Introduction to Public History.

Catalog description

The purpose of this course is to introduce students to public history, which is often simply defined as the practice of history outside of the classroom, produced for a non-academic audience. This simple definition belies complicated fundamental issues, such as what role the public audience does and should play in the determination of what issues are of historical concern, and how they should be handled. Starting with consideration of what public history is, and what are its purposes and basic questions, the class will then work on developing some of the basic skills that public historians need. Students will speak with and, in some cases, shadow current professionals in the field. They will be introduced to sources of historical information available in the local community and organizations of value to public historians. Ultimately, students will utilize the ideas and skills that they develop during the semester as they undertake a local historical research project that will culminate in a public presentation.