This introduction to family history (a.k.a. genealogy) is designed to give students the tools they need to begin researching their family lines, discovering family stories, and learning how to work with the documents, photographs, and artifacts that preserve family history.

In this first module, we will focus on the fundamentals of getting started with family history research. Topics will include how to begin tracing family lines, how to find and evaluate useful sources, and how to keep clear research notes and records. Students will learn practical strategies for tracking down information about their ancestors—both in the United States and internationally—and will gain tools and confidence to continue their research beyond the course.

If there is interest from the group, future modules could build on this foundation in a variety of ways. These might include workshop-style sessions where students bring their research questions and discoveries for collaborative exploration; guidance on sharing family history through family trees, narratives, books, or blogs; and practical approaches to preserving family documents, photographs, and heirlooms through digitization, cataloging, and archival-safe storage. These follow-up modules would grow organically from the interests and questions of the group.