Sometimes the best way to learn about history is by focusing on a single artifact.

A letter printed in a newspaper, a piece of sheet music, a journal, or a novel can easily become a window into a broader historical narrative. That was the idea behind the “Adopt an Artifact” research project in this spring’s “Irish in America” class.

“We wanted to bring collections into the curriculum and give undergraduates the opportunity to work with primary-source materials,” said Matthew Knight, Irish studies librarian, curator, and head of Rare Books & Special Collections (RBSC) in the Hesburgh Libraries.

The class, co-taught by Matthew Knight and Jennifer Knight, visiting associate teaching professor in the Keough School of Global Affairs’ Keough-Naughton Institute for Irish Studies, examines the migration and history of Irish people and their descendants in America.

“This class unites the classroom experience with the Libraries’ holdings,” Jennifer said. “It is a traditional history course with lectures based on thematic narratives regarding the history of the Irish in America, but students also choose an item from the collection and use it as a primary source for their own research.”

Matthew and Jennifer see adopting an artifact as a way for students to feel more personally connected to the history they are studying.

“It helps you explore the broader history by giving you a chance to choose an object that fits your interests,” senior philosophy and theology major Alex Mitchell said. “You are also directing your own research, so it teaches you responsibility as you take part in the historical process.”

Early in the semester, students were introduced to holdings from RBSC’s world-class Irish Studies Collection. Some adopted the pieces on display, while others selected items that aligned with personal interests.

“In high school, when I thought about what it would be like to be a history major, this is what I would envision,” senior Allison Willner said.

A strategic management, marketing, and history major, Willner adopted a piece of sheet music titled “The Lament of the Irish Emigrant.”

“I really love music and learning the stories behind it,” she said. “Studying the story behind this piece made me feel like an actual historian.”

In addition to writing a paper about their adopted object, students were tasked with creating a museum card and presenting their findings to the class at a student conference held at RBSC at the end of the term.

“I really try to avoid classes where students only produce something that only I will read,” Jennifer said. “I’m always looking for ways to give them something extra to take away. In this case, it’s a conference they can put down on their CV.”

By uniting the classroom experience with primary source materials, Matthew and Jennifer hope to create a class experience that leaves a lasting impact on students and encourages a deeper, more personal connection to history.

“They’re not just doing show-and-tell or a book report — this is the foundation for possible broader research or even a dissertation,” Matthew said. “It starts with an interest in one object. That interest fosters intellectual curiosity, which then turns into a passion.”