UA Students Prepare Dishes From African-American Cookbook Collection in Cultural Expo 2006

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — On Tuesday, May 2 at the W.S. Hoole Special Collections Library, students in two innovative courses at The University of Alabama will present their research findings to the public in Cultural Expo 2006.

From 2-4:15 p.m., students in Dr. Cathy Pagani’s Blount Undergraduate Initiative course Cooking and Culture (BUI 301) will present their research findings in three groups in the lobby of the Hoole Library. These brief presentations center around their use of the David Walker Lupton African-American Cookbooks collection housed at the Hoole Library, which can be viewed at http://www.lib.ua.edu/lupton.htm. As part of their presentation, the students will have prepared dishes using the recipes from the collection and these will be served as refreshments for the event.

From 5-7 p.m., Dr. Amy Dayton’s students will show their research findings from her course, Advanced Studies in Writing (Oral History – EN 455). The students have taken on interesting ethnography projects relating to Tuscaloosa landmarks, University history, as well as aspects of local art, culture, education and history. This event is an open forum with opportunities to view the students’ work and speak with them individually. Students will give brief presentations on their findings at 5:30 p.m. in the Hoole reading room. Refreshments for this portion of the event will be from Bama Dining.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for students to present their original research findings. Their community-based, qualitative projects explore the rich connections between the university and the community it serves,” said Dayton, who is just finishing her first year as a professor in the UA English department.

This experience is incredibly valuable for both the students and those who attend this unique event. Visitors are encouraged to interact with undergraduate students who are carrying out interesting research using the materials from the Hoole Library. This forum serves as a way for the students to communicate their ideas and share the excitement of using primary sources in undergraduate research in innovative ways, and provides the public and opportunity to share in that excitement, according to event organizers.

This event is sponsored by University Libraries, the UA English department, Blount Undergraduate Initiative, UA College of Arts and Sciences, Alabama Heritage Magazine and the Tuscaloosa County Preservation Society.

For more information, contact Jessica Lacher-Feldman at 205/348-0500, hooleinfo@bama.ua.edu.