Re-Envisioning the Material Past: How to Educate and Engage Modern Students Using Visual Culture

This book is designed to help instructors effectively incorporate images and other aspects of material culture into their pedagogy in an engaging and relatable manner. The author draws on her personal experiences as an art historian of ancient art who instructs a wide variety of undergraduates. In addition to helping students to look and think critically, the book explores how the material culture of the past can be a potent tool in motivating student involvement with course content and sharpening skills vital for navigating contemporary culture.

Glenda Swan is an Art Historian specializing in Ancient Art at Valdosta State University, USA. She is actively engaged in the scholarship of teaching and learning. In addition to her article on ’Building a Foundation for Survey: Employing a Focused Introduction’ for Art History Pedagogy & Practice, and chapters on pedagogy contributed to Fostering a Climate of Inclusion in the College Classroom: The Missing Voice of the Humanities (Palgrave, 2018), she has presented over ten papers on her teaching approaches at conferences. All of these contributions were recognized in her being awarded the Presidential Excellence Award for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning at Valdosta State University in 2020.She was also the 2021 recipient of the SECAC Award for Excellence in Teaching.