HIST 393 History and Public Life in the United States
This course is an introduction to the discipline of history as practiced in public contexts, both physical and virtual. We will begin by addressing questions such as which publics form audiences for history in the twenty-first century? How has the field of public history evolved in the United States and how would we define it today? How is public history practiced in the United States? How might what constitutes public history differ according to particular locales? Is there a virtual public history as distinguished from the traditional version presented through concrete culture, specifically in monument/memorial structures, museums, libraries and other public institutions? In addition to exploring varieties of digital public history as presented via the web, we will use urban Washington, D.C. as our "public history lab", visiting a variety of practitioners of historical interpretation, including museum specialists, archivists, librarians, historic site designers, and other professionals. Course discussions and topics will explore the meanings of memory, heritage, place, preservation, community and current controversies in the field.
Cross Listed Courses
HIST 393 & HIST 693