LITERACY Project Unique displays of original research from first-year English students are currently on display in the gallery of the Beulah Williams Library on NSU campus.