I practice community-based public history, and, whenever possible, students work with these projects as well. The best public history projects are sustainable because they actually involve the public in true partnership. Recently we have worked on projects with the university library, an historic farm, the Town of Boone, the regional State Historic Preservation Office, and local community heritage groups. Some of these projects are shared on the Projects with Students page. (Other projects have not been made public, either by request or because they remain in process.)

One of my goals is for students to make connections between classroom learning and the organizations and stories with which they interact daily. The skill to make those connections is foundational for a liberal arts education. Exploring public history is not a lecture-led exercise. Students read, discuss, and put their discoveries to work in the community around them.

See the syllabi below for more of what we are working on. Please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have about assignments, why my syllabi are set up as they are, or if you would like me to email you a copy. I’m always willing to exchange with my peers. I teach a few other courses, but this sample is representative of the range of things that we do in the classroom.

Intro to Public History Fal… by on Scribd

This is for the undergraduate Introduction to Public History course, which is offered every Fall. I teach it every other Fall, and it has been designated a service learning course.

4100 Syllabus Spring 2015 by k10bd

This is the history department’s writing in the discipline, senior seminar. Professors may choose whatever topic they prefer.

Intro to Pub Hist Fall 2018 by on Scribd

This is for the graduate Introduction to Public History course, which is offered every Fall, and which I teach every other Fall.

Intro to Hist Pres Fall 2018 by on Scribd

This is for the graduate Introduction to Historic Preservation course, which I teach every other Fall.

Architectural History Sylla… by on Scribd

This is for the graduate architectural history course, offered every other Spring.

Digital History Spring 2018 by on Scribd

See above menus to navigate to the course website.

Intro to Digital History Pr… by on Scribd

This is the undergraduate Introduction to Digital History course. I’ve taught this once as a special topics course and the History Department has approved it to be added to the catalog of our regular offerings.