Public History
Public History Concentration
New York University inaugurated its public history program in 1981, under the guidance of Professors Daniel Walkowitz and Paul Mattingly. From its inception, the program has used such innovative tools as oral history, visual material, documentary film, multimedia, performance, and museum exhibitions to challenge conventional historical interpretations and definitions. Public history coursework has trained students to develop conceptual skills and transform their research in ways that allow them to reach audiences outside the academy. The program historically has collaborated with such New York institutions as the Lower East Side Tenement Museum and the Museum of the City of New York, and its workshops have focused on such topics as ethnicity, neighborhoods, and urban reform. A comprehensive historical overview of the program may be found in Rachel Bernstein and Paul Mattingly, “The Pedagogy of Public History,” Journal of American Ethnic History (Fall 1998). In 2007, the public history and archival programs at NYU were combined into the new M.A. program that is described on this web site.
Public History Program Requirements
M.A. Degree Requirements
Satisfactory completion of 32 points and a grade of B or better in the Research Seminar
All required courses and at least two electives within concentration
A capstone research project approved by the Director
Required M.A. Courses:
M.A. Proseminar
Introduction to Archives I
Introduction to Public History I
Internship Seminar
Research Seminar
Students in the public history concentration may select the following electives, which are offered on a regular basis, in addition to their required courses. Other public history-related classes also maybe applied toward the degree.
Oral History
Historical Editing Seminar
History in the New Media
The Historian and the Visual Record
Media and History
Local and Community History
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