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BSA Partnership and Pedagogy


Main Description

As a repository for primary and secondary source materials, Border Studies Archive preserves and supports scholarly research. BSA's history is also rooted in meaningful partnerships with our academic and local community. Our collections evolved from faculty- and student-generated projects and coursework and continue to provide unique opportunities for strategic partnerships and pedagogical applications. BSA invites you to collaborate with us in building our collections and expanding our scholarly impact.

Our Academic Partners

Our Community Partners

Pedagogical Applications

(ANTH 4310/6310) Students enrolled in Food & Culture classes utilize the Folk Foods series to complete assignments on local recipe assignment. Each student selects a folk food recipe and reflects on its origin, ingredients, cultural history, and significance.

(ANTH 6390) Graduate students enrolled in Special Topics: Archive Digitization the methods, theory, and ethics of archival digitization via both the careful analysis of current academic literature on these topics and the practical application of this knowledge on materials at the Border Studies Archive (BSA).

(ANTH 4315.01/HIST 5345.01/ANTH 6385.01) Students enrolled in the interdisciplinary class, "Discovering the Rio Grande Valley: The Natural and Cultural History of South Texas," conduct oral history, archeological research, land ownership/title, GIS mapping, and biological research on an RGV family and its property. Oral history interviews and transcriptions are deposited with BSA along with the final published family report.

From Porciones to Colonias:  Curriculum Innovation in the Rio Grande Valley,” was a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) funded project offered by the Community Historic Archaeology Project with Schools (CHAPS) program. A multidisciplinary team of university faculty helped local K-12 educators develop culturally relevant, place-based lesson plans. Border Studies Archive staff assisted participants with conducting oral histories with local community members.