AMCV Introduction to Public Humanitis

Fall smstr
Steven Lubai
Class: Weunesuay :-:, Nightingale-Biown Bouse
0ffice Bouis: Thuisuay - lubaibiown.euu

This giauuate seminai auuiesses some of the big questions in the public humanities, pioviuing a
backgiounu that will help stuuents unueistanu the choices maue in pieseiving, inteipieting, anu
piesenting ait, histoiy anu cultuie. We auuiess those issues by ieauing anu uiscussing case stuuies to
see how theoiy plays out in piactice.
0nlike some giauuate seminais, the point of this couise is not to ciitique the liteiatuie, but to leain
fiom it in oiuei to unueistanu the issues in making uecisions in connecting the public with cultuie.
As you ieau, anu in class uiscussions, tiy to come up with a set of iules, conceins, techniques, anu
consiueiations foi public humanities woik. Bow might what we ieau be applieu to exhibits,
collections, peifoimance, in unueistanuing the builu enviionment, foi pieseiving anu inteipieting
the woilu aiounu us. Bow uo these authois think about cultuie, the public, the past, anu the
institutions in which they woik.
Bow the couise woiks: theie's a book, oi seveial aiticles, to ieau each week. In each class, we'll
uiscuss the ieauing, anu have a piesentation oi two, as outlineu below. Buiing each week, take
auvantage of web tools foi gioup uiscussion. At the enu of the semestei theie aie a few weeks to
focus on wiiting the final papei.
Beie's what is iequiieu foi the class:
Reauing
O Reau assigneu woik.
O Reau, thioughout the semestei, newspapeis, jouinals anu websites that auuiess issues
ielateu to the class, foi example, the New York Times. Art in Americo. Artsiournol.com.
Huseum News. Tbe Public Eistorion, CRH, http:www.aamu.oig,
http:museumanthiopology.blogspot.com, oi www.aitsjouinal.comcultuiegiil. Biowse
the books in the INBC libiaiy. Follow appiopiiate Twittei feeus. Keeping up with the
liteiatuie, online anu in piint, is a piofessional iesponsibility.
O Reau the stuuent papeis posteu on the blog each week.
Biscussion ( peicent of giaue)
O aiticipate in class uiscussion.
O aiticipate in out-of-class uiscussion, online. 0ccasionally post links anu comments on the
class ieauing, anu on events, exhibits, piogiams, anu aiticles you finu inteiesting on the class
blog, Twittei, oi uoogle+. 0se Twittei to call oui attention to a few inteiesting iueas fiom the
ieauing, oi fiom othei souices. Follow the Twittei feeus fiom otheis in the class. Bashtag:
ANCv. Tweets aie pieseiveu at http:twappeikeepei.comhashtagamcv.
O aiticipate in gioup note-taking uuiing class on uoogle uocs.
iesentation ( peicent of giaue)
O iesent a not-to-exceeu -minute illustiateu talk sometime uuiing the semestei. The
syllabus incluues some piesentation iueas, anu I'm open to otheis, any topic appiopiiate to
the ieauings. This is giaueu both on content anu style!
Shoit wiiting assignment ( peicent of giaue)
O Foi one class, wiite a shoit papei, - pages, to pioviue some theoietical oi
histoiiogiaphical backgiounu to the book assigneu that week, oi on a ielateu topic - a case
stuuy, peihaps. Neet with me to uiscuss this aftei you've ieau thiough the book, piefeiably
on the Thuisuay befoie class: I can iecommenu backgiounu ieauing foi you. ost youi papei
on the class blog the Nonuay befoie class.
Long wiiting assignment ( peicent of giaue)
O Wiite a ieseaichpiactice papei, uue on Becembei . This shoulu be ioughly woius,
on a topic of inteiest to you anu appiopiiate to the class. It coulu be a case stuuy of a public
humanities pioject oi institution, eithei histoiical oi contempoiaiy: a compaiative stuuy of
seveial piojects oi institutions: a theoietical exploiation: oi something else. It might shoulu
incluue consiueiations anu guiuelines foi institutions uoing this kinu of woik. I'm also open
to foimats othei than stiaightfoiwaiu ieseaich papeis. In any case, it shoulu uiaw on
oiiginal ieseaich anu shoulu iefeience, in some way, the ieauings anu uiscussions fiom the
class. Consiuei moueling youi papei on one of the books oi essays we ieau uuiing the
semestei. A - page pioposal is uue Novembei . (Note: Youi papei shoulu be youi
oiiginal woik. Footnote anything you use fiom books, aiticles, inteiviews, oi the web. Note
iueas that came fiom othei people. Failuie to uo so can iesult in failing the class.)
Class blog website: http:amcv.woiupiess.com Note: this is open to outsiue ieaueis.
Books aie available in the bookstoie. Nost chapteis, aiticles, etc., aie available on 0CRA, available
online thiough the libiaiy, oi aie in the INBC libiaiy. All of the books aie in the Rockefellei Reseive.
asswoiu on 0CRA: public. Note that theie aie a gieat many ielateu books anu aiticle on ieseive in
the libiaiy anu on 0CRA anu in the INBC libiaiy.

adings Scbdul
Intiouuction
eek . {September 7)
Intiouuctions, explanations, etc.: What is public humanities" Cuiating an exhibition:
"What is ublic Bumanities. A Bistoiy" Rewiiting the Wikipeuia page on ublic
Bumanities.
Whose past.
eek . {September 4) - Creotinq tbe post
Nichel-Rolph Tiouillot, Silencinq tbe Post: Power onJ tbe ProJuction of Eistorv.
Note: follow
th
anniveisaiy commemoiations of 9 foi uiscussion in class next
week.
iesentations: Bisney's Ameiica, Baiti's bicentenial
eek . {September ) - Hemoriolizinq tbe post
Naiita Stuiken, Tourists of Eistorv: Hemorv. Kitscb. onJ Consumerism from 0klobomo
Citv to 6rounJ Zero
Anu also: ublic humanists iesponu aftei 9: ieau fiom the aiticles below, oi finu
otheis that aie similai:
Iames B. uaiunei anu Saiah N. Beniy, "Septembei anu the Nouining Aftei:
Reflections on Collecting anu Inteipieting the Bistoiy of Tiageuy," Tbe Public
Eistorion, Aug , vol. , No. : -.
lizabeth L. uieenspan, "Spontaneous Nemoiials, Nuseums, anu ublic Bistoiy:
Nemoiialization of Septembei , at the entagon" Tbe Public Eistorion vol.
, No. (Spiing ) (pp. 9-)
Ianet A. NcBonnell, National aik Seivice: Responuing to the Septembei
Teiioiist Attacks,
http:www.nps.govhistoiyhistoiyonlinebooksmcuonnell9.puf
http:ameiicanhistoiy.si.euuseptembei
http:www.9uigitalaichive.oig
Iames Cuno, "A Woilu Changeu. Ait Nuseums aftei Septembei ," Bulletin of
the Ameiican Acauemy of Aits anu Sciences, vol. , No. (Summei, ), pp.
-
"Septembei anu the Acauemic iofession: A Symposium," AcoJeme
vol. 88, No. (Ian. - Feb., ), pp. 8-
Setha N. Low, The Nemoiialization of Septembei : Bominant anu Local
Biscouises on the Rebuiluing of the Woilu Tiaue Centei Site," Americon
Ftbnoloqist, vol. , No. (Aug., ) (pp. -9)
iesentations: Nuseum exhibits aftei 9 anu the piesent state of the national
9 memoiials
eek 4 {September 8) - Preservinq tbe post
Stephanie . Yuhl, A 6olJen Eoze of Hemorv: Tbe Hokinq of Eistoric Cborleston.
hyllis K. Lefflei, "Ameiican Nemoiy on the Abolition of the Slave Tiaue: Is Theie
Common uiounu in Ameiican Nuseums."Huseum Eistorv Iournol, volume ,
Numbei , Ianuaiy , pp. -. 0nline
iesentation: Chaileston's new museums anu memoiials
eek S {0ctober S) - Browns sloverv memoriol
Slaveiy anu Iustice anu Nemoiial publications at
http:www.biown.euuReseaichSlaveiyIustice
iesentations: Slaveiy memoiials elsewheie: potential aitists
Who owns culLure?
eek 6 {0ctober ) - Culturol beritoqe?
Beiek uillman, Tbe lJeo of Culturol Eeritoqe
Kwame Anthony Appiah, "Whose Cultuie is it." in the New York Review of Books, vol.
, No. , Feb. 9, . 0CRA
Also consiuei:
Kiishenblatt-uimblett, Baibaia. "0bjects of thnogiaphy." Fxbibitinq Cultures:
Tbe Poetics onJ Politics of Huseum Bisplov. u. Ivan Kaip anu Steven B. Lavine.
Washington, BC: Smithsonian Institution iess, 99. 8-.
Iames Cliffoiu "Nuseums as Contact Zones" in Routes: Trovel onJ Tronslotion in
tbe lote Twentietb Centurv, 99.
Steven Conn, "Whose 0bjects. Whose Cultuie. The Contexts of Repatiiations," in
Conn, Bo Huseums Still NeeJ 0biects, pp. 8-8.
Lisa Coiiin "Nining the Nuseum: Aitists Look at Nuseums, Nuseums Look at
Themselves" in Hininq tbe Huseum, 99. 0CRA
Rutb B. Pbillips onJ Horl Solber Pbillips. "Contestinq Time. Ploce. onJ Notion in tbe
Iirst Peoples Eoll of tbe ConoJion Huseum of Civilizotion." in Boniel I. olkowitz
onJ liso Hovo Knouer. eJ.. ContesteJ Eistories in Public Spoce

eek 7 {0ctober 9) - Collectinq onJ Jisplovinq tbe exotic
Sally iice, Poris Primitive: Iocques Cbirocs Huseum on tbe 0uoi Bronlv
aula Beieuia anu Coco Fusco, "The couple in the cage" viueo (thiough NyCouises)
Also consiuei:
Susan vogel, "Always Tiue to the 0bject, in oui fashion," fiom Kaip anu Lavine,
Fxbibitinq Culture 0CRA
Nlia Bias, "Bouble eiasuies: iewiiting the past at the Nuse uu quai Bianly,
Sociol Antbropoloqv volume , Issue , pages -, 0ctobei 8
New York Times aiticles at: http:bit.lyB80WA
ow Lo connecL?
eek 8 {0ctober 6) - Tbe etbics of connection
Bilua Bein, Tbinkinq Huseums Bifferentlv
eek 9 {November ) - Sborinq outboritv
Bill Auaii, Benjamin Filene, Lauia Koloski, lettinq 6o? Sborinq Eistoricol Autboritv in
o 0ser-6eneroteJ orlJ
Also consiuei:
Claiie Bishop: 'The Social Tuin: Collaboiation anu Its Biscontents', Artforum,
Febiuaiy , pp. 9-8
Iohn Buiel anu Anita Noweiy Buiel, "A uoluen Age foi Bistoiic iopeities,"
Eistorv News, Becembei 8 0CRA
CLASS R0ICT: A ieview of lettinq 6o foi Curotor: Tbe Huseum Iournol. Look at
the jouinal online, anu think about how a class might wiite a ieview of a book foi
them. Blog. Suivey. xhibit. viueo.
eek {November 9) - Connectinq in o Jiqitol worlJ
Baiiy Ienkins, Converqence Culture: bere 0lJ onJ New HeJio ColliJe
Choose fiom the aiticles in "Involving 0seis in the Co-Constiuction of Bigital
Knowleuge in Libiaiies, Aichives, anu Nuseums": librorv TrenJs volume 9,
Numbei , Spiing
Achal R. iabhala, "eople aie Knowleuge," viueo, http:vimeo.com9
http:smithsonian-webstiategy.wikispaces.com
iesentation: Inteifaces touay
Not: - pag papr proposal is du.
eek {November 6) onJ eek {November )
N0 CLASS - woik on youi papeis. Buiing this time meet with me to uiscuss
piogiess, anu to uo a tiial iun of youi piesentation.
eek {November ) onJ eek 4 {Becember 7)
apei piesentations: minutes each.

Not: Final papr is du Dcmbr .