A semester of FIRSTS! Registration for Spring 2019 has begun for all new and continuing students. The Public History & Historic Preservation Certificate Program is offering an array of courses this upcoming semester and we want you to be part of it! For the FIRST time ever, we’re offing a course at our Annandale Campus, History 181 – Intro to Historic Preservation! Many of our alumni, current students, and potential students have asked us for this to happen and we’ve been able to deliver! Furthermore, for the FIRST time in years, History 186 – Collections Management, is being offered again. Even if you’ve completed your certificate, come on back and enroll, joining our current students in this elective. Many of our more recent alumni have not had an opportunity to take this class and it would be great to see you’all again. Finally, for the FIRST time, History 187 – Interpreting Material Culture is going to offered at our new Reston Center, conveniently located just east of the Wiehle Road Silver Line Station and the Dulles Toll Road. This really is a semester of FIRSTS for our program! Don’t miss out, because there are no more excuses! Classes start January 14th, 2019.
History 181 – Intro to Historic Preservation, Annandale Campus (16-week hybrid course, Wednesdays, 7:00pm-8:15pm). Taught by Dr. Marc Dluger, you’ll learn about the fundamental principles of historic preservation, listen to guest speakers engaged in local preservation efforts here in the region, visit historic sites, attend local preservation commissions, and go through the preliminary process of nominating potential sites for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places. This is a hybrid course, meaning some of the material and assignments are delivered online, but combining the traditional in-class educational experience, as well. This give students greater flexibility to engage in all of this awesome historic preservation material!
History 186 – Collections Management, Loudoun Campus (16-week course, Tuesdays, 7:00pm-9:40pm). Taught by Ms. Heather Bollinger, Historic Records Manager at the Fairfax Circuit Court Historic Records Center, students will discover the in’s and out’s of archival work, collections management, processing, basic preservation techniques, digitization & accessibility, and visit local repositories. It has been at least four years since we’ve been able to offer this class, which makes it a very rare and unique opportunity that you should not miss!
History 187 – Introduction to Material Culture, Reston Center (16-week course, Mondays, 7:00pm-9:55pm). Also taught by Dr. Dluger, this class focuses on understanding and learning how to read non-textual historical records. More often than not, most students learn about history through primary source documents, such as letters and diaries. In this class, you’ll learn how to “read” objects and how those non-traditional sources can provide their own historical insight and perspective. We’ll dive into topics like gender, toys, consumerism, roadside America, and historic house museums.
History 218 – Introduction to Digital History, Online (8-week course, January 14 to March 10). Taught by Dr. Charlie Evans, this online digital history course empowers students to move beyond your typical research paper project, learning how to adapt historical research skills to various online platforms. The online course structure allows students to fully embrace the material and provide tangible, real-world projects that they can use to promote their history talents to broader audiences.
Again, registration is open now and classes start January 14th! Do not miss this opportunity to join the most exciting public history and historic preservation program in Northern Virginia.