Experiential Pedagogy: Go on a Historical Tour
At the end of every semester teaching WGS/GS I ask students to give a presentation on a historical tour as a part of their final grade. I try and make these as accessible as possible, offering students the opportunity to go on virtual tours (many more museums have embraced 3D virtual websites) or physically go somewhere (Boston/MA ease the financial burden by making thee majority of galleries and museums free to students with a university ID). The majority of students tend to opt to go somewhere in person, usually over fall or spring break. I’ve had students present on their visit to the Plazuela de la Rogativa in San Juan, PR, and another student visited the palace of Queen Liliʻuokalani to describe the development of the colonial/modern gender system in Hawaii. This semester a student has opted to go to Stonewall Inn in NYC. I try and be as flexible as possible because at its core, WGS is about social justice movements, coalition building, and organizing. I also want to encourage students to see this as an opportunity to “choose your own adventure” so that they can take greater ownership of the assignment.
The historical tour is intended to be a form of experiential pedagogy because the act of visiting a museum or viewing a public sculpture does something that the traditional classroom cannot and that is bringing students outside of themselves and their immediate circumstances. Medical research backs this up: “studies have shown that exposure to art and cultural artifacts can lower levels of cortisol, leading to improved mood and overall well-being.”
Students tend to love this activity, and Massachusetts is the perfect state to explore any number of historical moments in WGS: Phillis Wheatley was purchased in Boston and this commemorated on the Boston Wharf. The Combahee River Collective met at the Cambridge Women’s Center in Cambridge. Students can explore queer/trans histories in the Emily Dickenson Museum, the Deborah Sampson Statue, the mural in Allston dedicated to Rita Hester which inaugurated Trans Day of Remembrance. There are many homes in the area that were a part of the Underground Railroad, there’s a square dedicated to Harriet Tubman, and the African Meeting House is where abolitionist Fredrick Douglass and Sojourner Truth frequently met with others. And many, many, more.
Usually I’ll get a handful of students who go to the Little Women’s House (and the home of Louisa May Alcott) in Concord, MA. It is a WGS favorite. There is really nothing like exploring a museum, a lost history or archive. Sometimes this assignment is the first real opportunity for students to consider how the truths they learn in class relate beyond the classroom– in a more exciting frame.
