The experience of designing and teaching a lecture-based course about characterization techniques commonly used in solid state chemistry and materials science in an undergraduate institution is described. Among the techniques studied were the following: powder X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and techniques for elemental analysis. For each technique, the students were introduced to the physical principles underlying the technique, studied real examples present in the current scientific literature, and discussed how the technique could be applied to other experimental situations involving inorganic, organic, and biological materials.