Join University Archives and Special Collections as we partner with Dr. Jordan Von Cannon and Dr. Melodie Eichbauer on Tuesday, April 8 from 2 p.m. – 3 p.m. to teach and practice reading cursive.
This workshop is open to readers of all skill levels. We plan to discuss the importance of reading cursive in the 21st century and provide useful tips to get started or improve.
Dr. Jordan Von Cannon is an associate professor in the Department of Language & Literature. Her research and teaching interests range from early American literature, 19th century American literature, U.S. women writers, feminist theory and more.
Dr. Melodie Eichbauer is a professor in the Department of Political Science, Public Administration & History. Her research specializes in legal and ecclesiastical history from c.1000 to c.1500.
This workshop will take place on the first floor of Library West by the Data Viz Wall. We hope to see you there!
To RSVP for this event, please go to Eagle Link by clicking HERE.
By Victoria Jones, University Archivist
Over the last several years, it has become increasingly common to come across students who are unable to read cursive handwriting. In the archive, we began to notice this as our interns and student workers expressed difficulty describing and transcribing letters, diaries, and other materials. Why? They couldn’t read the writing.
Also known as script and connected writing, cursive is a style of writing where the letters are joined together in some way. Unfortunately, this style of handwriting declined in popularity during the 1990s and early 2000s. Then, in the 2010s, cursive was removed from the curriculum of many K-12 schools across the country. As a result, many of our students have received little or no instruction in reading or writing cursive.
Reading cursive is still a valuable skill, though. Scholars often study languages to better understand their area or time of research. Papal historians, for example, study Latin. Similarly, students studying the 20th century (and earlier!) need to understand the written language of the time - cursive.
This year, the University Archives and Special Collections sought to tackle this situation head-on! We offered two workshops – one in December and one in April – where we shared with students how to read cursive and tips that we use in our own work. We also partnered with Dr. Melodie Eichbauer and Dr. Jordan Von Cannon for our April event. “Deciphering Cursive.” The two professors brought an amazing perspective that highlighted their experiences researching Medieval papal law and 19th-century female authors. We all had fun and got practical advice for our next cursive projects!
Want to get some practice in? Here are some great items to get started with:
Postcard to Gloria Baylin, 1941, from the Joseph Fishbein P.O.W. Collection
Letter to Fritz, 1880, from the Southwest Florida History Collection
Day Book of Mona Burroughs, 1915 - Southwest Florida History Collection.
Follow us on Instagram (@fgcuarchives) to hear about our next cursive reading workshop. We hope to see you there!