Study public history in the History Department at WSU!
If you love history and wonder what history careers exist, public history could be for you! Public historians take their history knowledge and their writing and research skills to jobs outside of teaching and academia. They work in museums, they work for state historic preservation offices, they work on state and national parks, they work in libraries and archives.
Public History Classes at WSU:
- History 327 Introduction to Public History – This course introduces students to the field of public history, including areas like museums, historic preservation, libraries and archives, conservation, oral history, and more! Students will explore public history literature and methodologies, engage in hands-on practice, and develop professional products for community partners. This is a great course for history students and for students across campus who are interested in working in museums or at parks as interpreters.
- History 427 Public History Theory & Methodology – This is an advanced course where students study the specific theory and methodology that public historians bring to their work, with a focus on shared authority and collaborative community engagement.
- History 438 Topics in Public History – This is a special topics course with a different focus each time it is offered. The course may focus on museum exhibition research and design culminating with an exhibit opening. It may look at docent training and evaluation. It may dive into the world of historic preservation and National Register nominations. In the spring of 2027 the course will focus on first-person interpretation (FPI). Students will research historic figures from the Palouse, learn historical and theatrical writing techniques, study FPI, and give a public program open to the community. This is the perfect course for history majors and minors who are interested in working with the public. It also could be of interest to social studies education majors, folks who love theater, and anyone who would like to pursue a career in the museum field.
Questions?
Contact Dr. Elyssa Ford at elyssa.ford@wsu.edu to learn more about the public history opportunities at WSU.