The purpose of this course is to explore the meaning of Public History by reviewing what is taught, written, and promoted as Public History today through such organizations as the National Council on Public History (http://www.iupui.edu/~ncph/home.html) and by those who research and write history on demand for businesses, the media, museums, and government.
This is a web based course in which the students are required to create their own public history web site (at Geocities or another viable alternative approved by the instructor), and to have personal EMAIL accounts to enhance direct communication with the instructor and other members of the class. Grades will be based upon class participation, electronically presented reading reviews, and a theme paper presented on the web by the end of the semester that either evaluates an existing public history web site and offers constructive criticism for its improvement, or creates a public history web site devoted to a topic agreed upon in advance with the instructor.
All lectures and discussions will be either remotely with the Instructor via email (at pre-ordained times to be established with the students) or at the Maryland State Archives. Students are expected to be familiar with CSPAN's series on the U. S. Presidents, David McCulloch's American Experience series, A&E's History Channel, and Ken Burns' work. All required reading and excerpt viewing will be available in electronic form off of the instructor's Public History web site (under construction). Anyone wishing to review the literature on public history and how public history is taught elsewhere, should begin with the National Council on Public History (http://www.iupui.edu/~ncph/home.html) .
There will be a class project focused on developing a prospectus for a public history publication that involves the appraisal of records and presenting them in an electronic environment with introductions that will constitute 50% of the grade. An idea of what will be expected can be gained from a review of the web site archivesofmaryland.net. The remaining 50% of the grade will be based upon class discussion (10%) and on reports on reading and research assignments submitted every other week via email (40%). For further information, please contact me at ed.papenfuse@flash.net or the University of Maryland History Department at http://www.inform.umd.edu/Hist/home.html.
rev. 10/22/2000