The curriculum entails a minimum of 30-credits of graduate courses. Those students who wish to also complete a thesis will take an additional 6 credits, for a total of 36-credits. All students will take five common core courses, with an option to choose between a preservation course or a public history course, depending on their emphasis on either material culture or public humanities. All students will also complete an internship/practicum project and report in a museum, historical society or cultural organization. Each student will be formally mentored by at least one faculty member in the creative formation of their plan of study.
A. Required Core Courses (15 credits)
1. ART/HUM/RLCL 5104: Historical and Theoretical Frameworks in Material Culture and Public Humanities I (3 cr)
(Investigation of methodologies with specific application to cultural objects situated in the public sphere)
2. ART/HUM/RLCL 5204: Research Methods in Material Culture and Public Humanities II (3 cr)
(Topics cover steps for developing an installation, from analysis, archiving, to writing and interpretation for various audiences.)
3. HUM/RLCL 5304: Material Culture and Humanities in the Public Sphere (3 cr)
(Advanced seminar on material culture and humanities in the public sphere through an examination of humanistic approaches to civic spaces, applying critical turns to public debates.)
4. ART 5984: Exhibition, Design, and Display (3 cr)
(Display and presentation of visual art, using local galleries as venues for student designed exhibitions. Provides experience in the public art arena and practical knowledge about planning, designing, and mounting an exhibition.)
5. ITDS 5124: Preservation of Historic Interiors (3 cr)
(Study of restoration and preservation practices, including economic, social, and legal aspects and an introduction to historical research methodology.)
or one of the following public history courses:
HIST 5424 – Public History (3 cr)
(Introduction to the theoretical, interpretive, controversial, and practical issues facing public historians. Focus on interpretations and specific issues surrounding the presentation of history in museum inhibits, documentary films, photographic collections, community history projects, the Internet, and a variety of other public venues.)
HIST 5434 - Oral History Methods (3 cr)
(Theory and methodology of oral history methods. Use of oral history interviews in historical research, questions of ethics, interpretation, and the construction of memory. Technical operations and a variety of interview techniques, transcription, and historical use of interviews.)
HIST 5444 - Digital History Methods (3 cr
(Methods for researching and presenting history in a digital environment, with special emphasis on use of digital media as a tool for public historians.)
HIST 5454 - Topics in Public History (3 cr)
(Current methodological issues facing public history professionals, the intellectual foundations of these issues, and changing standards of practice in the field of public history to engage students in practical, experiential projects in public history. May be taken for a maximum of 6 credit hours.)
B. Restricted Electives in the Core (9 credits):
1. One of two rotating special topics courses (3 credits):
HUM/RLCL 5584: Topics in Public Humanities (3 cr)
ART 5584: Topics in Material Culture (3 cr)
2. An additional 2 electives (6 credits) subject to approval by an advisor.
C. Experiential Core Requirement (6 credits)
ART/HUM/RLCL 5904: Project and Report
A 6-credit practicum/internship experience in such places as historical societies, humanities foundations, cultural planning agencies, heritage or cultural tourism, museums, historic preservation offices, or community arts programs. This semester-long experience will give students invaluable experience developing and practicing skills that they are likely to encounter in future jobs. Our project and report course can place students in a wide variety of cultural institutions and geographical areas.
D. Optional Thesis (6 credits)
ART/HUM/RLCL 5994: Thesis. Students who pursue the thesis option may choose to write about material culture and public humanities in any geographical area of their interest. It is expected that students planning on further graduate study will write a thesis, whereas those students intending to enter the employment field upon graduation will not. Thesis students will have an advisory committee comprised of a thesis chair, and two other faculty, one from SOVA and one from the Department of Religion and Culture. If the student does not pass his/her written and oral thesis defense, they will still graduate with the M.A. in Material Culture and Public Humanities (non-thesis option).
