Public History (B.A.)
Public History is a degree for students seeking careers in museums, at historical societies or historic sites, in cultural resource management, in nonprofits, in government agencies, and in allied fields. It is also appropriate for secondary school teachers who seek to gain experience in project-based, community-engaged pedagogy.
Program Requirements
Students must complete forty-five credits. Specific requirements are as follows:
Core Courses (21 credits)
Core courses equip students with basic training in the historical method; digital, museum, and archival methods of public history; and practical training in the field.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| HIS 2900 | Introduction to Public History | 3 |
| HIS 3000 | The Historian's Craft | 3 |
| HIS 4997 | Internship in Public History | 3 |
| ANT 5600 | Museum Studies | 3 |
| HIS 5832 | History Practicum | 3 |
| HIS/INF 6780 | Introduction to Records and Information Management | 3 |
| HIS 5994 | Capstone Seminar in Public History | 3 |
| Total Credits | 21 | |
General History Surveys (3 credits)
General surveys equip students with a broad perspective on global or regional history.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Select one of the following: | ||
| HIS 1000 | World Civilization to 1500 | 3-4 |
| HIS 1050 | History of the Headlines: United States Since World War II | 3 |
| HIS 1110 | Work and Democracy: An Introduction | 3 |
| HIS 1300 | Europe and the World: 1500-1945 | 4 |
| HIS 1400 | The World Since 1945 | 4 |
| HIS 1600 | African Civilizations to 1800 | 3-4 |
| HIS 1610 | African Civilizations Since 1800 | 3-4 |
| HIS 1700 | East Asia to the 1700s | 3 |
| HIS 1710 | History of Modern East Asia | 3 |
| HIS 1800 | The Age of Islamic Empires: 600-1600 | 3 |
| HIS 1810 | The Modern Middle East | 3 |
| HIS 1900 | History of Colonial Latin America | 3 |
| HIS 1910 | Latin America from Independence to the Present | 3 |
| HIS 1995 | Nature and Societal Transitions | 3 |
| HIS 2040 | American Foundations to 1877 | 3-4 |
| HIS 2050 | Modern America: Since 1877 | 3-4 |
Applied Surveys (3 credits)
Applied surveys provide students with historical training in places students are likely to work, i.e. Michigan, Detroit, or urban environments generally.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Select one of the following: | ||
| HIS 2000 | Introduction to Urban Studies | 4 |
| HIS 2240 | History of Michigan | 3-4 |
| HIS 3650 | History of Detroit | 3 |
Thematic Surveys (6 credits)
Thematic surveys train students in the broader history of issues relevant to careers in public history, such as gender, globalism, family, ethnicity and race, and politics.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Select two of the following: | ||
| HIS 2350 | Black Detroit | 3 |
| HIS 2430 | History of Latino/as in the United States | 3 |
| HIS 2605 | History of Women, Gender and Sexuality in the Modern World | 3 |
| HIS 2800 | Introduction to Global Issues and Institutions | 3 |
| HIS 3010 | Jewish History from the Bible to Present | 3 |
| HIS 3140 | African American History I: 1400-1865 | 3-4 |
| HIS 3150 | African American History II: 1865-1968 | 3-4 |
| HIS 3155 | African American History III: 1968 - Present | 3-4 |
| HIS 3160 | Black Urban History | 4 |
| HIS 3180 | Black Social Movements | 4 |
| HIS 3205 | Queer American History | 3 |
| HIS 3220 | Labor in Media and Popular Culture | 3 |
| HIS 3240 | Detroit Politics: Continuity and Change in City and Suburbs | 4 |
| HIS 3250 | The Family in History | 3-4 |
| HIS 3360 | Black Workers in American History | 4 |
| HIS 3400 | The Car in American Life and Labor | 4 |
| HIS 3585 | Science, Technology, and Society | 3 |
Advanced History Courses 5000 or above, excepting HIS 5832 (6 credits)
Advanced history courses train students in the deeper history of a region and in the art of historical research. Students may choose courses either for broadening or for developing a particular interest.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Select two of the following: | ||
| HIS 5010 | Colonial North America | 4 |
| HIS 5020 | Revolutionary America | 4 |
| HIS 5130 | American Foreign Relations Since 1933 | 4 |
| HIS 5200 | Women, Gender, and Sexuality in US History | 3 |
| HIS 5205 | Queer American History | 3 |
| HIS 5251 | History of Feminism | 4 |
| HIS 5261 | American History and Memory | 3 |
| HIS 5290 | American Labor History | 4 |
| HIS 5300 | American Capitalism Since 1945 | 4 |
| HIS 5330 | History of Ancient Greece | 3 |
| HIS 5340 | History of Ancient Rome | 3 |
| HIS 5460 | History of the Holocaust | 4 |
| HIS 5530 | History of World War I and II: A Social and Political History of Two World Wars | 4 |
| HIS 5535 | History of Terrorism | 3 |
| HIS 5540 | World Environmental History since 1900 | 4 |
| HIS 5555 | Britain in the Age of Empire | 4 |
| HIS 5556 | History of Modern Britain | 4 |
Non-History Electives (6 credits)
Electives provide students with the interdisciplinary training in allied field indispensable to a degree in Public History.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Select two of the following: | ||
| ANT 2020 | Global Detroit | 3 |
| ANT 2130 | Introduction to Forensic Anthropology and Human Rights | 3 |
| ANT 2400 | Food and Culture | 3 |
| ANT 5280 | Field Work in Archaeology of the Americas | 4 |
| ANT 5500 | Historical Archaeology | 3 |
| ANT 5565 | Urban Archaeology | 3 |
| COM 1610 | Fundamentals of New Media Production | 3 |
| COM 2290 | Fundamentals of New Media Communication | 3 |
| COM 2310 | Introduction to Web Design | 3 |
| ENG 3210 | Public Humanities | 3 |
| ENG 5005 | Digital Storytelling | 3 |
| INF 6420 | Web Development | 3 |
| INF 6460 | Database Design and SQL | 3 |