Courses for Fall 2017 (New Options for Public History)

Posted by Charlene Mires in What's New?.

UNDERGRADUATE

Introduction to Public History (50:512:382)

This seminar-style course provides an opportunity explore the ways that history is studied and communicated in settings such as museums, historic sites, and archives, and in the digital realm. Readings and discussion will include controversies such as the display of the Enola Gay at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., and the creation of the President’s House site exhibit in Philadelphia. The course also will examine how civic engagement techniques and the interpretation of diverse, multiple narratives of history have come to the forefront of public history practice. (This course meets concurrently with the graduate seminar Issues in Public History. Undergraduates will build familiarity with public history through a series of independent field visits and reviews of area historic sites and exhibits. The course also will provide an introduction to public history career options and advice on additional training necessary to enter the field.)  A reading list will be posted during the summer at https://charlenemires.camden.rutgers.edu.

Public History Practice (50:509:300). Interested students please contact Dr. Charlene Mires, cmires@camden.rutgers.edu.

This is an individualized opportunity to gain knowledge of local and regional history while contributing to a public history project based at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Center for the Humanities (MARCH) at Rutgers-Camden. The options include historic house research and curatorship for the Cooper Street Historic District and research and digital publishing for The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia. In addition to readings in local and regional history, students will be provided with training and ongoing supervision and feedback while working approximately six hours per week on-site on their selected projects. This course is by arrangement, with permission of the instructor, and is open to juniors and seniors with a GPA of 3.0 and above. Link here to see a preliminary syllabus.

 

GRADUATE

Issues in Public History (56:512:531)

This seminar will go behind the scenes of the production and communication of history in settings such as museums, historic sites, and archives, and in the digital realm. We will examine issues in public history through controversies such as the display of the Enola Gay at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., and the creation of the President’s House site exhibit in Philadelphia. Readings and discussion also will examine how civic engagement techniques and the interpretation of diverse, multiple narratives of history have come to the forefront of public history practice. (This seminar meets concurrently with the undergraduate course Introduction to Public History. Graduate students will gain familiarity with the literature of the field by developing a paper about a selected public history issue; the seminar also will offer a realistic examination of the job market and opportunities to begin to create a professional network.)  A reading list will be posted during the summer at https://charlenemires.camden.rutgers.edu.

 

Topics in Historic Preservation (56:512:515)

This course combines independent directed readings with a ten-week historic preservation course offered on campus by the Mid-Atlantic Regional Center for the Humanities (MARCH).  Two course options are available for Fall 2017:

  • Introduction to Historic Preservation (Tuesday evenings beginning September 5).
  • Archaeology and Historic Preservation (Thursday evenings beginning September 14).

Separate registration for the MARCH course is required and should be arranged by graduate students by contacting Dr. Tamara Gaskell at tamara.gaskell@rutgers.edu. (No additional charge is involved for students seeking to fulfill public history requirements.) Independent readings will be supervised by Dr. Charlene Mires.

MARCH courses may also be taken on a non-credit basis, with an option of earning a continuing education certificate in historic preservation. For further information about the program and next semester’s offerings, go to: https://preservation.rutgers.edu.