Public Humanities
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.
Master's Program in Public Humanities
The Department of American Civilization’s public humanities program prepares students to present the humanities to a range of audiences in a variety of forms. The master’s program in public humanities is headquartered at the John Nicholas Brown Center for Public Humanities and Cultural (JNBC), and is led by Steven Lubar, the Center’s director.
The master’s program in public humanities, which can be completed as a professional degree or as part of the Ph.D. program, provides students with the knowledge and skills needed for jobs in museums, historical societies, state and federal humanities and cultural resource agencies, and historic preservation and community cultural development organizations. Drawing on the resources at Brown and the Rhode Island School of Design, the program addresses a diverse range of organizations, media, and subject matter, combining courses in humanities disciplines with hands-on learning. Students in the program develop subject matter expertise in history, literature, archaeology, anthropology, media and performance, public policy, or art history; a thorough understanding of the history, theory, and methods of the public humanities; and the practical skills needed to work with museum artifacts, create exhibits or Web sites, conduct oral histories, undertake historic preservation projects, and develop and manage cultural programs. By combining the ideas and traditions of diverse communities with the methods and skills of humanities scholars, students in the M.A. program will help to broaden the ways that Americans understand their cultural heritage.
Students in the program 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 completed practicums at museums (including the Smithsonian, Boston Museum of Fine Arts, the Baseball Hall of Fame, and the International Folk Art Museum), local historical societies and preservation agencies, the National Park Service, state humanities councils, and youth arts programs. After completing the program, they have found jobs at a wide range of organizations, including the Smithsonian and the U.S. Capitol Visitors’ Center in Washington, D.C.; the Pew Charitable Trusts, the Asian Art Center, and Temple University’s library in Philadelphia; the Museum of Modern Art and the WTC Tribute Center in New York City; Providence’s Department of Arts, Culture, and Tourism, the Steel Yard industrial arts center, and the Newport Restoration Foundation in Rhode Island; and local historical societies, galleries, and cultural organizations in other parts of the U.S.
The John Nicholas Brown Center supports the M.A. in public humanities by coordinating 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, and residency and fellowship programs bring public humanities professionals to the JNBC to discuss their work. Internationally, the Center is developing a partnership with the cultural heritage and management programs at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Partial fellowships are available to most students in the program, deferring some of the costs of tuition. In addition, most public humanities M.A. students receive financial support to attend workshops and conferences and stipends are available for some student practicums. Visit the JNBC’s Web site for information on the M.A. in public humanities, and the Center’s programs, including lectures, workshops, exhibitions, the Museum Loan Network, and the American Dance Legacy Institute.
Download Flyer on New Fellowship for the Study of the Public History on Slavery