Students interested in public history can take relevant courses in a number of different departments and also through the Washington area consortium. Every semester, the History Department offers courses that count towards the Public History Track, and faculty will help students identify and follow their interests by exploring opportunities in other departments as well. In addition, any course the history department offers can potentially count as a public history elective by working with the faculty member in advance to design appropriate readings and assignments.

The department has strengths in Local History, Oral History and Historical Memory, Material Culture, Digital History, History and Policy, and the Histories of Medicine, Business, and the Presidency. Our faculty are also experienced and well connected in other public history areas, and can help you gain experience in those areas through internships, a required part of your coursework for the Public History Track.

Below are some of our regular and special topics course offerings in public history:

Regular rotating public history courses include:

Introduction to Public History (every spring)
Oral History (every fall)
History of Washington, D.C. (Local History) (every other spring)
History in the Digital Age (every other year)
History and Public Policy (every other year)

Recent special topics public history courses have included:

History, Culture, and Historic Sites
American Material Culture
History of Medicine