Coal Point historic marker; Homer, Alaska.
This course offers an introduction to the field of public history, which translates historical knowledge to the general public. You will learn how public history differs from academic history both in method and in credentialing, and you will learn about the theories and practices behind the field. Public history is key to understanding historic monuments and markers, archives, oral history, museums, historic preservation and public interpretation, and we will cover a wide overview of these ways of practicing history. We will study closely how the engagement of history by the general public can be an arena for contesting societal issues of identity, nation, race, gender, class and religion.
Fall 2025 Syllabus