As you get ready to register for the Spring semester, please take a look at the courses that NOVA’s Historic Preservation Program will be offering. If you have any questions please feel free to contact the program head at docampbell@nvcc.edu. Happy registering!
HIS 187 Interpreting Material Culture, Prof. Tracy Gillespie (Core Course)
What could a 19th century photograph of a former slave tell you about her previous life? Can a stain on the page of an ancient book tell you about its history? Could an old building give you clues to its past? These are all examples of material culture — items from the past — that tell us stories of what’s come before. This course introduces you to ways we can interpret the past through material culture. Many class sessions will meet at historic sites and museums in Loudoun — exactly where we’ll find material culture! The class meets on Tuesday nights at the Reston Center.
HIS 193 Prehistorical Archeology, Prof. David Clark (Elective Course)
The study of Native American culture history from earliest times to European-contact. Weekly hands-on artifact studies, ancient technology demonstrations, site field trips, and public interactive preservation programs high-light the course. The class meets on Thursday nights at Signal Hill.
HIS 199 Historic Preservation Internship, Prof. Doug Campbell (Core Course)
This course is designed to give you practical experience in the field of historic preservation by allowing you to work as an intern at a historic site, museum, historical society, government agency, or other site relevant to historic preservation. At the end of the semester, you will have produced an internship portfolio documenting the work you have done and the experience you have gained, suitable for use in job applications in the historic preservation field. All sites for the internship must be pre-approved before the internship can begin, so please get in touch with me well before the start of the semester so we can get everything set up and you can hit the ground running.
HIS 205-Local History Seminar–The Journey Through Hallowed Ground, Prof. Rich Gillespie (Elective Course)
The Journey Through Hallowed Ground federal heritage area is a 180-mile corridor from Gettysburg to Charlottesville, and our historic region sits right in the heart of it. History 205 helps students use local historic sites in the Journey to open doors of understanding, meaning, interest, and service to families, neighbors, friends, business associates, and club and civic group members. Historic Preservation certificate students gain a more soulful feeling and sense of meaning for the historic environment in which they hope ultimately to be active as professionals, and learn new ways to view this historic landscape. NVCC students hoping to get history credits see what they’ve studied in the academic classroom come alive on the historic landscape that surrounds them. Certified Tourism Ambassadors (CTAs) get to see the Journey’s meaning and gain a passion for its historic sites. Teachers get ideas of how our historic landscape can be used to bring their classroom teaching alive. The class meets on Wednesday nights at the Reston Center.