The Public History Program at The University of Western Ontario

The Public History program at The University of Western Ontario is a 12-month Master's degree program consisting of two academic terms of coursework, a Professional Development Series, and a 12-week full-time summer internship. Its uniqueness lies in the combination of the theory and history of Public History with the teaching of hands-on practical skills, particularly in Digital History. Each year, students complete projects in conjunction with community partners such as museums, archives, living history sites, cultural and architectural organizations, and heritage planners. The program attracts students from across Canada. The program is supported by the George Cedric Metcalf Charitable Foundation.

History of UWO's Program

The Public History program at UWO is Canada's longest running Public History program. It was developed in 1984 by professors George Metcalf, Bruce Bowden and Robert Hohner, and officially approved by UWO's Faculty of Graduate Studies in 1985 for a three year trial period. The first four students entered the fall academic term in 1986. The First Hussars' Museum (London), George Weston Limited (Toronto) and Parks Canada hosted the first internships. Originally developed as a two-year program, in 1993 it was reduced to a 12 month degree, consisting of two terms of courses and a summer internship. The last year students were admitted for the two-year degree was 1991. Approximately 12 students are accepted each year. Previous Directors have included George Metcalf, Bruce Bowden, Janet Trimble, J.J.B. Forster, A.M.J. Hyatt, Alan MacEachern, and William Turkel. Its current Director is Michelle A. Hamilton and the Internship Co-ordinator is Michael Dove.

Notable alumni

Scott Calbeck, President, Smoke Lake Productions, Toronto
Mark I. Greenberg, Director, Libraries Special & Digital Collections Department, University of South Florida
Mary Jennifer Payne, writer
Joel Ralph, Manager of Education & Outreach Programs, Canada’s National History Society
Sally Robinson, Historic Sites Interpretive Planner, Yukon Provincial Government
Megan Stanley, Historian, Parks Canada, Calgary

Public History in Canada

Other early graduate programs include the program at the University of Waterloo (on hiatus since 2005), the now-defunct program at Simon Fraser University, and more recent programs at Carleton University and Université du Québec à Montréal. Concordia University offers an undergraduate degree in Public History. In both Canada and the United States, Public History grew in popularity because of the decline of academic jobs in the 1970-80s, and the importance of the federal and provincial governments as employers of public historians. As well, the professions of museology and archival science began to be professionalized in Canada during the 1980s, two disciplines which share aspects of Public History.

Bibliography

What is Public History? from the NCPH
Public History in Canada. Special Issue, The Public Historian, Vol. 30, No. 1 (Winter 2009).
John R. English, “The Tradition of Public History in Canada”, The Public Historian, Vol. 5, No. 1 (Winter 1983).