Heritages of Change: Curatorial Activism and First-Year Writing [Revised Edition]
Heritages of Change: Curatorial Activism and First-Year Writing [Revised Edition] is an innovative and well-designed textbook aimed at teaching students about the intersection of cultural heritage and the writing process. This textbook is structured to guide students through a thoughtful exploration of cultural heritage artifacts while developing writing skills, particularly in crafting arguments, conducting research, and presenting ideas clearly. It is a comprehensive resource that blends modern pedagogical techniques with multimedia and interactive content.
This book aims to include voices and pedagogies that have historically been marginalized. The author understands the writing process and how to apply it in an innovative and creative way for students. The final project—creating a museum exhibit centered on cultural heritage—is a brilliant way for students to apply what they've learned. It encourages them to think critically about audience, purpose, research, argumentation, clarity, and stylistic choices in writing. This project is a hands-on way for students to connect theory with practice, fostering a deeper understanding of cultural heritage while simultaneously honing their writing and presentation skills.
One of the standout features of this textbook is its integration of embedded videos throughout the chapters. These videos enhance the learning experience, offering students visual and auditory learning tools that solidify the concepts being taught. Including visual supplements—such as maps, quotes from movies, and other multimedia—ensures that the textbook feels dynamic. The artifacts discussed in the textbook are also current, drawing from a variety of sources that will resonate with students' diverse interests. The textbook’s website adds another layer of interactivity, featuring slideshows embedded alongside activities that allow students to engage with the material in a more interactive and immersive way.
This book is written in clear, easy-to-understand language that will not intimidate first-year writing students. The author has made a conscious effort to ensure the material is accessible through multiple means. For example, each subchapter has clearly defined objectives, giving students a roadmap for what they should aim to understand in each section. This feature supports independent learning. The chapters are designed to work together, allowing for both flexibility and continuity, but instructors have the freedom to use independent chapters to meet the needs of their class.
The book is consistent in applying its framework of cultural heritage and writing. Each chapter centers on a different aspect of cultural heritage, highlighting the benefits and potential harms of these practices.
One area for potential concern is the transition between Chapters 1 and 2 to Chapter 3. The shift from cultural heritage to discussions of disability heritage might be difficult for some students to navigate, especially if the connection between these concepts is not immediately clear. This gap may require additional instruction or guidance from instructors to help students bridge the gap between these seemingly distinct topics and the writing process.
Chapters are broken up into smaller parts, and each subchapter includes a myriad of resources to interact with. Videos, pictures, and slideshows are meaningfully included and do not interfere with the text. Each chapter includes an extended works cited section for references, and all of the embedded links in the chapters function correctly.
The textbook provides a useful and explicit explanation of the framework that guides the entire book, helping students understand the overarching structure and objectives. One particularly thoughtful addition is the inclusion of content warnings in some chapters, which adds a layer of sensitivity and awareness for students as they encounter potentially challenging material.
The textbook is highly user-friendly, with no major interface issues. Navigation is smooth, and all images and multimedia elements are displayed clearly without distortion. The layout is intuitive, making it easy for students to focus on the content without being distracted by technical problems or confusing design elements. Additionally, the book’s responsive design ensures that all students, regardless of their individual needs, can engage with the material effectively. These thoughtful design choices make the textbook an accessible and inclusive learning tool.
The textbook did not contain any grammatical errors.
This book is highly inclusive. The artifacts provided throughout the text feature Indigenous, queer, Latin@, and Black voices. The content is relevant to issues that are present in current public discourse. The examples of cultural heritage featured tangible and non-tangible types of artifacts and encourages students to think critically about the impact of cultural artifacts in their communities.
This textbook is so good. I plan to use it in my next writing class. The framework is inclusive and the final project is engaging while providing meaningful writing experiences for first-year students.