Course requires substantial group research paper on topic of interest. At least one course in material culture. Several courses presently taught on campus introduce students to the study of objects. Kevin Sweeney of Amherst College and Kenneth Hafertepe of Historic Deerfield also teach courses of various aspects of material culture open to UMass graduate students by arrangement. An advanced level course concerning the practice of museums and historic sites.
Course requires field project with local museum or historic site.
Usually offered in semester following Public History Course. Approximately 300 hours working at a museum or historic site, completion of a substantial project. Once in the field, students qualify for workshops on these topics offered by the Museum Management Institute of the American Association of Museums, the Seminar in Historical Administration at Colonial Williamsburg, or the Smithsonian Institution Office of Museum Programs. This track is designed to prepare students for an entry-level archival position. It is available in collaboration with UMass Boston, which already has such a program well-established.