Public History

6 credit hours · Graduate

This course introduces students to both the field of public history and to the application of history and historical methods in a variety of workplace settings. Public history, which involves the practices and presentation of history outside academia, is the domain of a wide variety of practitioners including historians, museologists, archivists, journalist, museum workers, genealogist, film makers and researchers. This course will examine the evolution of public history as a field of study since the 1960s and will focus on analysis of the presentation of history in a variety of films, presentations, and historic sites. The course content will be primarily Canadian and American, examining questions about ethics, standards and audience. The course will have both a classroom and an applied history or workplace component. Seminar three hours per week, plus successful completion of eight hours weekly of mentored volunteer work in a public history setting.