Megan Kendrick, Adjunct Faculty, Woodbury University

Proposal Type

Panel

Seeking
  • Seeking Additional Presenters
  • Seeking Specific Expertise
  • General Feedback and Interest
Related Topics
  • Museums/Exhibits
  • Digital
  • Teaching
Abstract

This proposed panel will explore methodologies, challenges and outcomes of teaching public history in nontraditional settings. The work of public historians, especially in museums and exhibitions, relies on effective collaboration with practitioners of outside expertise, particularly in the fields of design. How then, might the teaching of public history become a more transdisciplinary endeavor by engaging students outside of graduate or undergraduate history departments? Specifically, how can the design fields contribute to more effective communication of historical ideas? I hope to generate interest in a panel about theoretical approaches and/or case studies in teaching public history with an emphasis on visual and spatial design.

Seeking

Based on my recent teaching experience in the Urban Studies program at Woodbury University (Burbank, California), the planning and execution of a new public history course revealed several challenges and benefits of engaging non-history majors in the research, design and fabrication of a history exhibit. The students enrolled in the course represented disciplines including graphic design, architecture and interior architecture. Our class partnered with museum professionals from the Autry Museum of the American West’s “Autry Classroom Curators ” program to work collaboratively on a research topic relating to t he environmental history of the local suburban community of Burbank. The outcome of this collaboration was the installation of a temporary history exhibit titled “Constructed Natures,” first in an on-campus gallery and later in a local community service building. In my proposed conference paper, I will outline the planning and pedagogy of the course design, as well as the stages of development and production of our exhibition an d online digital companion project. Through a discussion of course goals and outcomes, I will suggest that teaching public history in a transdisciplinary setting can enhance the communication of historical research and argument through visual and spatial methodologies. At the same time, the challenge of producing solid historical interpretation based on evidence, context and historiography remains central to the task of any collaborative history project. I hope to generate interest from other presenters whose topics might dovetail with the ideas presented here.


If you have a direct offer of assistance, sensitive criticism, or wish to share contact information for other people the proposer should reach out to, please get in contact directly: Megan Kendrick

If you have general ideas or feedback to share please feel free to use the comments feature below.

All feedback, and offers of assistance, should be submitted by July 3, 2016.

COMMENTS HAVE CLOSED. PLEASE EMAIL THE PROPOSER DIRECTLY WITH ANY ADDITIONAL COMMENTS OR OFFERS TO COLLABORATE.

Discussion

2 comments
  1. Laura Schiavo says:

    I am currently teaching what amounts to a public history course (in a Museum Studies program) and the class is 2 Museum Studies students, 1 designer, 1 American Studies student, and 2 budding anthropologists. We are working with a local community on presenting their history. I would love to share my impressions of this class (we finish in 3 weeks, so I should have a better sense of this by the time of the NCPH conference!), but we are not getting into the spatial so much, although our designer is interested in this. If this sounds interesting to you, let’s talk more!

  2. Greg Martin says:

    Megan, besides a panel session, you might consider an alternate session format. A roundtable format could work if you used your course and its project as a case study and have the roundtable participants use the case study as a platform for both a broader discussion of trans-disciplinary public history courses and curricula. I think the topic is a good one, and you should be able to find other participants. Have you tried to reach out to other public history programs in the LA, Orange County, and San Diego areas?

Comments are closed.