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What is the role of nutrition when treating disease? The assignment asked students to look historically at this question with respect to cancer, heart disease, and other ailments. Students also needed to understand the research process when looking at historical documents. The archives does not have a large representation of disease-related records except for one hospital—the Nova Scotia Sanatorium.

Audience: Undergraduate students in Nutrition (advanced)

Objectives: To allow students to personally experience the element of “discovery” as they do research.

Ingredients:

• Selected books from the Sanatorium’s medical library
• Archival records, textual and graphic
• B.A. thesis about the Sanatorium
• Slips of paper with the word “research”

Method:

Prep time: 2 hours to assemble resources; 10 mins to prep the room
Divide the students into groups and seat each group at a separate table.

Exercise time: 10 mins

1. Each student has a small slip of paper with the word “research” and lots of writing space.
2. Ask the students to do a word association with “research”, writing down their own word.
3. Ask students to yell out their word. This is an opportunity to explain more about the process of research, primary vs. secondary sources, and understand what level of experience the students have had with doing research.

Exercise time: 50 mins

1. Allow 15-20 mins for the students to explore the sources put on their table. They are not given any direction as to how to what to look for within the sources.
2. Use the time to circulate to each group and talk about handling procedures and interesting items.
3. Pass around the sheet of questions, now giving each group a purpose for looking at the material. Allow 5 mins. Here are their instructions: - Select one interesting document, and - Answer a few specific questions about the item
4. After the students have completed the questions, encourage each group to discuss their findings to their group members. Allow 5 mins.
5. Allow 10 mins for the groups to discuss a set of pre-determined questions relating to documents in the box (e.g., the purpose/meaning, bias, etc.)
6. Bring the group back together for a larger discussion about doing research, how to use the Archives, and the materials. Allow 10-15 mins.

Wrap up the session (5 mins)

1. Request that each student complete a departure pass with the questions: What happened in the past? Why does it matter?