Richard Straw teaches courses on the American South, American Immigration, Appalachian History, Public History in addition to the American History survey courses. His major scholarly interests are in the ways that images of the past can inform our perceptions of history and in the ways that history is presented to the general public in non-academic settings. He has authored three books using historical photographs in the Images of America series and is the editor of High Mountains Rising: Appalachia in Time and Place. This book won the award as book of the year given by the Appalachian Writers Association in 2005. Dr. Straw has also given a number of conference presentations on and taught in the field of American roots music. He won the Donald N. Dedmon Professorial Award for Teaching Excellence, the University’s highest faculty award, in 2002. Professor Straw is also the author of many book reviews, articles, and conference papers. He has also been actively involved in leading students on study abroad programs to the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, and Belgium since 1995. 

Richard Straw authored and compiled this photographic history of Blacksburg, Virginia, in 2003.