Courses

The Center for Public Humanities lists courses under the American Studies AMST rubric.  Our flexible program draws on Brown University's open curriculum.  Elective courses can be selected from approved 1000 and 2000 level courses offered at Brown, Rhode Island School of Design, and Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. The courses sponsored by the Center for Public Humanities in 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 academic years are listed below. Visit course catalog for a complete listing of courses at Brown University.

Other useful links

2020-2021 Courses

Fall 2020 Course #

Title

Instructor

Days/Times/Locations
AMST 2540 Methods in Public Humanities Steve Lubar TTh 10:30-11:50am John Nicholas Brown Center SEM
AMST 2630  Public Amnesias and Their Discontents: Theories and Practices of Remembering and Forgetting Diane O'Donoghue T 4:00-6:30pm John Nicholas Brown Center SEM
AMST 2680 Semester Practicum in Public Humanities Ron Potvin Arranged
AMST 2685 Critical Approaches to Preservation and Cultural Heritage Marisa Brown TTh 2:30-3:50pm John Nicholas Brown Center SEM
ANTH 1901 Anthropology in/of the Museum Robert Preucel F 3pm-5:30pm Location TBD
TBD Monuments, History, and Memory in the United States Renee Ater TBD

Spring 2021 Course#

Title

Instructor

Days/Times/Locations
AMST 1700N Public Memory Beverly Haviland M 3:00-5:30pm Location TBA
AMST1904U Museum Collecting / Collections Ron Potvin TBD
AMST 2650 Introduction to Public Humanities Monica Martinez M 3:00-5:30pm John Nicholas Brown Center SEM
AMST 2680 Semester Practicum in Public Humanities Ron Potvin Arranged
ETHN 1750B Eating Local in Indian Country Elizabeth Hoover W 3:00-5:30pm, Location TBA
TBA Monuments, Counter-Monuments, and the Representation of the Slave Past Renee Ater TBD

2019-2020 Courses

Fall 2019  Course #

Title

Instructor

Days/Times/Locations
AMST 1903I Museum Histories Steve Lubar TTh 10:30-11:50am John Nicholas Brown Center SEM
AMST 2650 Introduction to Public Humanities Monica Martinez W 3:00-5:30pm John Nicholas Brown Center SEM
AMST 2635  Ethical in Public: Humanities as Moments of Encountering Diane O'Donoghue Th 4:00-6:30pm John Nicholas Brown Center SEM
AMST 2653 Public Art: History, Theory, and Practice Janet Zweig M 1:30-5:30pm John Nicholas Brown Center SEM
AMST 2655 Against Invisibility: Asian America/s, Collective Memory and the Public Humanities Bob Lee M 4:00-6:30 Nicholson House
AMST 2680 Semester Practicum in Public Humanities Ron Potvin Arranged
AMST 2694 UnSettling Public Humanities Micah Salkind T 4:00-6:30pm John Nicholas Brown Center SEM
ETHN 1750B Treaty Rights and Food Fights: Eating Local in Indian Country Elizabeth Hoover TTh 1pm-2:20pm 111 Thayer St-Watson Institute 112

Spring 2020 Course #

Title

Instructor

Days/Times/Locations
AMST 1700M Public Memory: Testimony, Memorial, Ritual Beverly Haviland W 3:00-5:30, Sayles Hall 012
AMST 1902W Queering Oral History: Theory and Practice of Building Alternative Archives Virginia Thomas T 4:00-6:30pm, Page-Robinson Hall 502
AMST1903Z Shrine, House or Home: Rethinking the House Museum Paradigm Ron Potvin M 3:00-5:30pm, 190 Hope Street 102
AMST 2220D Museums in Their Communities Steve Lubar W 1:10-4:10pm, John Nicholas Brown Center SEM
AMST 2540 Methods in Public Humanities Susan Smulyan T Th 10:30-11:50am, John Nicholas Brown Center SEM
AMST 2680 Semester Practicum in Public Humanities Ron Potvin Arranged
AMST 2690  Management of Cultural Institutions Gayle Gifford T 4:00-6:30pm, John Nicholas Brown Center SEM
AMST 2697 Museum Interpretation Practices Sarah Ganz Blythe F 10:00am-12:30pm, RISD Museum, Fain Gallery
AMST 2688 Digital Archives and Digital Publics Jim McGrath TTh 2:30-3:50pm, John Nicholas Brown Center SEM
ETHN 1650F Mapping Violence Monica Martinez, Jim McGrath W 3pm-5:30pm in Sayles Hall 306

2018-2019 Courses

Fall 2018 Course#

Title

Instructor

Days/Times/Locations

AMST2630

Public Amnesias and Their Discontents: Theories and Practices of Remembering and Forgetting

Diane O'Donoghue

Th 4:00-6:30pm,  John Nicholas Brown Center SEM

AMST2631 

Public Humanities on Lockdown: Considerations on the Role and Design of Humanities Programs in Prisons and Jails

Christina Dawkins

T 4:00-6:30pm, John Nicholas Brown Center SEM

AMST2650

Introduction to Public Humanities

Steve Lubar

W 3:00-5:30pm, John Nicholas Brown Center SEM

AMST2680

Semester Practicum in Public Humanities

Ron Potvin

Arranged

AMST2686

Creating a 21st Century Art and Design Museum: A Seminar and Laboratory

Roger Mandle

T 4:00-6:30pm, John Nicholas Brown Center LEC

AMST2687

History & Heritage Organizations: Collaboration & Critique

Rick Ring

M 3:00-5:30pm, John Nicholas Brown Center SEM

Spring 2019 Course #

Title 

Instructor

Days/Times/Location

AMST 1950​

Pursuit of Happiness: Environmental Justice and Indigenous Rights

Ron Potvin 

Loren Spears

Th 4:00-6:30pm, John Nicholas Brown Center SEM

AMST 2500A

History Curatorship

Steve Lubar

T Th 1:00-2:20pm, John Nicholas Brown Center SEM

AMST 2540

Methods in Public Humanities

Susan Smulyan

T Th 10:30-11:50am, John Nicholas Brown Center SEM

AMST 2655

Against Invisibility

Robert Lee

W 3:00-5:30pm, John Nicholas Brown Center SEM

AMST 2680

Semester Practicum

Ron Potvin

Arranged

AMST 2689

 Show Me the Money: Philanthropy and Civil Society Elizabeth Francis T 4:00-6:30pm, John Nicholas Brown Center SEM

AMST 2697

Museum Interpretation Practices

Sarah Ganz Blythe

F 10:00-12:30, RISD Museum, Fein Gallery

AMST 2699

 Digital Storytelling Jim McGrath T Th 2:30-3:50pm, John Nicholas Brown Center SEM