History 797CM - ST-History Communication

This graduate level course introduces students to the dynamic emerging field of history communication. It is based on the premise that, just as the sciences have prepared a generation of scientists to be Science Communicators, translating insights gained in lab to wide public audiences, so too should history prepare History Communicators to communicate new historical scholarship to non-experts in today's complex media environment. The explosion of media formats in the 21st century compels the history profession to train new kinds of history practitioner: specialists who are conversant with a range of digital tools and formats, from radio to blogs to podcasts; are adept with visual media as vehicles for conveying analysis; who can express themselves with precision; and who can effectively synthesize history scholarship toward a variety of ends and for a range of audiences. This course grounds students in the core principles of History Communication, and introduces them to the variety of ways these skills can be engaged in a range of professions and workplaces.

In the 700 level, students will learn to develop original primary source research in ways that are expressed directly in formats suitable for general readers. Students will produce intellectual content equivalent to a traditional seminar paper, but expressed in genres from magazine articles to policy briefings to radio programs.

Open to Doctoral & Masters students only.