Undergraduate and Interdisciplinary Studies 39B, Section 1
Archival Research: Working with Primary Sources in the Humanities, Sciences, and Engineering (1.5 units, LG)
Professor James Casey
Wednesday 3:00-4:30, Stone Room, 373 Bancroft Library, CCN: 89006

This seminar offers undergraduates from any major the opportunity to perform original research using primary sources from the archives of the Bancroft Library, or from other specialized libraries at the University or in the San Francisco Bay Area. Students will have direct access to the unique collections of original manuscripts, papers, early printed editions, maps, photographs, paintings, and other items in the Berkeley archives. These cover literary, historical, philosophical, social, cultural, scientific, engineering, and artistic areas, spanning many centuries and different cultures. Bancroft has an especially rich collection of primary sources on California during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries (e.g., manuscripts, drawings, and paintings from the Gold Rush era; reports, engineering drawings, and photographs for the Golden Gate and Bay Bridge projects; an extensive archive on the poetry and fiction of the Beat Generation; and the papers of the Sierra Club and the Free Speech Movement). After some introductory sessions on the use of primary documents and artifacts in research, we will explore the Bancroft archives in areas of interest to the group. By mid-semester, students will begin working individually or in pairs on a topic of their own choosing, but based on archival materials. Creativity and ingenuity in research are encouraged and everyone is expected to participate vigorously in the discussions. Library specialists will provide technical assistance. A presentation and research report will be due at the end of the semester. In the past, we have found that the seminar works best when our students come from diverse cultural and academic backgrounds and are eager to engage in academic dialogue. We are particularly interested in attracting students from the sciences and engineering in addition to the humanities and arts, so that problems can be discussed from different angles, and interdisciplinary collaborations can take place. Enrollment is limited to twenty students and attendance is mandatory.

James Casey is a Professor in the Mechanical Engineering and Bioengineering Departments. He works on theoretical mechanics, but also has an interest in the history of the mathematical sciences. He is a passionate proponent of discourse that crisscrosses disciplinary boundaries.

David Farrell is both Curator of the History of Science and Technology Program at Bancroft and University Archivist.

Peter Hanff, Deputy Director of the Bancroft Library, has an intimate knowledge of the archives at Bancroft and other Bay Area libraries, and a great commitment to the value of primary sources in undergraduate education.