Public Humanities Initiative
The Department of American Civilization’s public humanities initiative trains students to present the humanities to a range of audiences in a variety of forms. This effort is headquartered in the John Nicholas Brown Center (JNBC), in the historic Nightingale-Brown house on the Brown campus, and is led by Steven Lubar, the Center’s director. Visit the JNBC’s website for information on the Center’s programs, including lectures, workshops on cultural work and governance, the Museum Loan Network, the American Dance Legacy Institute, and the M.A. in public humanities.
New M.A. Program
The public humanities program at Brown University combines courses in humanities disciplines with hands-on learning. Students develop expertise in history, literature, archaeology, anthropology, media and performance, public policy, or art history; knowledge of the history, theory, and methods of the public humanities; and the practical skills to handle museum artifacts, create exhibits or Web sites, conduct oral histories, undertake historic preservation projects, and manage cultural programs. By combining the ideas and traditions of diverse communities with the methods and approaches of humanities scholars, students in the M.A. program broaden the ways that Americans understand their cultural heritage.
Students complete two years of courses, including three required classes and nine elective courses. In addition, students undertake two practicums, gaining professional experience and the opportunity to reflect on the theory and practice of the field. In recent years, students have worked at museums (including the Smithsonian, Boston Museum of Fine Arts, the Baseball Hall of Fame, and the International Folk Art Museum), local historical societies, the National Park Service, and Providence’s New Urban Arts program.
Partial fellowships are available to most students in the program, in addition to financial support to attend workshops and conferences and for some student practicums. The John Nicholas Brown Center supports the Department of American Civilization’s M.A. in public humanities with a variety of programs, lectures, and workshops. In the Carriage House Gallery, students experiment with a variety of exhibit styles and techniques. Center staff and students work with cultural organizations and museums across the U.S. to enhance and expand their programs. Internationally, the Center is developing a partnership with the cultural heritage and management programs at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.