Breadcrumb
Public History Minor
Public History encompasses the many and diverse ways that we draw upon collective understandings of the past to make sense of issues in the present. Our students are immersed in contemporary real-world questions and challenges, hands-on learning, practical and professional skill development, and meaningful engagement with community partners.
The Public History minor can be paired with any major.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE PROGRAM
Get to know our well-respected faculty and their academic specialties. Or explore scholarship opportunities and an array of internship possibilities.
Curriculum
Public History, Minor
Public History encompasses the many and diverse ways that we draw upon collective understandings of the past to make sense of issues in the present. At Saint Mary's College, we envision Public History as a distinctive set of historical methodologies and interdisciplinary practices rooted in community engagement and partnership. That means our students are immersed in contemporary real-world questions and challenges, hands-on learning, practical and professional skill development, and meaningful engagement with community partners through Engaged Learning (EL) coursework, practicums, and internships. We aim to reframe understandings of the past from the ground up, with the aim of bringing greater equity, diversity, local and global perspective, and intersectionality to the public presentation of our diverse and shared histories.
The Public History minor can be paired with any major, including History.
Requirements
Introductions
Take 1 lower-division course from allied programs introducing some dimension of public history-related foundations.
- Western Art Survey (4 units)
- Non-Western Art Survey (4 units)
- Art Theory (3 units)
- Intro to Social & Cultrl Anth (4 units)
- Intro to Archaeology (4 units)
- Introduction to Studio Art (4 units)
- Digital Photography (4 units)
- Earth Systems (4 units)
- Environmental Science (4 units)
- Voices of American Diversity (3 units)
- Introduction to Ethnic Studies (4 units)
- Intro:Global&Regional Studies (4 units)
- Global History to 1500 (4 units)
- Global History Since 1500 (4 units)
- Us History to 1877 (4 units)
- US History Since 1877 (4 units)
- Western Cultures and Societies (3 units)
- Intro to Jcl (3 units)
- Media Prod. Tools & Techniques (3 units)
- Intro-Women's & Gender Studies (4 units)
Methods
Take 1 course in Historical Methods
- The Historian's Craft: Methods (3 units)
- Historiography (4 units)
Foundations
Take 1 Engaged Learning course in Public History Foundations, HIST 302 and 302EL.
- Public History (4 units)
- Public History EL (1 units)
Skills
Take 2 courses in allied skills instrumental in public history praxis.
- Screenprinting for the Communi (3 units)
- Museums and the Construction (4 units)
- Art Conservation & Restoration (4 units)
- Seminar Theory & Pract of Art (4 units)
- Topics in Art Management (3-4 units)
- Museum Studies (4 units)
- Digital Foundations (4 units)
- Project Management (3 units)
- Understanding Digital Culture (3 units)
- Critical Theories in Ethnic St (4 units)
- Video Production (4 units)
- Audio Production (4 units)
- Special Topics in Media Prod (4 units)
- Community Media (3 units)
- Topics in Media Production (3-4 units)
- Coding Is Fun (3 units)
- Data Visualization (3 units)
- Geographic Info Systems (5 units)
- Public History / Narrative (4 units)
- Italian Language Tutorial (1 units)
- Global Change-Makers (4 units)
- Workshop in Translation (3 units)
- Writing for Nonprofits (3 units)
Electives
Take 1 course in the intermediate or advanced level from allied programs deepening public history context or perspective. *Students may petition to take a second elective in place of the intro level course.
- Women in Art (4 units)
- History of Media Art (4 units)
- Art Criticism, 1900-Present (4 units)
- The Silk Road (4 units)
- Arts of Africa (4 units)
- Arts of the Americas (4 units)
- Islamic Art (4 units)
- East Asian Art (4 units)
- World Cultures: N Africa (4 units)
- World Cultures: E Africa (4 units)
- World Cultures: Mid Africa (4 units)
- World Cultures: S Africa (4 units)
- World Cultures: West Africa (4 units)
- World Cultures: Caribbean (4 units)
- World Cultures: C America (4 units)
- World Cultures: S America (4 units)
- World Cultures: North America (4 units)
- World Cultures: Central Asia (4 units)
- World Cultures: Eastern Asia (4 units)
- World Cultures: SE Asia (4 units)
- World Cultures: Southern Asia (4 units)
- World Cultures: Western Asia (4 units)
- World Cultures: Cent/E Europe (4 units)
- World Cultures: N Europe (4 units)
- World Cultures: S Europe (4 units)
- World Cultures: Western Europe (4 units)
- World Cultures: Oceania (4 units)
- World Cultures: Polynesia (4 units)
- World Cultures: Melanesia (4 units)
- World Cultures: Antarctica (4 units)
- Anthropology: Digital Culture (4 units)
- Special Topics in Art (4 units)
- Sustainability (4 units)
- Envir Geology of the Parks (5 units)
- Topics in Chicano/Latino Studi (4 units)
- Topics in Filipino / Asian Ame (4 units)
- French Literary Perspectives (4 units)
- Single Author/genre: (4 units)
- Explorations in U.S. History (3 units)
- Immigration & Ethnic Relations (3 units)
- Compar/Transnat US History (3 units)
- U.S. Women's History (3 units)
- U.S. Environmental History (3 units)
- Explorations in Latin Amer His (3 units)
- Environment in Latin Am Hist (3 units)
- Expl in Medieval Euro Hist (3 units)
- Modern Medievalisms (3 units)
- Explor in Modern European Hist (3 units)
- Revolt & Rev in Early Mod Euro (3 units)
- Women in Modern European Histo (3 units)
- Hlth & Welfare in Modern Euro (3 units)
- Explorations in Asian History (3 units)
- War and Peace in Modern Japan (3 units)
- Revolutionary Mvmt Mod China (3 units)
- Expl African History (3 units)
- Special Topics in US History (4 units)
- Colonial History of the U.S. (4 units)
- Amer Revolution & Early Rep (4 units)
- Civil War & Reconstruction (4 units)
- American Empires (4 units)
- America in the World (4 units)
- Modern American Culture (4 units)
- African American Hist to 1877 (4 units)
- African Amer Hist Since 1877 (4 units)
- California History (4 units)
- Sp Top in Latin American Hist (4 units)
- Women in Lat Am History (4 units)
- Revolutions in Latin America (4 units)
- African Diaspora in Lat Am (4 units)
- Drugs in Latin American Hist (4 units)
- Sp Top in Medieval Euro Hist (4 units)
- Dark Ages (Birth of Europe) (4 units)
- Gothic Era (Europe) (4 units)
- Renaissance Europe (4 units)
- Warfare in the Middle Ages (4 units)
- Sp Top in Early Modern Histor (4 units)
- Sp Top 19th C Euro Hist (4 units)
- Sp Top 20th C European Hist (4 units)
- German History (4 units)
- Global Citizens and Subjects (4 units)
- Cold War Europe in Global Pers (4 units)
- Special Topics in Asian Hist (4 units)
- Ethnic Ident & Cnflct in China (4 units)
- Environment in Asian History (4 units)
- Special Topics in African Hist (4 units)
- African History to 1850 (4 units)
- African History Since 1850 (4 units)
- Environmental Justice (4 units)
- The Global Community (4 units)
- Special Topics Cultural Studie (4 units)
- Culture & Civilization: Spain (3 units)
- Culture & Civilization: Lat Am (3 units)
- Culture & Civilization: Mexico (3 units)
- Hist of Women, Gndr, Sexuality (3 units)
- Social Justice Praxis (4 units)
- Languages, Cultures, and Creat (4 units)
Internship
Internships may be semester-long, Jan Term, or summer experiences from 1-4 units. 1 unit is required.
- Internship (1-4 units)
Practicum
Experiences for students to practice and apply public history thinking and skills. Take at least 1 unit of the following.
- Museum Practice (1 units)
- History Mentors--Engaged Learn (1 units)
- Global History to 1500 (4 units)
- Global History Since 1500 (4 units)
- US History I & II (3-5 units)
- Us History to 1877 (4 units)
- US History Since 1877 (4 units)
- African-American: 1619-1865 (1 units)
- Roman Civilization & History (1 units)
- History Elective (3-5 units)
- The Historian's Craft: Methods (3 units)
- Explorations in Global History (3 units)
- Explorations in U.S. History (3 units)
- Immigration & Ethnic Relations (3 units)
- Compar/Transnat US History (3 units)
- U.S. Women's History (3 units)
- U.S. Environmental History (3 units)
- Explorations in Latin Amer His (3 units)
- Environment in Latin Am Hist (3 units)
- Expl in Medieval Euro Hist (3 units)
- Western Cultures and Societies (3 units)
- Modern Medievalisms (3 units)
- Modern Medievalisms EL (1 units)
- Explor in Modern European Hist (3 units)
- Revolt & Rev in Early Mod Euro (3 units)
- Women in Modern European Histo (3 units)
- Hlth & Welfare in Modern Euro (3 units)
- Explorations in Asian History (3 units)
- War and Peace in Modern Japan (3 units)
- Revolutionary Mvmt Mod China (3 units)
- Expl African History (3 units)
- Independent Study (1-4 units)
- HIST Elective (1-5 units)
- Historiography (4 units)
- History Mentors--Engaged Learn (1 units)
- Public History (4 units)
- Public History EL (1 units)
- Special Topics in US History (4 units)
- Colonial History of the U.S. (4 units)
- Amer Revolution & Early Rep (4 units)
- Civil War & Reconstruction (4 units)
- American Empires (4 units)
- America in the World (4 units)
- Modern American Culture (4 units)
- African American Hist to 1877 (4 units)
- African Amer Hist Since 1877 (4 units)
- California History (4 units)
- Sp Top in Latin American Hist (4 units)
- Women in Lat Am History (4 units)
- Revolutions in Latin America (4 units)
- African Diaspora in Lat Am (4 units)
- Drugs in Latin American Hist (4 units)
- Sp Top in Medieval Euro Hist (4 units)
- Dark Ages (Birth of Europe) (4 units)
- Gothic Era (Europe) (4 units)
- Renaissance Europe (4 units)
- Warfare in the Middle Ages (4 units)
- Sp Top in Early Modern Histor (4 units)
- Sp Top 19th C Euro Hist (4 units)
- Sp Top 20th C European Hist (4 units)
- German History (4 units)
- Global Citizens and Subjects (4 units)
- Cold War Europe in Global Pers (4 units)
- Special Topics in Asian Hist (4 units)
- Ethnic Ident & Cnflct in China (4 units)
- Environment in Asian History (4 units)
- Special Topics in African Hist (4 units)
- African History to 1850 (4 units)
- African History Since 1850 (4 units)
- HIST UD Elective (1-5 units)
- Research Seminar in U.S. Histo (3 units)
- Rsrch Sem: the Sandinista Revo (3 units)
- Rsch Sem: Envir Dis Latin Am (3 units)
- Research Sem: Medieval Europe (3 units)
- Research Sem: Modern Europe (3 units)
- Research Seminar: Fascism (3 units)
- Research Sem: Rev & Citizen (3 units)
- Research Sem: the Pacific War (3 units)
- Research Sem: Cultural Rev (3 units)
- Research Sem: African History (3 units)
- Internship (1-4 units)
- Capstone: Senior Thesis (2 units)
- Independent Study (1-4 units)
