Do you love history

Do You
Love History?

>Cheryl Vore interning as assistant producer of documentary film project Laura
Ingalls Wilder: Her American Journey, BSU Telecommunications Dept.
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Gain Career Experience While Earning Credits
through the Ball State University Public
History Internship Program

Program Description

The Public History Internship Program is designed to prepare students
for history-related careers in private organizations, public agencies,
private, individual, or small firms, and private nonprofit organizations.
Internship opportunities may be found in...

          Historical societies and governmental agencies
          Museums and halls of fame
          Historic sites and parks
          Archives and libraries
          Genealogical services
          Oral history projects
          Documentary film and audio production companies
          Entrepreneurial history firms
          Preservation and restoration companies
          Publishers of history books and journals

The program is also designed to prepare students for post-graduate
internships (typically paid positions); and for graduate study in
traditional academic history or public history departments.

>Intern Corrie Cook conducting an oral history interview for her publication, A
History of St. William's at Long Point, Inc., 1890-2000, Adirondack State Park,
Raquette Lake, NY.
Page 2

Benefits of a Public History Internship

Students participating in an internship can

Confirm their choice of academic major and explore and refine their career objectives.
Learn essential job-search skills that will help them in the future.
Gain valuable work experience that improves their prospects for employment after graduation.
Acquire greater independence, confidence, and maturity as they are challenged in the workplace.
Earn academic credit while becoming familiar with how history is practiced in a public, non-academic setting.

>Intern Jason Bredesen fabricating an exhibit on Native Americans in
College Football at the College Football Hall of Fame, South Bend,
IN.
Page 3

Prerequisites for Students

The following prerequisites apply to students who enroll in the History
Option 2 (Public History Internship) major:

A minimum overall GPA of 2.5 (C+) is required before enrolling in
the internship. Students must also have received grades of at least
C (2.5) in all completed history courses with a cumulative history
GPA of at least 3.0 (B-). Finally, students must have completed 33
credit-hours in history, including the following seven required courses:

          History 151: World Civilization I
          History 152: World Civilization II
          History 201: American History, 1492-1876
          History 202: American History, 1877 to the Present
          History 240: Introduction to Public History
          History 320: Laboratory Course in American History
          History 445: History and Historians

The remaining hours are divided among courses in World (i.e. Europe,
Africa, Middle East, Asia, and Latin America) history (3 credit hours);
U.S. history (6 credit hours); and other history electives (3 credit
hours). At least 6 of these 12 credit hours must be earned in courses
numbered Hist. 301 or above (in addition to Hist. 320 and Hist. 445).

>Adam Martin redesigning an exhibit gallery at the Nettle Creek Valley Museum
in Hagerstown, IN, as part of his internship experience.

Once these prerequisites have been satisfied, a candidate must fill out
an application with the program director at least five months before the
intended internship to allow sufficient time for the candidate to search
and apply for a placement under the director's guidance. Upon securing
a placement, between 9 or 12 credit hours will then be earned in either
History 300 (Unpaid Internship) or History 369 (Paid Internship).
Credit received by students serving as teaching interns in departmental
courses is not applicable to internship credit in the program. A portfolio
project approved by the program director and site supervisor related to
and produced during the internship, is required. This may consist of de-
signing a building an interpretive exhibition, composing a walking tour
brochure, processing an archival collection, etc. Also required are the
keeping of a daily work log and reflective journal, and the submission of
midterm and final reports.

>The Ball State University Department of History is housed in the Richard W.
Burkhardt Building on the Arts Quadrangle. Designed as Science Hall in 1922 by
the architectural firm of Kibele and Garrard, it is the second oldest building on campus.<

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Ball State University Public History majors have served
internships through-out Indiana and the nation, including:

Allen County-Fort Wayne [IN] Historical Society
Blue Jacket Outdoor Drama, Xenia, OH
Bracken Library Archives and Special Collections
Children's Museum of Indianapolis
Cincinnati Museum of Art
College Football Hall of Fame, South Bend, IN
Conner Prairie, Fishers, IN
Delaware County Historical Alliance/Moore-Youse Home Museum,
-Muncie,, IN
Denali National Park and Preserve, Talkeetna, AK
Fogler Library Archives and Special Collections Dept., University
-of Maine in Orono
Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio Foundation, Oak Park, IL
Historic New Harmony, Inc., New Harmony, IN
Indiana State Museum, Indianapolis, IN
Minnetrista Cultural Center, Muncie, IN
Muncie Children's Museum
New River Gorge National River, Canyon Rim Visitor Center,
-Lansing, WV
Northern Indiana Historical Society, South Bend, IN
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame & Museum, Cleveland, OH
Sagamore Institute of the Adirondacks, Inc., Racquette Lake, NY

>Julie Martelli interning in the collections dept. of the Minnetrista
Cultural Center, Muncie, IN.
Page 5

Student Testimonials

"I was a student in [the] public history class in the spring...
In that class I wrote my career paper about museum education.
In November I started working as just that, a museum educator...
[T]he contacts that I made writing my paper...led to me getting
this job. Thanks!"
--Troy Guthrie

"I accepted a position with a new company in Indianapolis that
specializes in federal government contract work...I know the
public history internship was a vital component in my receiving
an offer of employment."
--Jennifer Noffze

"...I took [the] public history course last spring semester. I grad-
uated in July...[and at] the end of August, I was offered a well-
paying job at a law firm in...a suburb of Chicago. Although I
have no previous law experience, the firm felt that my history
degree prepared me for this job...[The] public history course
was difficult, but it also gave me a great deal of confidence in my
abilities."
--Tricia Roose

"I actually found my job...from a posting on the Public History
bulletin board and my internship position...using course biblio-
graphies and webpages (History 240 and History 300/369).
In securing these jobs, I applied the skills learned from the
career services seminar included in History 240. I developed
resumes and statements of purpose using the formal critiques...
provided [therein]...I feel confident in my ability to develop an
original research topic, locate and synthesize material from
various sources, and present information to a wide range of
audiences."
--Justin Sochacki

>Beth Herzog interning as a museum educator at the Children's Museum
of Indianapolis.
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For more information, contact:

Dr. Michael Wm. Doyle, Director
Public History Internship Program
Ball State University
Burkhardt Building 213
Muncie, IN 47303-0480

Phone: (765) 285-8732
Fax: (765) 285-5612
Email: mwdoyle@bsu.edu

Check out the Public History Internship Program bulletin board
adjacent to room 218 in the Burkhardt Building.

Or look us up on the Internet at:
http://www.bsu.edu/web/mwdoyle/hist_300-369

Department of History
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