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Dr Jack Turco left holds a safe sex pamphlet at a Dartmouth talk in 1980s with Dr Joe O'Donnell

Dr. Jack Turco, left, holds a safe sex pamphlet at a Dartmouth talk with Dr. Joe O'Donnell

Student-Generated Research Enhances Dartmouth Curriculum

Have you ever wondered how some of the most bespoke, highly specific, and poignant sessions come to be taught at Rauner Special Collections Library? Curiosity and collaboration. Another factor is just how many people contribute to the process — even when separated by distance and time. How? Every time the Rauner Library team (and student research fellows, visiting scholars, curious historians, local history buffs, or Dartmouth faculty and staff) dig into the archives, their “discoveries” contribute to a wealth of findings referenced and used for future research, teaching, and learning. So, when faculty request a tailored session aligned to their learning goals, there’s a deep well of research, exhibits, blog writings, transcriptions, and more to draw from. 

Dartmouth alum Leeza Petrov ‘22 couldn’t have known that her archival research and digital exhibit, “AIDS and Safer Sex at Dartmouth” would become a valuable resource for one such tailored session. Developed during her time as a fellow in the Libraries’ Historical Accountability Student Research Program, her Special Collections research became the center of what was presented and taught for a “One Geisel” class in 2024. 

image of Leeza Petrov '22

Leeza Petrov '22, photo © Trustees of Dartmouth | Katie Lenhart

Anyone unfamiliar with the HASRP may not know that being a fellow is the chance to complete self-assigned, in-depth archival research that wouldn’t otherwise be possible while participating in Dartmouth’s traditional 10-week term. The final research “product” isn’t the point, the research “process” is. Leeza shares that being a fellow is how she developed valuable skills, from project and data management to refining and articulating research questions. “It was definitely one of the most impactful academic experiences I had at Dartmouth.” For fellows like Leeza, their “product,” whether they know it or not, becomes a vital resource for future scholarship. 

Inspired by a class Jay Satterfield facilitated for the Hybrid Masters in Public Health 2024 program, Daniel R. Lucey, D ’77, MED ’81/ ’82 asked Jay to tailor a session covering HIV and AIDS for the 2024 Fall Term. Jay knew immediately that Leeza’s digital exhibit would provide the framework. Leeza “was surprised and flattered” when she learned about the session. “I didn't expect that my research would be useful beyond just ‘research for research's sake.’”

Partnering with Kira Parrish-Penny, ‘24, also an HASRP veteran and current Edward Lathem ‘51 Special Collections Fellow, Jay and Kira dug into Leeza’s exhibit. They selected and pulled the physical materials for the class that would best suit active learning and hands-on interaction with the primary resources. 

items from Dartmouth's safer sex kits

contents of the "Safer Sex" kits

From Leeza’s work, Jay and Kira selected 10 physical items to use as touchstones while covering the class’s themes of:

  • homophobia
  • Dartmouth’s institutional response to AIDS
  • reframing sex
  • safer sex kits
  • and Responsible AIDS Information at Dartmouth (RAID).

Acknowledging Leeza’s significant role in making this session possible, Jay and Kira invited Leeza to join via Zoom (from the Netherlands, where she is in graduate school) to contribute her knowledge and expertise to the live session. “I wish I could have been there in person to facilitate the workshop, but it was really cool to see the students poring over the same documents I handled and experience the same emotions — shock, awe, pride, confusion — as I did.”

For Daniel Lucey, the result of the session was inspiring.

Wow! Our medical and Masters of Public Health students appreciated so much your superb 50-minute presentation and discussion! It was our one and only trip outside the classroom in our four-week elective, and likely the highlight! I hope we can do something with you on other epidemics/pandemics and on HIV/AIDS next year. Thank you all for inspiring these Dartmouth students in 2024! (edited for clarity)

Daniel R. Lucey, D ’77, MED ’81/ ’82

Jay reflected on what he saw as a truly magical facet of the whole session, sharing how it was a brilliant opportunity for peer-to-peer teaching and learning, centering the student experience. 

From planning through to execution, Kira and Leeza stepped into the “expert” role. This experience gave space for them as Dartmouth alums to impart knowledge to Dartmouth graduate students while sharing archival material related to Dartmouth students’ experiences from the 80s and 90s.

Dartmouth’s culture champions student-produced knowledge, discoveries, and research for future generations of scholars. Jay and the Rauner Library team embody that ethos by fostering a culture of openness (there’s little gatekeeping there!), curiosity, collaborative teaching, and active learning. In this way, they assure outcomes that empower students, accelerate advanced research, and elevate scholarship. 

This was a really rewarding class experience, made possible by the Historical Accountability Student Research Program.

Jay Satterfield

For Leeza, if more Dartmouth students could “see the fruits of their research being applied in this kind of setting, they'd realize their work isn’t just to tick a box, but instead actively contributes to scholarly discourse, the production of knowledge, and nurtures a culture that makes Dartmouth such a rich place.”

 

 

If you’re a current student with a research idea that exploring the archives would enhance, be a fellow!

If you’d like to co-design a tailored teaching and learning experience that aligns to your curriculum goals, contact the Rauner Library team.

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