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What is Public History?
Public History can be characterized as the many ways in which
history is made and practiced in public forums. Now in its third decade as a
field of study, public history offers students exciting career options that
move the historian’s traditional skills of researching, writing, and teaching
beyond the classroom. Historians working with and in service to the public
come in many guises, from museum curators to policy advocates, but public
historians most often work in one of four broad fields. These include museums; historic preservation and cultural resource management; libraries and
archives; and digital and documentary media. In all of these areas, the
mission of public historians is similar, to use their skills to document and
interpret a diverse yet shared past in collaboration with the public.
Why Study at American University?
The Department of History at American University has a deep
commitment to public service. Many members of our faculty are
public historians whose work blurs the
lines between the academy and the public. Many of our of our faculty have close, ongoing relationships with
important historical institutions in Washington such as the National Archives,
the National Museum of American History, the Woodrow Wilson International
Center for Scholars, the National Building Museum and the Holocaust Museum.
Such relationships yield wonderful opportunities for study, for internships,
and sometimes even jobs following graduation. American University also offers
unique opportunities to study public history with professionals at some of the
nation’s premier public institutions, from the National Park Service and the
National Trust to the Smithsonian Institution.
The History Department at American University acknowledges that public history is ultimately an interdisciplinary field, with connections to archeology, arts management, public policy, and media production, among others. We also understand that success in the field is built upon both traditional research skills as well as practical experience. With this in mind, the Department of History offers a flexible curriculum that allows students to shape the degree to best fit their interests. Our curriculum also fosters a balance between academic and professional experience and we encourage students to move outside the classroom through class projects, volunteering, internships, and work as consultants.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT AU'S PUBLIC HISTORY PROGRAM: CONTACT: Professor Kathy Franz, Director, Public History at: franz@american.edu.
Curriculum:
Students may choose a concentration in public history in
conjunction with the MA in History or as an outside field for the PhD. in
History. The public history concentration for the MA requires 15 hours of
course work. The core requirements include:
A two-course seminar - practicum series taken in the first year of study. (6 hours)
The graduate seminar gives students a historical and theoretical context for their work and covers some of the dominant paradigms in the field public history.
The graduate practicum meets in a seminar format and builds professional knowledge and skills in governance, development and grant writing, public outreach, and various interpretive tools. This course requires students to complete class projects at public institutions.
Two electives (6 hours) in an area that helps students achieve their career goals. Electives may include, but are not limited to, oral history, digital history, historical archeology, cultural resource management, arts management, and archival management. Students may also choose from courses offered at schools throughout the Washington Consortium of Universities.
An internship for course credit. (3 hours). For details, see Internships.
LINKS:
Requirements for the M.A. in History
Class Projects and Internships