The tradition of the college students taking the class began when Harvard University introduced the course in 1872.
“This caught on immediately, including here at Alabama,” said Russ McConnell, an instructor in the English department. “That has remained a common touchstone for American undergraduates ever since.”
McConnell has curated an exhibit with a digital component chronicling the history of writing instruction in the United States.
Beginning Thursday, anyone with Internet access can view a digital version of “Grammar-Land: Learning to Write in America.”
In his research for the project, McConnell found the University had a strong collection of materials documenting the instruction of grammar and composition in Alabama specifically. He found a syllabus from a composition course taught at the University during the 1893-1894 school year.
Emma Wilson, a post-doctoral fellow working in the UA Libraries Alabama Digital Humanities Center, has worked with McConnell to get the website up and running.
“This is a really rich and deep collection that I think is quite unique to Alabama itself,” Wilson said. “Within a several state radius, we’ve got a pretty solid grasp on this market.”
The book that gives the exhibition its title is called “Grammar-Land,” and follows the adventures of Judge Grammar, Dr. Syntax and Sgt. Parsing as they resolve conflicts between major citizens of Grammar-Land, the parts of speech.
“I would unhesitatingly recommend it to a modern reader if you can get a hold of an edition, which you can in the Hoole Special Collections library,” McConnell said.
Wilson said the digital component is important because it allows for a more in-depth examination of the materials. In the physical exhibit, you can only see one page of each book at a time.
“On the digital exhibit, you can show different aspects of the book like the illustrations and the covers and get more of a sense of the book as a physical object if you can’t come see the exhibit,” Wilson said.
The project is part of ongoing efforts to preserve and promote the exhibitions and collections the UA library system has.
“The University Libraries are really excited to do as much outreach as we can to let people know what we have in our collections and also maybe through digital exhibits share Alabama’s expertise with a wider world,” Wilson said. “It’s nice to be able to find something really special like these grammar books.”
Once the physical exhibit is taken down, all the materials will again be tucked away on shelves. Without the website, all of McConnell’s research would disappear.
“It’s a bit like a play, once the books go off the shelves, it ceases to exist,” McConnell said.
McConnell said he hopes to encourage use of the collections even after the physical exhibit is taken down.
“I think this would be interesting to people, to a population of people who have all taken composition c ourses and maybe would like to learn where that tradition comes from,” he said.
The “Grammar-Land” physical exhibit is on the second floor of Mary Harmon Bryant Hall until November. The online exhibit will go live at 12:30 p.m. Thursday.
