The Center for Public History is an interdisciplinary program that provides students with the opportunity to engage in the work of interpreting history for a public audience. Hampden-Sydney is ideally suited for this work given its historic campus and the surrounding region, the emphasis on effective oral and written communication, and the College’s mission to create good men and good citizens, which requires the ability to knowledgeably, civilly, and accurately examine and discuss the past.
The Center offers courses, programs, extracurricular events, and internship opportunities focusing on five broad areas of public history work: archeology, archives, historic preservation, museum studies, and oral history. Students need not be history majors to benefit from participation in Center classes and activities. The Center includes faculty from a variety of departments on campus including Fine Arts, Rhetoric, History, as well as the Bortz Library and Atkinson Museum.
For more information about courses, internship opportunities, or programs, please contact
Dr. Caroline Emmons, Center Director
cemmons@hsc.edu