Public Humanities: Theory and Practice

This hybrid course—part seminar, part practicum—will introduce students to the theory and practice of Public Humanities. Students will work closely with the instructor—BGC Director of Public Humanities + Research—as well as exhibition curators in the modeling of events, interactives, and educational materials for future BGC exhibitions. This course interweaves three modes: (a) a design lab; (b) a critical theory seminar, focusing specifically on frameworks that complicate how we consider the role of public humanities, including posthumanism and post-postmodernism, feminist epistemologies, border gnoseology, and game design; and (c) a series of skillsbuilding workshops in contracting, project budgeting, and copywriting. Course assignments will be iterative and will all scaffold a major course project: a thoughtfully articulated exhibition program plan—including a rationale, marketing copy, contract templates, project timelines and budgets—delivered both as a written proposal and an in-class presentation. 3 credits. May satisfy the digital literacy requirement, depending on the final project. MDP.