Hello everyone!  Registration is now open for the Spring 2017 semester.  Here is the list of courses we are offering as part of the program for the upcoming semester:

HIS 180 – Historical Archaeology – Professor Clark

HIS 187 – Interpreting Material Culture – Professor Dluger

HIS 190 – Coordinated Internship – Professor Evans

HIS 218 – Introduction to Digital History – Professor Evans

If you are interested in these courses, please sign-up as soon as possible.  Students who sign up before December 12 can wait until then to pay, while students registering December 13th and after have until 5:00pm the next business day to complete payment.

Feel free to reach out to either Professor Dluger (mdluger@nvcc.edu) or Professor Evans (cevans@nvcc.edu) if you have any questions.

Dr. Dluger

Hello everyone!  I am teaching the History 183 – Survey of Museum Practice course this upcoming Fall 2016 semester and I have put together the final draft of the syllabus.  History 183 – Survey of Museum Practice – Syllabus – Final Draft

You’ll find all of the relevant information, such as textbooks required, assignments, and a tentative schedule for our classes.  If you have any questions or concerns about the course, feel free to email me at any time.  If you are familiar with the Introduction to Material Culture course I taught last Spring semester, the workload is very comparable with regards to the readings and assignments.

I look forward to seeing everyone in just a few weeks!  Enjoy the rest of your summer!

-Dr. Marc Dluger

For the 2016-17 academic year, the revised Public History and Historic Preservation program requirements will be:
1st Semester
HIS      180      Historical Archaeology
HIS      181      Introduction to Historic Preservation
2nd Semester
HIS      183      Survey of Museum Practice
Elective course
3rd Semester
HIS      187      Interpreting Material Culture
HIS      190      Coordinated Internship
18 Total credits for the Historic Preservation Career Studies Certificate
The elective course to the chosen from
HIS 188 Field Survey Techniques for Archaeology
HIS 186 Collections Management
GIS 200 Geographic Information Systems
HIS 218 Introduction to Digital History
HIS 205 Local History
HIS 281 History of Virginia I
All first-time students must take a one-credit Student Development (SDV) course prior to enrolling in their 16th credit at NOVA.

Happy New Year Preservationists! This is just a quick reminder about the Spring semester core and elective courses for NOVA’s Historic Preservation Program.  Please remember that now there is no longer any late registration at the College, so once the official beginning of the semester arrives on January 12, you will no longer be able to add classes. Also, registering for classes early helps ensure that classes fill adequately and do not get canceled.  So register early, register often, and have fun– it’s going to be a great semester!

HIS. 183 – A Survey of Museum Practice.

It’s time to step over the velvet rope and peek behind the curtain to see displays, exhibits and museums in a whole new light. Join us on Tuesday nights to explore the world of museums from the inside out. See how the many different skills and abilities that are in the modern museum team together to educate and entertain our audiences. From Docent to Curator, Registrar to Fabricator you’ll discover how Museums work and how they don’t. After this class, you’ll never look at an exhibit the same way again!

HIS 193- Forensic Archeology

Forensics today is an exciting, developing discipline/specialty linked to a fast-growing job market with tremendous public interest spurred by World-Wide News, TV programs, the Internet and other media sources. Modern Forensics has three major applications: Criminal Justice, Archaeology and Mass Disaster. This class is designed to teach the basics of analysis and interpretation of human remains, their condition and their associated trace materials. It is an applied field of Biological Anthropology and is an introduction to the subject…it will not make you a forensic specialist. But the course will forever change the way you look at the world and perhaps provide incentives to pursue a career in one of the ever-increasing forensic specialties.

HIS 205- Local History (“Journey Through Hallowed Ground”)

U.S. Route 15 and Virginia State Route 20 from central Virginia to southern Pennsylvania have provided a buffet of historical food for thought. This 180-mile stretch of road has been identified by The National Park Service’s, National Register of Historic Places, the Virginia Department of Historic Resources, and the National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers as “The Journey Through Hallowed Ground National Heritage Area”. This course examines the region’s historical aura through lecture, discussion, guest speakers, and first-hand “field” experiences. The course will heighten the awareness for historic preservation, utilizing historic sites as a teaching resource, and assist students to become more conscious of the need for historic preservation.

Here is a quick run down of the Historic Preservation course offerings for the Fall and Summer semesters of 2014. Please note that as of this Fall, the College is no longer allowing late registration for classes, so that means that you must register BEFORE the beginning of the semester in order to be assured of a place!

Fall, 2014

HIS 180- Historical Archaeology, Prof. David Clark, Thursday 7:00-9:45pm LW 0116 (Core Course)
This course is an introduction to both the methods and theories in historical archaeology as practiced in the United States and worldwide. Topics include time and space, field survey, excavation, archival and laboratory research. Some field trips will be held to site excavations.

HIS 181- History and Theory of Historic Preservation, Prof. John Sprinkle, Online with NOVA’s Extended Learning Institute (Core Course)
This will be the debut online course offering for NOVA’s Historic Preservation Program.  The class provides students with a through-going introduction to the history, methodolgies and issues involved in historic preservation at the federal, state, and local levels.  Since we’re still putting the finishing touches on course development for the online version HIS 181, it won’t be available to actually register for until sometime this summer, but we will be offering it this fall.  More details as they become available!

HIS 187 Interpreting Material Culture, Prof. Tracy Gillespie, Tuesday 7:00-9:45pm LR 0274 (Core Course)
Interpreting Material Culture will use hands-on activities, readings, visits to museums and historic sites, and active discussion to shed light on our understanding of the past through the study of material culture.

HIS 281 History of Virginia I, Prof. John Kincheloe, Thursdays 7:00-9:45pm LC 215 (Elective Course)
This Commonwealth of Virginia was built not by politicians or agriculturalists but by the intersection of Green, Red, Black, and White. The landscape that dictated terms of growth, the native population that existed long before our story will begin, the slaves imported from Africa, and the Europeans who wrote the story we will discuss were all four equal players in the creation of the early history of Virginia.  Students will delve into both an understanding of the diverse historical experiences of Virginians, and will take a hands on approach to exploring their own interests in the early history of our Commonwealth.

 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.

Summer, 2013

HIS 188- Field Survey Techniques in Archaeology, Prof. David Clark, Tues and Thurs. 5:30-9:10pm LR 0144 (Elective Course)

HIS 199 Historic Preservation Internship, Prof. Doug Campbell (Core Course)

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.

The Open House this week was a great success, but for those of you who were unable to make it, here is a quick run down of the Historic Preservation course offerings for the Fall and Summer semesters of 2013.

Fall, 2013

HIS 180- Historical Archaeology, Prof. David Clark, Thursday 7:00-9:45pm LW 0116 (Core Course)

This course is an introduction to both the methods and theories in historical archaeology as practiced in the United States and worldwide. Topics include time and space, field survey, excavation, archival and laboratory research. Some field trips will be held to site excavations.

HIS 183 Survey of Museum Practice, Prof. Mike Henry, Tuesday 7:00-9:45pm LR 0274 (Core Course)

This year’s class will continue the tradition of meeting with local experts in the museum field as well as getting out to enjoy the abundance of museums in the area. Real life examples of how to (and occasionally “how not to”) present the past help to keep the class topical, while inside scoops and behind-the-scene observations make for fun and lively discussions. We’ll finish the semester with a trip to Colonial Williamsburg to see how they “do history” in the nation’s largest outdoor museum.

HIS 281 History of Virginia I, Prof. John Kincheloe, Thursdays 7:00-9:45pm LC 215 (Elective Course)

This Commonwealth of Virginia was built not by politicians or agriculturalists but by the intersection of Green, Red, Black, and White. The landscape that dictated terms of growth, the native population that existed long before our story will begin, the slaves imported from Africa, and the Europeans who wrote the story we will discuss were all four equal players in the creation of the early history of Virginia.  Students will delve into both an understanding of the diverse historical experiences of Virginians, and will take a hands on approach to exploring their own interests in the early history of our Commonwealth.

 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.

Summer, 2013

HIS 188- Field Survey Techniques in Archaeology, Prof. David Clark, Tues and Thurs. 5:30-9:10pm LW 0113 (Elective Course)

 HIS 199 Historic Preservation Internship, Prof. Doug Campbell (Core Course)