Dozens of pre-owned history books, paired with handwritten recommendations from the professors who donated them, filled shelves on the quad on Oct. 16.
Among the books and fall decorations was a sign advertising “free books.” But, this book sale was about far more than just free books.
Inspired by other used book sales that frequently appear on the quad, the history department's Senior Administrative Assistant Emily Lefeber-Dotzler and associate professor M.J. Rymsza-Pawlowska had a unique idea: instead of charging students money for the books, they could pay with their thoughts on the department.
“Our professors and faculty have a ton of books, and we thought it would be such a good way to get books into the hands of students,” Lefeber-Dotzler said. “We thought this could be a fun way for us to gather a little bit more information to learn about what students are looking for out of the history department.”
According to Lefeber-Dotzler, student opinions play a key role in the formation of the undergraduate programs offered by the Department of History. The book sale served as a unique way for the department to reevaluate its programs to maximize student participation.
“Student engagement drives what we do. We can’t have classes if nobody registers for them,” Lefeber-Dotzler said. “What students are interested in is important to how we look into the future and what we’re offering and how we can tap into this newer generation of people who are interested in history.”
Rymsza-Pawlowska said that AU’s history department faculty strive to create the best learning experience for students. Not only did they provide books for sale, they were also at the event discussing the books with students and asking students for their feedback for the department. The faculty members embraced this idea and put significant effort into selecting books they thought the students would benefit from.
“[The faculty] are taking it super seriously,” Rymsza-Pawlowska said. “[The books] are really well chosen and, hopefully, reflect people's passions.”
After students selected their books, they were asked to respond to various questions about history classes they wish they could take and the methods of teaching they find most effective on slips of paper.
Khai Tran, a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences and attendee of the book sale, said students not only felt heard by the Department of History, but that the event was a helpful way for the department to reflect on what students wanted to see in the future.
“I think [the book sale] is killing two birds with one stone,” Tran said. “You get students’ opinions, I get to ask myself what I want to learn and I also got a free book with it so it’s a win-win.”
The book sale’s fall theme wasn't unintentional. Lefeber-Dotzler and Rymsza-Pawlowska felt that October was the ideal time of year to hold this book sale to get more students interested in history before spring semester class registration.
“[If students] do have questions about classes or have questions about the history major, [they] have an opportunity to do it,” Rymsza-Pawlowska said.
Above all else, Lefeber-Dotzler and Rymsza-Pawlowska expressed that they want students to engage with the many programs and classes the Department of History has to offer — and they hope students can enjoy them.
“History’s fun, it doesn’t have to be serious. There’s so many different ways that you can do history that’s not just a lecture or going to the library,” Rymsza-Pawlowska said. “Anything we can do to show that history is central to our lives. We would love to see more people aware of the department.”
This article was edited by Alia Messina, Jessica Ackerman and Walker Whalen.Copy Editing done by Sabine Kanter-Huchting, Arin Burrell, Paige Caron, Andrew Kummeth, Ariana Kavoossi and Ryan Sieve.
