Amy Gore, assistant professor of English, has wanted to share her interest in book history with students from the beginning of her career. She often incorporates hands-on learning in her classes by bringing in magazines, books and other material dating back as far as the 1800s. Students can feel, read and immerse themselves in what life was like in a different era.
Amy Gore learned a powerful story as a college graduate student. Books in the 19th century often were left on trains, read by hundreds of curious passengers as they travelled to their destinations. Knowledge and wonder were passed around from stop-to-stop like a gift on Christmas morning.
The tale resonated so deeply with Gore that she began thinking about a lifelong journey filled with books and learning.
“That story really became a light bulb moment for me with the way that books can sort of have a life of their own in their materiality,” said Gore, NDSU assistant professor of English. “They’re made to move. They’re made to be portable and either fit in your pocket or be easy to fit into a bag.”
Gore has wanted to share her interest in book history with students from the beginning of her career. She often incorporates hands-on learning in her classes by bringing in magazines, books and other material dating back as far as the 1800s. Students can feel, read and immerse themselves in what life was like in a different era.
“I think that working with primary documents is something that gets students really engaged in American literature,” she said.
Pursuing a career in teaching was an easy decision for Gore once she realized it would allow her to become a lifelong student.
“I am a first-generation college student, so no one in my family went to college in the traditional way. I didn’t have much of a model, but I loved school, and I wanted to find a way to be a student for the rest of my life,” Gore said. “I went to college and then went to grad school and then I found that I could be a student for the rest of my life by becoming a teacher.”
Gore’s passion for literature started at an early age. She recalls loving to read and having a lot of encouragement to follow that passion along the way. When Gore learned she could major in English in college, she jumped at the opportunity.
Now in her sixth-year teaching at NDSU, Gore’s favorite part of the job is how dynamic teaching is.
“Every time I start teaching in the fall or in the spring, every time I start teaching a new class, even if it’s a class I’ve taught many times before, it’s always a new experience,” she said.
From getting to know new students, to integrating new methods into her teaching, Gore loves the energy her profession brings.
Among her other areas of interest include Indigenous literature and Native history. Having grown up in Connecticut where there’s a deep pride in colonial history, Gore sought to learn more about Native history. She took her first Native American history class as an undergraduate.
“That really sparked my passion for learning more and sharing with other people how important Native history is to our country, our institutions and our book history, and how often under-acknowledged it is,” she said.
Gore, along with other faculty members across campus, volunteers to teach the Introduction to Native American and Indigenous Studies course, which is part of the Tribal and Indigenous Peoples Studies minor.
“We are helping to make sure that students who come to NDSU also have the opportunity to learn about Native people as well,” she said.
This summer Gore did research on both book history and Indigenous literature after being awarded a Reese Fellowship by the American Antiquarian Society. During the fellowship Gore conducted archival research by using typography to examine the ways in which race and religious affiliation became embodied materially within Indigenous book history.
Gore studied Samson Occom’s “A Sermon Preached at the Execution of Moses Paul “(1772), one of the first Native American books to be published in the U.S., along with around 72 other execution sermons for her research.
Gore said the fellowship was an incredible experience. She is currently working on an article on her research for publication.
When reflecting on her years in teaching, Gore is excited to learn every single day, and to continue pursuing her passion.
“I love that time spent in the classroom is time spent that I’m learning as well. I get to learn about the students, how to be an effective teacher, learn more about the content or the newest approach to the content, or what’s brand new in the scholarship about the thing that I’m teaching.”
