Public History, Minor
Goals
Because the field of public history is vast, the goal is to engage the student in the basic concepts of working in public history, while allowing the student some specialization within the field. The student is exposed to key concepts in historic preservation, non-profit management, human resources, budgets, grants and fundraising, heritage tourism and so on.
Careers
The field of public history encompasses museum studies, heritage tourism, oral history, non-profit management, community activism, art, popular culture, the business world, and more. The minor is recognized by the National Council on Public History.
Program Description
The public history program provides exposure to a number of sub-fields taught by public history, museum, communications, public relations, and business professionals at Niagara University. Students who enroll in courses to support a public history minor will be able to:
- Use critical thinking skills to promote history in a public environment in an ethically responsible way.
- Synthesize historical materials for presentation orally and in writing.
- Use technology to advance their public history work.
- Understand the financial structure of a public history site.
Minor Requirements
The public history minor is interdisciplinary, and includes five courses. Introduction to Public History, an internship and Introduction to Grant Writing are required courses. The other two classes are selected from a list of public history-related electives. As part of the minor, students will hold at least one internship, but are encouraged to seek more in the public history field.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| HIS 204 | Intro to Public History | 3 |
| HIS 493 | History Internship | 3 |
| Elective Courses | ||
| Note: History majors must take three courses outside of the major | ||
| Select two of the following: | 6 | |
| 19th C. Art | ||
| 20th Century Art | ||
| Women in Art | ||
| Postmodern to Contemporary Art 1960-2000 | ||
| Prehist/Gothic Art | ||
| 14th to 19th C. Art | ||
| Renaissance Art & Cult | ||
| Indpt Study-Fine Art (Research Project) | ||
| Latin American Art | ||
| Intro to Museum Studies | ||
| Intro Develop for Non Profits | ||
| Folklore in America | ||
| Religion and Art | ||
| Educ Role of Museums | ||
| Exhibiting Cultures | ||
| Independent Study Art History | ||
| America to 1876 | ||
| America Since 1877 | ||
| Introduction to Africana Studies | ||
| American Govt | ||
| International Issues | ||
| Comparative Govt | ||
| Introduction to Law | ||
| Public Admin | ||
| Native American Culture | ||
| Introduction to Archaeology | ||
| Cultural Anthropology | ||
And other courses as approved by the coordinator of the minor. | ||
- 1
Students taking HIS 493 History Internship, the internship component of the minor, will complete an intern contract with their site supervisor, which will be approved by the coordinator of the minor. The student intern will keep a weekly timecard detailing his/her activities, which must be approved by the site supervisor. The student intern will be assessed at mid-term and end-of-term by their internship supervisor in concert with the coordinator of the minor.