Report from the Field: Public History at Howard University

Abstract

At Howard University, the public history program uses new empirical methodologies and pedagogies to engage students and nonacademic audiences. This article outlines the specialized knowledge, perspectives, approaches, practices, issues, and critical concerns of this program. It illustrates how focused, innovative research opportunities simultaneously move students beyond the boundaries of academic theories, publicly funded agencies, private corporations, or entrepreneurial firms while helping them remain sensitive to community-based programs, projects, institutions, and constituencies. Public history is congruent with service, a core value of Howard University, and it strengthens the university's ability to reach beyond the confines of academe; define, shape, and immerse students in challenging new historical syntheses; and inclusively document social, economic, political, and cultural histories that might otherwise go untold.