Pedagogy 2025

Abstract

In response to calls for academia to engage with the “real world” and foster community connections, this project demonstrates how student-centered learning and digital technologies can recover marginalized histories. As part of my course From Mummies to Morgues: Burial Practices in Global Context, undergraduate students engage with a database documenting Afro-descended and Indigenous individuals buried in Hartford’s Ancient Burial Ground (established c. 1640). Through this work, students connect historical research with digital storytelling to challenge erasure and make history relevant to their contemporary world. Students use ArcGIS StoryMaps to produce projects that combine spatial analysis, archival research, and narrative building. This approach allows students to explore real-world problems, such as historical exclusion and systemic inequality, while mastering practical research and digital skills. The project is rooted in engaged learning practices, promoting collaboration, peer-to-peer critique, and reflection on the ethical implications of historical narratives. This presentation will discuss the pedagogical strategies employed, including scaffolded assignments, the integration of primary sources, and the use of digital tools to foster student ownership and creativity. It will also reflect on the challenges and opportunities of connecting academic inquiry with public history, including the complexities of teaching marginalized histories to students from diverse backgrounds. By bridging historical research, digital technologies, and community engagement, this project exemplifies how pedagogy can respond to the evolving needs of students while contributing to public understanding of underrepresented histories. It invites discussion on how the humanities can use “real-world” problems to shape teaching, learning, and research in a way that is both innovative and impactful.