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eastvillager

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  1. eastvillager

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    Anyone else waiting on MN?
  2. Many living history sites hire seasonal employees. The pay isn't great (but depending on location, isn't bad, either), but it's relevant experience. It doesn't matter if the location/geographic period itself is relevant to what you're studying -- you'll still benefit from helping make history interesting and relevant for a modern crowd. I've also learned a great deal from giving tours of historic houses. I see your focus is modern Britain; not sure what the current visa requirements are like, but you may qualify for a student/intern summer visa to work in the UK. Maybe you could manage a summer job at a National Trust site or something. I have a friend who spent an amazing summer working at a national park. They do a lot of seasonal hiring for a wide variety of jobs. Summer camps are great, too. I did that one summer, and had a lot of fun. If you go the overnight camp route you also get free room and board, not to mention fewer opportunities to spend your money. And being "on" all the time certainly makes the time fly by fast! How are your language skills? If good, you may want to check out the Concordia Language Villages in northern Minnesota; they are really at the top of their game at what they do. Lots of teachers and grad students working at them during the summer, too (and from a wide variety of disciplines), and even some professors. I think some of my own early experiences as a camper were instrumental in leading me to pursue history as a career. (yes, they're "language" camps, but they focus on the total cultural/historical context of the countries where the languages are spoken.)
  3. I know funding has been slashed everywhere, but for what it's worth, I believe Winterthur is still fully funded -- as in full tuition, living stipend, course-related field trips, and a book stipend. The museum networking is great, and the name, while not recognized much outside of the field, can certainly help you open doors in the right places. You can supplement the degree with a Museum Studies certificate from the University of Delaware (the actual Winterthur degree also comes through Delaware). And while Winterthur is definitely the way to go if you want full-out material culture, many of the other related departments at Delaware are also very material-culture friendly. I know many other museum people who have come through the Cooperstown program. In the DC area, George Washington seems to be a major player. It's been awhile since I've looked at programs, but it would also be amazing to study at William and Mary. Many of my more material culture friends and acquaintances have done PhD programs at places like Yale and UW-Madison. I'll come back to this when I have more time; it's an interesting topic. My main problem with public history programs is that I feel too many of them are not adequately prepared to fulfill their promises to their students; too many professors lack the in-the-field experience, and while they spend a lot of time discussing public history theory (which is admittedly very interesting) don't have personal expertise with putting it into practice. And while the theory is useful, ultimately it's the actual history that matters most. I think public history programs (vastly generalizing here) are perhaps best for those going into the non-curatorial areas of public history work; oral history, perhaps, or education. Ultimately, I think you need to think carefully about your own personal goals, as well as try to get a feeling for the philosophy of the various programs. I think one of the big questions will be where you stand on the role of material culture (especially if going the curatorial route) -- i.e. do you see the "stuff" as material sources in their own right, or do you approach it primarily as illustration to the written documents that make up more traditional "history"? You did make it clear that you wanted to work in the museum field; I think I simply read your post too fast, as well as was thinking of several public history students I knew who entered the field hoping to become professors of public history.
  4. Former curator and museum professional here. While there are a few good public history programs out there, I think many of them are not a good choice for someone seeking a job as a curator. Too many programs depict themselves as a golden ticket to a curatorial job, yet most of those same programs do not do an adequate job of preparing their students to actually work with the material. There tends to be a focus on objects as illustration, not objects as original source material. I've also spent a great deal of time around public history professors in recent years, and have been surprised at the level of disconnect that often exists between academia and the in-the-trenches museum world; not all programs are like that, of course, but given the rapidly increasing popularity of public history programs, you do need to be careful and pick one that actually meets your needs. If you're looking for more practical museum training, not all programs are going to be able to give you that, even if they claim to do so. Be cynical during your search. Public history programs seem to be cash cows these days, and too many students enter them thinking they are more "practical" and therefore marketable. Some are, some aren't, and definitely not all are created equal. I'd second the advice to go with the program that offers the most funding. I'd probably veer towards the history degree (perhaps with public history concentration) supplemented with internships and some museum studies courses. And to the poster who says you need a PhD to be a curator -- definitely not true. Also be aware that the job market is very tight, that many positions pay very little. In other words, do not rack up debt pursuing a degree in public history that may or may not get you a job, and may or may not get you a job that will allow you to pay off your school loans.
  5. What do you mean by in the "field"? Do you mean in the realm of academia, or in, say, the museum world? As someone with ten years of experience in the public history realm -- mostly museum work -- I admit that I'm pretty burned out and frustrated with the reality that I don't get to spend nearly enough time doing research as I'd like. Think long and hard about your future career goals before you plunk money down for another degree. My MA program was excellent, but was also completely funded -- something I consider to be very important, as many public history positions come with low salaries. The last thing you want is to be burdened with large amounts of student loan debt. All that said, the best programs are going to depend on exactly what you hope to get out of it, and where your primary interests lie. Beware of programs that promise too much; public history programs seem to be exploding these days, and seem to be all-too-often depicting themselves as being the golden ticket to a public history career. There are some great programs and professors out there, but I think in many cases it makes more sense to go with a straight History degree, supplemented with internships. My school offered a certificate in Museum Studies There are some excellent professors at UC Riverside, but again, depends on your ultimate career goals. If you interested in "stuff," aka are a real hands-on material culture kind of person, then make sure you take a look at the University of Delaware's Winterthur Program in American Material Culture.
  6. First, some brief background: got my BA in History and Scandinavian Studies in '01, then went straight to a terminal master's program in American material culture. Spend the next five years working in the public history/museum realm, then took some time off to stay home with my child. I've tried to keep at least a toe in the door during recent years through involvement in a state historical organization, and have organized several academic conferences, presented a paper, and have had a couple of encyclopedia articles (not exciting, I know, but figured they were something) published. I miss academic life, and would like to pursue a PhD in socio-cultural Anthropology, as that seems to best fit my passions and interests. I'm at a bit of a loss as where to start, though, as I feel a bit old and out of the loop. Any advice would be much appreciated! Some questions or concerns: (1) I'm 33 -- will my age be an obstacle? I'm not even applying until next year, which means that I would be turning 35 when I (knock on wood) enter a program, and would be 40+ by the time of completion. Has my ship sailed? (2) What can I do to burnish my Anthropology credentials? Almost all of my coursework has been in other (related) fields, other than a few undergraduate courses. On a similar note, what do I do about recommendations? I'm investigating the option of taking some non-credit courses in the spring and/or summer, and assume that these will help on both counts. (3) I can't relocate for grad school, which I realize adds another layer of complication. That said, we are lucky enough to be in NYC, so I'm lucky to have some wonderful options available. Unfortunately I definitely realize that my chances of getting into, say, NYU or CUNY are slim to none. I'm in the early stages of identifying programs and faculty members, so any suggestions would be welcomed. My primary interests involves urban space and community, as well as a strong interest in heritage tourism. My background has been primarily in United States, but in recent years I have developed a passion for Venice, and hope to make it the centerpiece of my future research.
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