AMST2650:  Introduction  to  Public  Humanities          Fall  2015    

Steven  Lubar  

Class:  Wednesday  3:00-­‐5:30,  Nightingale-­‐Brown  House  

Office  Hours:  Monday  2-­‐4  by  appointment  

 

Course  Description  This  graduate  seminar  considers  some  of  the  big  questions  in  the  public  humanities,  providing  a  background  

that  will  help  students  understand  the  choices  made  in  preserving,  interpreting,  and  presenting  art,  history  and  

culture.  We  address  these  issues  by  reading  theory  and  discussing  case  studies  to  see  how  theory  plays  out  in  

practice,  and  by  considering  contemporary  projects  in  the  light  of  both  theory  and  historical  examples.    

The  course  is  organized  into  four  parts.  Part  1  addresses  the  idea  of  the  public.  Who  are  the  “publics”  in  public  

humanities?  What  is  the  relationship  that  we,  as  professionals,  should  have  with  them?  How  might  we  best  work  

with  them?  Part  2  considers  the  subject  of  much  of  our  work:  “the  other”;  what  is  our  relationship  with  the  

objects  of  our  interpretations?  Part  3  focuses  one  kind  of  “other”:  the  past.  How  does  society  decide  what’s  

worth  remembering?  What  role  do  we,  as  public  humanities  professionals,  play  in  shaping,  sharing,  and  

interpreting  public  memories?  And  finally,  we  end  the  course  by  considering  ourselves,  the  “experts.”  What  is  

the  nature  of  public  humanities  work?    How  does  the  work  we  do  shape  us?    

How  the  course  works:  there’s  a  book,  or  several  articles,  to  read  each  week.  You  should  also  keep  up  with  

contemporary  writing  on  the  web  and  in  popular  and  professional  media.  In  each  class,  we’ll  discuss  the  reading,  

and  consider  contemporary  issues  that  raise  some  of  the  same  questions.    

The  point  of  this  course  is  not  to  critique  the  literature,  but  to  learn  from  it.  Our  goal  is  to  understand  the  issues  

in  working  with  culture,  and  with  the  public.  As  you  read,  and  in  class  discussions,  try  to  come  up  with  a  set  of  

rules,  concerns,  techniques,  and  considerations  for  public  humanities  work.  How  might  what  we  read  be  applied  

to  exhibits,  collections,  performance,  in  preserving  the  build  environment,  and  interpreting  the  world  around  

us?  How  do  these  authors,  and  the  public  and  professionals  they  write  about,  think  about  culture,  the  public,  the  

past,  and  the  institutions  in  which  they  work?    

Course  Prerequisites  This  course  is  designed  for  graduate  students  interested  in  work  in  public  humanities  institutions.    

Required  and  Optional  Texts  and  Materials  All  of  the  readings  for  the  course  are  available  online  through  Canvas  and  the  Brown  University  Library,  or  

available  for  purchase  at  the  bookstore  and  on  reserve  at  the  Library  and  the  Public  Humanities  Center.  Canvas  

includes  a  range  of  additional  readings.  Note  that  there  are  many  related  books  and  article  on  reserve  in  the  

library,  on  Canvas,  and  in  the  JNBC  library,  and  I’ll  add  more  as  the  course  progresses.  Additional  readings  

(including  books  and  articles  considered  for  the  class  but  not  in  the  syllabus)  are  available  at  my  Zotero  page,  

https://www.zotero.org/lubar/items/collectionKey/Q94R2F6R.    

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Course  policies  Attendance:  Please  try  to  attend  every  class,  but  if  there  are  other  engagements  at  class  time  that  will  also  be  

useful  to  your  education  and  professional  development,  it’s  up  to  you  to  make  the  call  on  which  is  more  likely  to  

be  valuable.  Please  let  me  know  if  you’re  not  able  to  make  the  class.    

Participation:  The  class  only  works  if  you  participate.  Please  read  the  readings,  read  further  in  areas  of  interest,  

write  on  the  blog  and  on  Twitter,  and  come  to  class  prepared  to  discuss  what  you’ve  read  and  thought  about.  

Participation  is  evaluated  by  the  quality  of  your  comments:  I’m  interested  not  so  much  in  critique,  or  your  

opinions  of  the  readings,  as  in  what  useful  approaches  and  techniques  you  can  gain  from  them.  Be  constructive:  

refer  to  the  readings,  present  new  information  from  your  experience  and  from  outside  readings,  and  suggest  

new  ideas.  Participation  should  be  a  dialog,  building  on  my  remarks,  and  other  students’  contributions,  as  part  of  

a  conversation.  You  should  speak  up  when  you  have  something  to  say;  in  general,  that  should  be  more  than  once  

in  each  class.  Continue  the  conversation  beyond  class,  through  Twitter  or  other  social  media  

Late  work  and  make  up:  I  would  rather  see  an  excellent  paper  than  a  less-­‐good  one  turned  in  on  time.  Exceptions  

are  when  we  are  working  with  an  outside  organization  or  on  group  projects:  in  those  cases,  meeting  deadlines  is  

essential.  As  long  as  you  turn  in  all  of  your  work  by  the  end  of  the  course  you’ll  get  credit  for  it.  I’m  happy  to  read  

preliminary  drafts  of  any  assignment,  or  a  second,  improved,  version.  And  email  or  come  talk  to  me  if  you’d  like  

to  discuss  your  assignments  as  you’re  working  on  them,  or  after  you’ve  turned  them  in.  

Field  trips:  Plan  to  attend  the  trip  to  New  York  City  November  21.    

Student  responsibilities  Reading  

• Read  assigned  work.  Note:  Read  strategically,  to  get  what  you  need  out  of  the  book.  On  how  to  read  for  

graduate  seminars  see,  for  example,  Miriam  Sweeney’s  or  Larry  Cebula’s  blog  posts.    

• Read,  throughout  the  semester,  newspapers,  journals  and  websites  that  address  issues  related  to  the  

class,  for  example,  the  New  York  Times,  Art  in  America,  Artsjournal.com,  Museum  News,  The  Public  

Historian,  CRM,  http://www.aamd.org,    http://futureofmuseums.blogspot.com/,  

http://publichistorycommons.org/,  http://museumanthropology.blogspot.com/,  or  

www.artsjournal.com/culturegrrl/.  Browse  the  books  in  the  Center  for  Public  Humanities  library.  You  

should  also  follow  and  browse  my  blog  and  the  Center  for  Public  Humanities  blog  occasionally.  Follow  

appropriate  Twitter  feeds.  Keeping  up  with  the  literature,  online  and  in  print,  is  a  professional  

responsibility.    

• Read  the  class  blog  each  week  before  class.    

Discussion  (20  percent  of  grade)  

• Participate  in  class  discussion.  Good  discussion  requires  everyone  to  contribute.  Come  to  class  

prepared  with  interesting  things  to  say.  Listen  to  what  other  students  say.  Build  on  what’s  been  said  

before.    

• Participate  in  out-­‐of-­‐class  discussion,  online.  Post  links  and  comments  on  Twitter,  using  the  hashtag  

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#amst2650.  Note  interesting  bits  in  the  class  reading.  Call  our  attention  to  events,  exhibits,  programs,  

and  writings  that  you  think  will  be  of  interest.  On  twitter,  follow  @lubar,  @publichumans,  and  others  

in  the  class.    

Interview  with  a  graduate  of  the  Public  Humanities  program  (10  percent  of  grade)  

Interview  an  alumnus/alumna  of  the  public  humanities  program  about  “life  after  the  M.A.”    The  

interview  should  focus  on  the  work  that  individual  now  does  and  how  it  relates  to  the  larger  field  of  

public  humanities.  You  can  present  your  interview  in  whatever  way  you  like:  a  short  essay,  a  photo  

essay,  or  an  audio,  video,  or  multimedia  presentation  suitable  for  posting  on  the  Center’s  website.  Due  

October  22.  Submit  via  Canvas.    

Blog  writing  assignments    (20  percent  of  grade)  

By  Tuesday  before  each  class,  post  to  the  blog  (http://blogs.brown.edu/amst-­‐2650-­‐s01/)  a  short  (50-­‐

200  word)  essay  related  to  the  reading  for  that  week.  (Do  at  least  ten  of  these.)  For  example,  you  might  

post  some  theoretical  or  historiographical  background,  a  critique  of  the  argument,  a  summary  of  some  

aspect  of  the  reading,  or  a  related  case  study.  We’ll  use  these  to  help  guide  our  class  discussion.    NOTE:  

the  blog  is  open  to  the  public.    

Here’s  what  makes  a  good  blog  post.  The  first  sentence,  or  perhaps  the  first  paragraph,  should  make  it  

clear  what  you’re  writing  about  and  your  point  of  view.  Consider  your  audience:  the  main  audience  for  

this  writing  is  the  rest  of  the  class,  so  you  can  assume  a  good  bit  of  knowledge  and  background.  Make  

an  argument.  Use  words  like  “I  think”  or  “I  suggest.”  Connect  to  others’  blog  post,  the  readings,  and  

class  discussion.  Be  thought-­‐provoking.  Suggest  things  we  should  think  about  before  class,  and  talk  

about  in  class.  Use  images  when  possible.  Be  sure  to  give  you  blog  entry  categories  and  tags.      

Lead  a  class  discussion  on  a  practical  topic  related  to  one  week’s  reading  (20  percent  of  grade)  

The  issues  we  address  in  this  course  have  real-­‐world,  political,  practical  implications,  and  we’ll  spend  

an  hour  or  so  of  each  class  addressing  them.  Sign  up  to  take  responsibility  for  one  week’s  practical  

conversation.  Pick  a  topic  from  the  news  or  from  the  world  of  public  humanities  institutions,  meet  with  

me  to  discuss  it,  and  share  with  the  class  some  readings  on  the  topic  the  Monday  before  class.  Is  there  

someone  that  we  should  invite  to  the  class,  either  in  person  or  virtually?  In  class,  we’ll  consider  the  

ways  that  public  humanities  professionals  might  deal  with  the  challenges  of  the  topic.    

Two  longer  writing  assignments  (15  percent  of  grade  each)  

Write  two  papers,  each  about  1000-­‐2000  words,  on  any  topic  of  interest  to  you  and  appropriate  to  the  

class.  For  example:  you  might  write  a  case  study  of  a  public  humanities  project  or  institution,  either  

historical  or  contemporary,  based  on  research  in  the  library  or  interviews;  a  comparative  study  of  

several  projects  or  institutions;  a  theoretical  exploration;  or  something  else.  Your  paper  might  suggest  

considerations  and  guidelines  for  institutions  doing  this  kind  of  work.    

Here’s  what  I  think  makes  a  good  short  paper:  Tell  a  story.  Make  an  argument.  Connect  to  class  

readings  and  discussions.  Use  a  range  of  examples.  First-­‐person  is  fine.  A  memorandum  is  fine.  You  can  

write  for  me,  or  for  a  different  audience,  for  example,  the  director  of  the  organization  you’re  writing  

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about,  or  the  general  public;  let  me  know.    

Your  writing  should  be  your  original  work,  based  on  class  work,  your  reading,  experience,  and  

conversations.  Footnote  anything  you  use  from  books,  articles,  interviews,  or  the  web.  Note  ideas  that  

came  from  other  people.  Failure  to  do  so  can  result  in  failing  the  class.  

I’m  open  to  other  formats  of  presentation:  video,  audio,  websites,  exhibits,  whatever....  Consider  

writing  your  paper  in  an  open,  on-­‐line  format,  for  example  Medium.    

Submit  your  paper  via  Canvas.  In  addition  to  my  review,  your  paper  will  be  peer-­‐reviewed  (Canvas  will  

randomly  assign  another  student  to  read  and  comment  on  it).  Paper  1  is  due  November  8.  Paper  2  is  

due  December  15.    

   

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Class  Schedule  

Introduction  

Week  1  (September  9)  Introductions  Introductions,  explanations,  etc.  What  is  public  humanities?  Curating  an  exhibition:  

“What  is  Public  Humanities?  A  History”  Rewriting  the  Wikipedia  page  on  Public  Humanities.  Rethinking  the  @publichumans  twitter,  instragram  and  tumblr  feeds.  Introducing  the  “interview  a  public  human”  project.    

Part  1:  The  Public  

Week  2  (September  16)  The  Public  Sphere  Jennifer  Barrett,  Museums  and  the  Public  Sphere  (2011)  

Mary  Mullen,  “Public  Humanities’  (Victorian)  Culture  Problem,”  Cultural  Studies,  2014  

Week  3  (September  23)  Connecting  with  the  Public  Hilde  Heine,  Public  Art:  Thinking  Museums  Differently  (2006)  

Michael  Warner,  “Publics  and  Counterpublics,” Public  Culture  14,  no.  1  (2002):  49–90,  or  abridged  version  

Week  4  (September  30)  –  Sharing  authority  Pew  Center  for  Art  and  Culture,  Push  Me,  Pull  You:  Questions  of  Co-­‐authorship  

Bill  Adair,  Benjamin  Filene,  Laura  Koloski,  Letting  Go?  Sharing  Historical  Authority  in  a  User-­‐Generated  World  (2011),  introduction  and  pp.  68-­‐123  and  206-­‐321  

Pablo  Helguera,  Education  for  Socially  Engaged  Art  

The Hammer Museum’s “Public Engagement” site is a useful resource

Part  2:  The  Other    

Week  5  (October  7)  –  Contact  Zones  James  Clifford  “Museums  as  Contact  Zones”  in  Routes:  Travel  and  Translation  in  the  

Late  Twentieth  Century,  1997.    

Steven  Conn,  “Whose  Objects?  Whose  Culture?  The  Contexts  of  Repatriations,”  in  Conn,  Do  Museums  Still  Need  Objects?,  pp.  58-­‐85.    

Kwame  Anthony  Appiah,  “Whose  Culture  is  it?”  in  the  New  York  Review  of  Books,  Vol.  53,  No.  2,  Feb.  9,  2006.  

“Introduction,”  in  Richard  Kurin,  Reflections  of  a  Culture  Broker  (1997)  

Bruce  Ziff  and  Pratima  V.  Rao,  “Introduction  to  Cultural  Appropriation:  A  Framework  for  Analysis,”  introduction  to  Borrowed  Power:  Essays  on  Cultural  Appropriation  

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Week  6  (October  14)  -­‐  Collecting  and  displaying  the  exotic  Sally  Price,  Paris  Primitive:  Jacques  Chirac's  Museum  on  the  Quai  Branly  (2007)  

Paula  Heredia  and  Coco  Fusco,  “The  couple  in  the  cage”  video  (through  OCRA)  

Week  7  (October  21)  Working  with  community  Glenn  Wharton,  The  Painted  King:  Art,  Activism,  and  Authenticity  in  Hawaii  

Augusto  Boal,  Theatre  of  the  Oppressed,  Stage  3  

Stephani  Etheridge  Woodson,  “Specifying  the  Scholarship  of  Engagement  2.0:  Skills  for  Community-­‐based  Projects  in  the  Arts  and  Design”  

 

Week  8  (October  28)  –  Past  and  present  Michel-­‐Rolph  Trouillot,  Silencing  the  Past:  Power  and  the  Production  of  History  

(1995)  

Week  9  (November  4)  –  Communities,  past  and  present  Stephanie  E.  Yuhl,  A  Golden  Haze  of  Memory:  The  Making  of  Historic  Charleston  

(2005)  

Blain  Robert  and  Ethan  J.  Kytle, “Looking The Things in the Face: Slavery, Race, and the Commemorative Landscape in Charleston, South Carolina, 1865-2010,”  Journal  of  Southern  History  78,  no.  3  (August  2012):  639–84.  

Week  10  (November  11)  -­‐  Remembering  the  past        Sanford  Levison,  Written  in  stone:  public  monuments  in  changing  societies  (1998)  

Notes  on  an  Imagined  Plaque  to  be  Added  to  the  Statue  of  General  Nathan  Bedford  Forrest,  Upon  Hearing  that  the  Memphis  City  Counci  has  Voted  to  Move  it,”  Memory  Palace  podcast    

David  Glassberg,  "Public  History  and  the  study  of  memory."  The  Public  Historian  .  19,  no.  Spring  1996  (Mar  1996)  

Responses  to  Glassberg  article:  The  Public  Historian,  Vol.  19,  No.  2,  Spring,  1997    

Week  11  (November  18)  –  Remembering  9/11    Erika  Doss,  Memorial  Mania:  Public  Feeling  in  America  (2010)  

-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐>Saturday,  November  21:  Field  trip  to  New  York        (Note:  date  may  change  to  Friday)  Adam  Gopnik,  “Stones  and  Bones:  Visiting  the  9/11  memorial  and  museum,  New  

Yorker,  July  7,  2014  

Rick  Beard,  “Exhibit  Review:  The  National  September  11  Memorial  &  Museum,”  The  Public  Historian  Vol.  37  No.  1,  February  2015  

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-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐>November  25:    Holiday  -­‐  No  Class  

Experts  

Week  12  (December  2)  Working  the  Past  Amy  M.  Tyson,  The  Wages  of  History:  Emotional  Labor  on  Public  History’s  Front  

Lines  (2013)  

“Ask  a  Slave”  and  Interpreting  Race  on  Public  History’s  Front  Line,”  interview  with  Azie  Mira  Dungey,  The  Public  Historian  36:1,  February  2014  

Week  13  (December  9)  Last  week:  Your  role  in  public  humanities  Filene,  Benjamin,  “Passionate  Histories:  ‘Outsider’  History-­‐Makers  and  What  They  

Teach  Us,”  The  Public  Historian,  34  (2012),  11–33    

Mary  Mullen,  “Public  Humanities’  (Victorian)  Culture  Problem,”  Cultural  Studies,  2014