Course Description:
This upper-division course introduces public history students to the history business. Students will develop skills in marketing, proposal writing, proposal evaluation, budgeting, project management, and interdisciplinary collaboration. These skills are valuable in a wide range of careers inside and outside the humanities.
Guiding Questions:
1. How do historians convince the public that history matters?
2. What must historians do to merge the often creative, open-ended nature of academic
inquiry with the outcomes-oriented and deadline-driven world of business?
Required Reading:
Migdal, Rebecca. Museum Mercenary: A Handbook for Independent Museum Professionals. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2020.
Other readings provided by the instructor via Canvas.
Course Objectives:
1. Understand career opportunities, best practices, and ethics for historians working in the business world. By doing, discussing, and reading about history for hire, students will learn which professional fields interest them most, including but not limited to litigation, museums, and heritage tourism. They will read about which practices have been beneficial and detrimental for professional historians. Team-based assignments will allow them to gain a hands-on perspective on best practices, too. Finally, students will explore the ethics of the history business through conversations with historians in the field, assigned readings, and classroom discussion.
2. Articulate ideas clearly through multiple mediums. Students will share information through oral presentations, verbal classroom discussion, timesheets, budgets, and written narratives. Thinking beyond the essay, they will create written narratives for different purposes and audiences. Examples of these narratives include but are not limited to statements of qualifications, mission statements, proposal introductions, and client-driven research responses. A key part of this class is not only learning how to communicate with different audiences, but also learning how to determine the best medium for communicating with those audiences.
3. Identify a project’s potential audience and mold project materials accordingly. Client needs drive the questions that historians explore in a business setting. Therefore, it is essential that students can discern and respond to clients’ questions. Students will refine this skill through assignments that require an understanding of and direct response to clients’ research questions: Request for Proposals Response, Information Translation, and STEPS Proposal. When students complete the Assessment of Request for Proposals Response and Information Translation, they will measure the extent to which their classmates understood and molded project materials to different audiences. These assignments familiarize students with the perspective of supervisors and clients in the history business.
4. Practice collaborative and inclusive teamwork. In business, historians work collaboratively. They partner with other historians, clients, community members, scientists, Tribal representatives, graphic designers, and more in researching and sharing histories. They craft the best histories when they do so inclusively. Students will work with a team of classmates on most assignments: Brand Creation, Request for Proposals Response, Assessment of Request for Proposals Response, Client and Donor Challenge, and STEPS Proposal. They also will complete active learning tasks collaboratively in class. Following each assignment, class discussion will include engagement with the concepts of collaboration and inclusion in reference to the teams’ recent assignment. Many assigned readings will provide examples and analysis of these concepts in practice. Students will ask practitioners about their experiences during in-class Zoom and/or in-person visits. Timesheets, which students will submit with each team-based assignment, will provide a qualitative and quantitative assessment of students’ effectiveness in collaborative and inclusive work.
Grade Distribution:
Students may not necessarily receive the same grade as their teammates on team-based assignments. The instructor will consider teams’ timesheets, in combination with their submitted assignment, when determining individual grades.
| Assignment | Percentage of Grade | Team or Independent |
| Statement of Qualifications | 5% | Independent |
| Brand Creation | 5% | Team |
| Request for Proposals Response | 20% | Team |
| Assessment of Request for Proposals Response | 10% | Team |
| Information Translation | 10% | Independent |
| Client and Donor Challenge | 10% | Team |
| STEPS Proposal | 20% | Team |
| Participation | 20% | Team |
Assignments:
Collaboration is an essential aspect of public history. Historians working outside the classroom rarely write independently. Therefore, students will work with a team of classmates throughout the semester on several assignments. Each team will function as its own public history consulting firm, practicing marketing, proposal development, and project management as if they were a real firm seeking business in the private and public sectors.
Timesheets:
Teams will submit one timesheet with each team-based assignment. The sheet will list each teach member, the task that each member completed, and how much time that person spent on each task. Each team member will write 2–3 sentences assessing their effectiveness in both collaborative and inclusive work for that assignment. Teams have creative freedom in the type of document and format that they use for their timesheets.
Statement of Qualifications (5%):
Each team member will write a three-page Statement of Qualifications (SOQ), which will articulate the student’s relevant education, work, and research experience in a narrative form. The student will receive feedback from both the instructor and team members on their SOQs. They will integrate that feedback into their revised SOQs, which they will include in the Request for Proposals Response assignment.
Brand Creation (5%):
To develop a temporary consulting firm for this class, your team will write a mission statement. This document should not exceed one page in length. The mission statement will mirror the format and content of professional documents students have reviewed in class.
Request for Proposals Response (20%):
Team members will find and review current and expired Requests for Proposals (RFP). They will respond to one which matches their qualifications. Team members will create a proposal that includes an introduction, statement of work, statements of qualifications, past performance examples, timeline, and budget. The proposal may not exceed thirty pages. The proposal should mirror the format and content of professional documents students have reviewed in class. Team members will create an oral presentation to pitch their proposal. They will present their pitch to their classmates, who will provide feedback on the proposal. Team members will respond to questions from both their classmates and their professor at the presentation’s conclusion.
Assessment of Request for Proposals Response (10%):
Each team will assess the proposals and presentations of two other teams. The assessment must be written, but teams will choose the best format to communicate their comments (rubric, narrative, etc.). Their feedback will reflect an understanding of each RFP as well as lessons from past course readings and discussions.
Information Translation (10%):
The instructor will provide individuals with a bundle of records that communicate historical information through different mediums (e.g., financial records, scientific reports, photographs). They also will receive one question, drafted by a client, related to the documents. First, students will answer the question in a 6-page, client-driven research response that draws on multiple records. Their response must answer the question in a way that is accessible and relevant to non-historians. Secondly, they will organize the records so the client can easily locate and identify each. They will write one page that explain their organizational system to the client.
Client and Donor Challenge (10%):
Teams will receive three scenarios related to common and challenging situations with donors and clients. Drawing on course discussions and readings, they will draft a written strategy for dealing with each situation. Each strategy should be 350–500 words. Teams should investigate how other historians have handled comparable challenges.
STEPS Proposal (20%):
Students will select a history-related organization from a list that the instructor provides. They will develop a proposal for steps that the organization can take to reach one level of STEPS accreditation with the American Association of State and Local History. Their proposal must reflect deep research regarding the organization and an understanding of the course’s core skillsets. The proposal will include an introduction, recommended actions, timeline, budget, and conclusion. The document will not exceed ten pages. Students will pitch their proposals during the last class meeting. Their presentations should reflect improvement from the team’s previous pitch presentation and will include visual aids.
Participation (20%):
Students will complete assigned readings and participate in class discussions. They must engage with others respectfully, listen when others are speaking, and refrain from using their phones or computers (except when accessing readings). Students will earn points by listening actively, offering thoughtful responses to others’ comments, and sharing their own interpretations. We will meet with many historians and stakeholders throughout the semester. Students should prepare questions in advance of these meetings.
Course Schedule
Unit I: Introduction to Historians in Business
Week 1: History of the History Business
Monday: Introduction to Course
Wednesday: Lecture on History of Historians in Business
Friday: Discussion of Assigned Readings
Complete Assigned Readings by Friday:
Bookspan, Shelley. “Something Ventured, Many Things Gained: Reflections on Being a Historian-Entrepreneur.” The Public Historian 28, no. 1 (2006): 67–74.
Cantelon, Philip N. “The Business of Professional History.” The Public Historian 21, no. 3 (1999): 15–19.
Miller, Heather Lee. “The Business of History: Working as a Historical Consultant.” Journal of Women’s History 25, no. 4 (Winter 2013): 342–349.
Week 2: Working in Consulting and Corporate Environments
Monday: Lecture on Work Opportunities
Wednesday: Discussion of Assigned Readings
Complete Assigned Readings by Wednesday:
Anderson, Harold P. “The Corporate History Department: The Wells Fargo Model.” The Public Historian 3, no. 3 (1981): 24–29.
De Groot, Jerome. “Ancestry.com and the Evolving Nature of Historical Information Companies.” The Public Historian 42, no. 1 (2020): 8–28.
Friday: In-Class Activity on Writing for Corporations
Complete Assigned Reading by Friday:
De Kok, Gerhard and Pepijn Brandon. The Slavery History of Historical Predecessors of ABM AMRO. Amsterdam: International Institute of Social History. (p. 5–17, 99–108)
Week 3: Working in Historic Preservation, Heritage Tourism, and Museums
Monday: Lecture on Work Opportunities
Wednesday: Discussion of Assigned Readings
Complete Assigned Readings by Wednesday:
Enzler, Jerome. “America’s River: The Reinvention of the Mississippi River Museum,” in Case Studies in Cultural Entrepreneurship: How to Create Relevant and Sustainable Institutions, edited by Gretchen Sullivan Sorin and Lynne A. Sessions, p. 43–62. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2015.
Hurley, Andrew. “Preservation in the Inner City,” in Beyond Preservation: Using Public History to Revitalize Inner Cities. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2010.
Miller, James S. “Mapping the Boosterist Imaginary: Colonial Williamsburg, Historical Tourism, and the Construction of Managerial Memory.” The Public Historian 28, no. 4 (2006): 51–74.
Friday: Zoom Discussion with Historian
Week 4: Working across Disciplines
Monday: Discussion of Information Translation Assignment and Assigned Reading
Complete Assigned Reading by Monday:
Mighetto, Lisa. “Salmon, Science, and Politics: Writing History for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.” The Public Historian 17, no. 4 (1995): 17–28.
Wednesday: In-Class Activity on Collaborative and Interdisciplinary History
Complete Assigned Reading by Wednesday:
Scripps, Sarah, et al. “Sharing Credit: Public Historians and Scientists Reflecting on Collaboration.” The Public Historian 35, no. 2 (2013): 46–71.
Friday: Zoom Discussion with Historian
Complete Assigned Reading by Friday:
Bryans, Bill. “Collaborative Practice.” The Inclusive Historian’s Handbook. American Association for State and Local History and the National Council on Public History, September 16, 2019. Accessed July 20, 2022. https://inclusivehistorian.com/collaborative-practice/.
Unit II: Going into Business
Week 5: Creating a Brand and Strategic Planning
Monday: Lecture on Brand Creation and Strategic Planning
Wednesday: Discussion of Assigned Readings
Complete Assigned Reading by Wednesday:
Eliasof, Jane Mitchell. “Thirteen Organizations that Have Rebranded,” in Rebranding: A Guide for Historic Houses, Museums, Sites, and Organizations, p. 1–16. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2022.
Migdal, Rebecca. “Decide,” in Museum Mercenary: A Handbook for Independent Museum Professionals, p. 3–25. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2020.
Morris, Martha. “The Big Picture” in Managing People and Projects in Museums: Strategies that Work, 9–30. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2017.
Friday: In-Class Fact-Check of Information Translation
Due on Friday: Information Translation
Week 6: Developing an Online Presence
Monday: Zoom Discussion with Historian
Complete Assigned Reading by Monday:
Migdal, “Marketing,” in Museum Mercenary, p. 61–85.
Wednesday: Discussion of Assigned Readings
Complete Assigned Reading by Wednesday:
Pitel, Deborah. “Social Media,” in Marketing on a Shoestring Budget: A Guide for Small Museums and Historic Sites, p. 93–110. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2016.
Pitel, “Creating and Maintaining a Website,” in Marketing on a Shoestring Budget, p. 61–74.
Friday: In-Class Online Marketing Activity
Due on Friday: Revised Information Translation
Week 7: Finding Work
Monday: Introduction to Request for Proposals Response Assignment
Wednesday: Discussion of Assigned Readings
Complete Assigned Readings by Wednesday:
Newell, Alan S. “Personal and Professional Issues in Private Consulting.” The Public Historian 28, no. 1 (2006): 107–10.
Delheim, Charles. “Business in Time: The Historian and Corporate Culture.” The Public Historian 8, no. 2 (1986): 9–22.
Migdal, “Networking” in Museum Mercenary, p. 87–106.
Friday: Zoom Discussion with Historian
Due on Friday: Brand Creation
Week 8: Building a Budget
Monday: Lecture on Budgeting; Discussion of Brand Creation Assignment
Wednesday: In-Class Budgeting Activity
Complete Assigned Reading by Wednesday:
Migdal, “Money” in Museum Mercenary, p. 161–188.
Friday: In-Class Budgeting Activity
Complete Assigned Reading by Friday:
Simek, Jamie. “Budgets,” in Beyond the Bake Sale: Fundraising for Local History Organizations, p. 45–56. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2022.
Week 9: Writing a Proposal
Monday: Lecture on Proposal Development
Complete Assigned Reading by Monday:
Brophy, Sarah S. “Why Do You Matter?” in Is Your Museum Grant Ready? Assessing Your Organization’s Potential for Funding, p. 53–78. Oxford: AltaMira Press, 2005.
Wednesday: In-Class Review of Sample Proposals
Complete Assigned Reading by Wednesday:
Migdal, “Pitching” in Museum Mercenary, p. 107–114.
Friday: In-Class Proposal Development Activity
Unit III: Sustaining Business
Week 10: Crafting a Workforce
Monday: Lecture on Workforce Dynamics; Introduction to STEPS Proposal assignment
Wednesday: Discussion of Assigned Readings
Complete Assigned Reading by Wednesday:
Van Hoven, Kristy and Loni Wellman. “The Good and the Bad: Recruiting a Top-Notch Volunteer Force,” in Recruiting and Managing Volunteers in Museums: A Handbook for Volunteer Management, p. 73–86. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2016.
Morris, “Successful Team Dynamics,” in Managing People and Projects in Museums, p. 113–130.
Dearstyne, Bruce W. “Making Strategic Connections,” in Leading the Historical Enterprise: Strategic Creativity, Planning, and Advocacy for the Digital Age, p. 67–84. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2015.
Friday: Zoom Discussion with Volunteers at History Organizations
Week 11: RFP Response Presentations
Monday: RFP Response Presentations
Due by Monday: RFP Response
Wednesday: RFP Response Presentations
Friday: RFP Response Presentations
Week 12: Fundraising and Finance
Monday: Lecture on Fundraising and Finance
Wednesday: In-Class Review of Sample Fundraisers
Complete Assigned Reading by Wednesday:
Simek, “Fundraising Perceptions and Reality” in Beyond the Bake Sale, p. 23–34.
Zickuhr, Kristine. “Creating Sustainability,” in Beyond the Numbers: Budgeting for Museum Professionals, p. 97–130. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2022.
Friday: Reflection Discussion of RFP Response and Assessment of RFP Response Assignments
Due by Friday: Assessments of Request for Proposals Response
Week 13: Client and Donor Relationships
Monday: Lecture on Client Donor Relationships; Introduction to Client and Donor Challenge
Wednesday: Discussion of Assigned Readings
Complete Assigned Reading by Wednesday:
Mondavi, Robert. “Wine and History.” The Public Historian 16, no. 4 (1994): 67–9.
Laichas, James. “Business and Public History: The Insurance Industry.” The Public Historian 3, no. 2 (1980): 52–9.
Hordes, Stanley M. “Does He Who Pays the Piper Call the Tune? Historians, Ethics, and the Community.” The Public Historian 8, no. 1 (1986): 53–6.
Migdal, “Onboarding” in Museum Mercenary, p. 229–245.
Friday: Zoom Discussion with Clients and Donors
Week 14: An Inclusive Workspace
Monday: Lecture on Inclusion in the History Business
Wednesday: Discussion of Assigned Readings
Complete Assigned Reading by Wednesday:
Viner, Naree W.S. “Helping Boards to See Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Clearly: A Conversation with Naree W.S. Viner,” in The Inclusive Museum Leader, edited by Cinnamon Catlin-Legutko and Chris Taylor, p. 233–40. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2021.
Yun Lee, Lisa. “Hope Is Not a Metaphor: An Annotated Guide to Twenty-Five Essential Skills for Museum Leaders,” in The Inclusive Museum Leader, p. 75–82.
American Alliance of Museums. “Facing Change: Insights from American Alliance of Museums’ Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion Working Group.” 2018.
Friday: Reflection Discussion of Client and Donor Challenge
Due by Friday: Client and Donor Challenge
Week 15: Leadership
Monday: Lecture on Leadership in the History Business
Wednesday: Discussion of Assigned Readings
Complete Assigned Reading by Wednesday:
Ackerson, Anne W. and Joan H. Baldwin. “Ten Simple Myths and Why You Shouldn’t Believe Them,” in Leadership Matters: Leading Museums in an Age of Discord, p. 1–4. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield,
Ackerson and Baldwin. “The Authentic Leader,” in Leadership Matters, p. 93–128.
Friday: Reflection Discussion on the Business of History
Final Exam: STEPS Proposal due
Featured Image: Harris & Ewing. [Frances Pepper (left) and Elizabeth Smith (right) working in the offices of The Suffragist, the weekly journal published by the Congressional Union and National Woman’s Party from 1913 to 1921.]. July, 1916. Photograph. Records of the National Woman’s Party, Library of Congress, Washington D.C., http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/mnwp.160082.
Clio and the Contemporary 
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