Hardball history: On the high road without any shoes

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leyva1“You know who has money to help you.” I responded to this truth by listing three millionaires from whom I would not accept funding for Museo Urbano, the public history project housed in the Department of History at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). Read More

You can do better

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In 2011, the Professional Development Committee developed a set of guidelines for annual meeting workshops. We see workshops as providing hands-on and participatory experiences which impart practical information, rather than the typical conference presentation or “show and tell” case studies. With these guidelines in place, the committee has begun to think about a broader curriculum of professional development opportunities to serve the needs of National Council on Public History members. Read More

Professional opportunities March 31, 2015

To submit an item for the News Feed, send an email to: news[at]publichistorycommons.org

CFP:Memory and Migration“/10th anniversary conference of the International Committee for the Collections and Activities of Museums of Cities – Sept. 2-4, 2015, Moscow, Russia
DEADLINE: April 30, 2015

CFP: Revolution, Reform, and Rebellion: The Role of Agency and Memory in Historical Understanding”/The Great Lakes History Conference – Oct. Read More

How should NCPH commemorate the past and help shape the future of federal preservation policy? (Part III)

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Editors’ Note: In 2016, the National Park Service will mark the 100th anniversary of its founding, and the National Historic Preservation Act will have been in effect for 50 years. These two landmark moments come just two years after the National Museum of American History quietly marked its own 50th anniversary in 2014. Read More

Proposing a Business and History program

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Some nineteen categories of public history programs are now offered. Many offer skills and knowledge useful for specialized businesses (archival practices, business histories, publishing). None prepare history students for general business careers. Business and History is designed to fill this void by linking historians’ methods to solving problems common to private enterprise. Read More

Reflections on writing "Other Than War"

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Editors’ Note: This series showcases the winners of the National Council on Public History’s awards for the best new work in the field. Today’s post is by retired Department of Defense Historian, Frank Schubert, winner of the Michael C. Robinson Prize for Historical Analysis for his book Other Than War: The American Military Experience and Operations in the Post Cold War Decades. Read More

Hardball history: On the edge of politics, advocacy, and activism

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To borrow Shakespeare’s phrase, some public history work is born political, some becomes political, and some has politics thrust upon it. Whether we intentionally locate ourselves in controversial settings, have something blow up in our faces, or encounter less spectacular kinds of resistance or misunderstanding, we’re always on the edge of the political, even when we don’t set out to be. Read More

Professional opportunities March 24, 2015

To submit an item for the News Feed, send an email to: news[at]publichistorycommons.org

AWARD: Public History Prize from the Canadian Historical Society for work that achieves high standards of original research, scholarship, and presentation; brings an innovative public history contribution to its audience; and serves as a model for future work, advancing the field of public history in Canada. Read More

“What are you going to do with a history degree?” Helping students navigate a graduate degree and career in public history

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Every history major is familiar with this question, and while a few undergraduates may have an answer at the ready, many aren’t exactly sure what they want to do with their degree. For the past year and a half, the NCPH New Professional and Graduate Student Committee has worked hard to create a resource to better prepare undergraduates and graduate students to enter and succeed in the public history profession:

The Public History Navigator: How to Choose and Thrive in a Public History Graduate Program

Section one of this two-part guide investigates how to choose and apply to a graduate program and encourages students to find the right program and degree for their ultimate career goals. Read More