Public History and CRM Program
Finding creative ways of engaging the public without sacrificing complexity for predictable answers or conflict for comfortable stories of consensus is an endless challenge for public historians. West Virginia University has an established reputation for excellence in the area of public history. Building upon experience gained coursework, outstanding internships, and summer field schools, the department’s public history graduates have successfully moved into a wide variety of professional career positions.
The Public History program at WVU has been especially noted for its strengths in historic preservation and cultural resources management. Public history has recently added expertise in museum studies and historical interpretation with the hiring of Melissa Bingmann as program director.
Dr. Bingmann has worked with the Mesa Southwest Museum and the Rhode Island Historical Society developing educational and public programs and taught in the Museum Studies Program and Public History Program at Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis. Carmichael, who has worked with the National Park Service and the National Trust for Historic Preservation, encourages students to think about the diverse methodologies of interpretation in public presentations, on-line exhibits and more traditional displays in his classes.
In addition to the MA in Public History, the department also encourages its Ph.D. students to develop skills in the field, and accepts a concentration in public history as a minor field for comprehensive exams. Other department faculty who work with the public history program include: Peter Carmichael, the Eberly College Chair in Civil War Studies, and Ken Fones-Wolf, who has worked as an archivist and editor.
