At UTA Libraries, some of the most meaningful learning moments don't start with a lecture; they start with a question, a set of materials, and a group of students working through ideas together. 

That is exactly what has been happening in Special Collections through a partnership with Assistant Professor of Practice for Communication Jennifer Lanter and the Introduction to Public Relations class. 

Lanter's students spent the first part of the semester learning about persuasion, what it is, how it works and where it shows up. The class then moved beyond theory, as students came into the Libraries and began working with those ideas in a real setting. 

"We partnered with Special Collections so that we could embark on a real-life project," Lanter said. "We wanted to see how persuasion influenced the Texas labor markets." 

When the students arrived, the experience felt different right away. Tables were set with materials from Texas labor archival collections, including flyers, posters and photographs, all carefully selected by Special Collections staff. Students moved through the room, talking with each other. 

"They pick what interests them," Lanter said. "And that's where the work really begins." 

From there, students worked in groups to break down the messaging behind what they saw. Students connected it to what had been learned in class, ideas like bandwagon appeals or emotional messaging, and began asking deeper questions about how and why those strategies worked. 

For Lanter that moment, when everything starts to come together, is the goal. 

"It's important that students don't just understand the theory," Lanter said. "Students need to see what it looks like in real life. That's what helps prepare them for the professional world." 

You can hear that shift in the way students talk about the projects. 

Madison Cupples, a public relations major, worked with a group on materials related to farmworkers in California and efforts to unionize. 

"We were looking at the propaganda methods used to bring people together," Cupples said. "It helped us understand what these communities were going through and what they were trying to say." 

For Cupples, the experience also changed how public relations is viewed. 

"You usually think of PR as something tied to businesses or celebrities," Cupples said. "But here, we get to see how it can be used to help regular people and give them a voice." 

Others shared that perspective in the class. 

"It was really interesting to see PR from a different perspective," said Rhythm Butler, a broadcast major. "Not just brands or social media, but how it's used to lift up voices that might otherwise get buried." 

Being in the space and working directly with the materials made a difference. 

"This was my first time in Special Collections," Cupples said. "I didn't even know it was here. I'll definitely be back."

For some students, the connection went even deeper. 

Pedro Amado, an advertising major, focused on the Texas garment workers' strike. The group examined how images and messaging highlighted the impact on families. 

"A lot of what we saw was very emotional," Amado said. "You could see the conditions people were living in. It made the story feel real." 

That physical connection to the materials stayed with students. 

"It did make it more real," Amado said. "These are things you can't just find anywhere." 

That is something the Special Collections team sees every time a class comes through. 

"At first, students aren't always sure what to expect," Erica Rousseau, Processing Archivist, said. "Then it clicks. Students start to see how it connects to what they're learning in the classroom." 

Rousseau and Libraries staff members guided students through the process while also giving students space to take ownership of the work. Each group divided responsibilities, research, writing and presenting, and built a final project that brought everything together.

When presentation day arrived, March 24, the results spoke for themselves. 

"They do a really good job explaining their ideas and their materials," Rousseau said. "You can tell the connections are there." 

For Lanter, those moments can be powerful in unexpected ways. 

One student who worked on a project about the Texas Farm Workers Union last semester found a personal connection. 

"She told me it helped her understand what her grandmother went through," Lanter said. "It gave her a way to start a conversation with her. That really stayed with me." 

Experiences like this are built through strong partnerships. Lanter pointed to the Libraries as a key factor in the project's success. 

"The staff has been amazing," Lanter said. "The staff helped me build this from the ground up and made my students feel welcome." 

That support reflects a larger commitment at UTA Libraries to connect students with meaningful research experiences and to work alongside faculty to bring learning into focus.