History / Public History Bachelor of Arts
Total Credit Hours: 128
Major Credit Hours: 39
The Public History track will prepare students for entry into master’s programs in Public History, for employment in local history museums and government archives, for curatorships, and for writing in Public History. Public Historians provide a great service to society through the study and preservation of heritage. A prime example of the work of public historians is our very own Lewis University archive of the Illinois & Michigan Canal, the Canal & Regional History Special Collection. This archive in the Lewis Library preserves the maps, the photographs, and the living experience of the creation of the canal, and the study of the canal is one of many opportunities in the field of public history available for Lewis students.
Students in the Public History track must take Workshops and/or internships in Public History. These Workshops and internships are important components of this program. The workshops involve such elements as travel to regional sites, hands-on experience with historical artifacts, and written work which will be assessed by the instructor. Internships at such institutions as The Cantigny War Museum, The Joliet Historical Society, and The I&M Canal Archive have produced successful internship reports as well as positive assessments from the staffs of these institutions. The Public History Portfolio is an additional requirement in this track and will consist of reports written for Workshops in Public History and/or Internships in Public History during the course of the major and filed with the History Department chair. The student will submit a minimum of three such reports.
History majors must select History electives from courses numbered 200 and above. No 100-level History courses, except for Culture and Civilization I and II (09-101 and 09-102), may count toward the 39 credit hours required by the major.
Degree Requirements
I. Core Courses (15)
| 09-101 | Culture and Civilization I | 3 |
| 09-102 | Culture and Civilization II | 3 |
| 09-203 | Historiography I: Sophomore Writing Seminar | 1 |
| 09-403 | Historiography II: Senior Research Seminar | 2 |
| 09-329 | Public History | 3 |
| 09-397 | Workshop in History | 1-3 |
| 09-398 | Internship for History Majors | 1-3 |
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| AND/OR | |
II. Additional requirements (24)
A. Choose two of the following U.S. History courses (6)
| 09-320 | United States Colonial and National History | 3 |
| 09-322 | U.S. Civil War and Reconstruction | 3 |
| 09-323 | The Emergence of Modern America, 1877-1941 | 3 |
| 09-325 | United States Since 1941 | 3 |
B. Select two other U.S. History courses (6)
C. Select one in each of the following areas (6)
European History
Outside Europe and the U.S.
D. Select two Department of History electives (6)
III. Senior Capstone (0)
The Public History major is required to complete the Senior Capstone. This non-credit requirement consists of one researched essay, which will be orally defended by the student in a meeting with the Department of History faculty. The Senior Capstone must be successfully completed if the Department of History is to endorse the student in continuing graduate studies or teaching the subject at the secondary school level.
IV. The Public History Portfolio (0)
This portfolio is an additional, specific requirement in this track and will consist of reports written during workshops and/or an internship during the course of the major and filed with the History Department chair. The student will submit a minimum of three such reports.