Public History in History Departments

Information for public historians based in traditional college or university History Departments, including discussion of promotion and tenure criteria:

• For a list of departments offering graduate training in Public History, their requirements and curriculum, see the National Council on Public History website.

• “Public History and the Department: Prospects and Directions,” Michael Galgano, ed.
  From the second issue of the OAH Council of Chairs newsletter. James Huhta traces the history of the field, while Barbara Howe describes OAH workshops on public history. Kendrick Clements, contributes “Promotion and Tenure for Public Historians.”

• “Developing a Public History Program” by Cynthia Brandimarte
  From the CCWH Newsletter. In Spring 2000, the National Council on Public History held its annual meeting jointly with the Organization of American Historians, affording historians whose primary interests lay elsewhere the opportunity to learn more about Public History’s theory and practice. This is the summary of session at that annual meeting.

• “Redefining Historical Scholarship”
  Report of the American Historical Association Ad Hoc Committee on Redefining Scholarly Work – This December 1993 report touches on a number of issues related to the expansion of definitions that have limited what is considered scholarly contributions to the field, including faculty reward systems as they pertain to tenure and promotion. Also from the AHA: “Public History Employers—What Do They Want?” By Philip M. Katz

• Historians concerned about tenure and promotion policies as they pertain to work in Public History may wish to consult The Public Historian 1999 21 (2). This issue contains an exchange on this subject among James B. Gardner, Constance Schultz, and Kendrick Clements. This issue also contains an article by Noel Stowe, “Public Historians as Faculty: Roles and Rewards.”

Additional Resources for Public Historians

• “Tenure, Promotion, and the Publicly Engaged Academic Historian: A Report by the Working Group on Evaluating Public History Scholarship.” National Council on Public History (2010).
• Best Practices in Public History, NCPH, Establishing and Developing a Public History Program (2016).
• Robert R. Weyeneth, Daniel J. Vivian, “Charting the Course: Challenges in Public History Education, Guidance for Developing Strong Public History Programs.” The Public Historian, Vol. 38 No. 3, August 2016; (pp. 25-49).
• Robert Weyeneth, former NCPH President, “A Perfect Storm.” National Council on Public History.