The following course has open seats. Please pass it along to any interested students. No experience in History courses is necessary.
HIST 396: Special Topics
Section: B, CRN: 41820
Topic: Public History
Instructor: Professor Fred Hoxie
This course will enable students to learn about–and reflect upon–several aspects of this growing sector of the “history business.” Moving from memorials to documentary films to museum exhibits and the use of history by the courts, History 396B will expose students to recent trends and criticisms. The course will also provide an opportunity for students to engage in a “hands on” project–an exhibit on a controversial chapter in the history of the university. The class is listed at the 300 level because of its specialized topic, not because it requires a particular prerequisite or sophisticated research skills. It should be fun and it may even open students’ eyes to the many careers that are now available in the world of public history.
I would think it would appeal to upper level students in a great many programs on campus.
Interested students or advisors can contact me at Hoxie@illinois.edu
Fred Hoxie
Swanlund Professor
Class Description:
Topic: Public History
How is history presented to the general public? What separates “good” public history from “bad” public history? How is presenting history to the public different from the formal communication typically employed by professional scholars (books, scholarly articles, etc.)? This course will examine several genres historians have employed to present history in the public arena, including documentary films, public memorials, legal testimony in court proceedings and museum exhibits aimed at a general audience. Students will explore and evaluate both the social dynamics affecting public understandings of the past and the specific techniques historians employ to communicate complex ideas and events to a general audience. The course will involve both an exploration of these methods for conveying historical materials to the public and a major collaborative project in which students will work together to produce an online exhibit on a significant event in the history of the University of Illinois.