A new course at Emory University is allowing students to put together an exhibit from the African American photo collection of the university’s Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library. The collection includes more than 12,000 photographs from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
The class, taught by Pellom McDaniels, assistant professor of African American studies and curator of African American collections at the library, is entitled “Looking at the Familiar: History, Memory, Race, and Visual Culture.” Students will concentrate on establishing an exhibit in one of four areas: women, religion, sports and leisure, or music.
Dr. McDaniels stated, “I am interested in students developing and utilizing different research methodologies, including how to read a photograph, and the idea of working as a historian in the archives and learning how to triangulate information related to the primary evidence that they encounter.”
Dr. McDaniel is a graduate of Oregon State University. He played for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League from 1993 to 1998. He earned a master’s degree and Ph.D from Emory University.
