UCs have separate prompts for their Personal History and Personal Statement, instead of just a Statement of Purpose. In 3000 words, I needed to cover my graduate and career goals, my work/volunteer history, and what in my undergrad career would led to success in the program. I also was asked to mention publication and conference history if applicable.
Once as I was waiting at the activity cart for one of the school groups to arrive to learn the history of Chicago's bridges, I observed a man making his way through the exhibit that was beside me. I could see he was not a chaperone, he was younger and he was alone. He moved quickly and listlessly, only glancing at an artifact for a couple of seconds and giving no attention to the labels beside them. The entire exhibit was behind glass, necessary for preservation, but it seemingly made the history in front of the visitor farther removed and harder to relate to. The exhibit's narrative was lost on him, as he had no idea how to read himself the story that was prepared. I remember the look on his face, one that I have possessed even with my love of history. It was the look that he would rather be elsewhere and would be after he had completed his cultural duty.
There will always be glass cases, but history need not be so far removed. Rather, public historians are exploring ways to make exhibits more approachable and interactive as generations start to expect to learn through doing. My own interaction with public history and interactive exhibits has been small, but rewarding. What I have learned has taken my passion of history and my wish for others to appreciate historical scholarship, and tunneled it into discovering the best way to present a history that visitor would enjoy learning about.
My undergraduate experience has provided more than a mere introduction to the field, establishing a foundation to build advanced knowledge in the theoretical and practical study of public history. Through Unspecified University's concentration of public history, I have learned about relating history to its audiences, the value of local history and its link to a greater national narrative, the methods in which public history is presented and the value of material cultural studies. Combining theory with hands-on experiences, I have collaborated with other students, professors and community partners to create historical projects. The platforms have varied from creating digital exhibits through open-sourced software, making a historical podcast, using digital tools to make an exhibit guide for the Unspecified Historical Society, and conducting oral histories for the same exhibit.
In the last academic quarter, I was involved in a multi university and country project through The New School's Humanities Action Lab and Unspecified University. Entitled "Global Dialogues on Incarceration", the project involved exploring past and present problems involved in prison systems to create a discussion about the difficulties that need to be faced involving internment. The continuing project uses digital tools to communicate knowledge and ideas to partner institutions and will culminate into a traveling exhibit when completed. This experience, much like the projects I have worked on previously, had put into action the theoretical instruction that I have learned and has enabled me start to help build the skills I need to create audience-focused exhibits that interest people and foster critical thinking and debate.
However, my academics have not only focused on the public history field. The history department, in which the concentration is based, has taught me how to analyze and interpret primary sources and secondary sources in order to create a strong thesis supported by evidence. The ability to communicate historical scholarship has been a solid focus in the department and I am proud to have presented my original research at Unspecified's 11th Annual Student History Conference. My paper, "Title: Subtitle", explored how gender was negotiated while traveling in the Gilded Age using travel guides from the era as my main sources.
Using the sum of my educational experiences, I have looked outside of my university for opportunities to further form my understanding of public history. For instance, I have volunteered my time at the Unspecified History Museum, teaching local history to school groups according to curriculum guidelines. Each cart has interactive elements to involve students in stories like that of great fires and skyscrapers. I watch students as they become excited by history and I make note of how these interactions may inform exhibits focused on mature audiences. This theme continued as I interned at the Unspecified Historical Society and helped contribute to their new exhibit, "Name of exhibit". I focused on bringing in elements to increase the ability of mass audiences to relate to the exhibit using such methods. As the exhibit moved closer to opening day, I observed the difficulties, stresses and joys of working on a long-term project which culminated into a well-presented community project.
Through the experiences I have encountered academically, in historical institutions and the application of a graduate education at University of California, Riverside, I will encourage methods that will draw audiences into historical discussions using exhibits and heritage settings. I want to use the historical content to foster reflections about modern society. This will be practiced by curating historical content that emphasizes interactivity through technology, artifacts, exhibit labels, design and gallery layouts. By producing an environment that encourages active learning, visitors will be more open to the overall message that is being told and more willing to relate history to their own realities.
After careful research, I have determined that University of California, Riverside's Public History Masters program contains the curriculum needed to achieve a career within public history that focuses on exploring the way that exhibits and audiences interact. With my undergraduate background in public history, experiences in the field, and research abilities I will bring accountability, perception, curiosity, and resilience. When looking at your program I was influenced by the interdisciplinary curriculum in anthropology, architecture, media, and memory studies that adds to the stellar grouping of curatorial courses. This is only elevated by the multiple workshops and practicums within the history department and the history of internship opportunities by former and current students from within the Riverside community to other areas of the country.
The advanced educational opportunities coincide with two professors I would be privileged to work with, Dr. Molly McGarry and Dr. Megan Asaka. I am impressed with McGarry's past exhibitions and share her interests of gender studies and cultural history, specifically in terms of the late nineteenth century in America. Although I have explored many projects that Dr. McGarry has worked on, I am most inspired by her work on the American Social History Project. Its focus on creating a challenging and complicated story with a variety of histories in America's past is in line with my own goals for public history projects. Its endeavor to use the website as a tool for teachers through print, images and other medias is a valuable benefit to historical education that challenges traditional learning through critical thinking.
Furthermore, I would be just as advantaged to work with Dr. Asaka, whose work with oral histories and her exploration of race through Japanese-American Internment during World War II has caught my eye. I have studied Dr. Asaka's work on the Densho Website project and its valuable contribution to the Remembrance Project at the National Japanese American Museum in Los Angeles. I would greatly benefit learning that art of oral history work through Dr. Asaka's graduate course and its application to historical discussions. Her focus in nineteenth and twentieth century social history is something that runs parallel to my own interests and I do believe that our academic relationship would be an excellent fit.
I am certain that through my past applications of historical projects within both an academic and real world setting that I would bring an exceptional historic prowess to the Public History department. The excellent education I would receive would enable me to succeed in my goals of using interactive exhibits to create an interesting environment that creates historical discussion. Thank you for reviewing my application.
Hi, foxyh. I really love the first paragraph of your essay! It grabs the reader's attention by dropping him into the middle of a scene that you then go onto describe. Really, really excellent! Let me help you with your grammar/word choice in that paragraph to make it even better:
Once asAs I was waiting at the activity cartmuseum for one of thea school groups to arrive to learn the history of Chicago's bridges, I observed a man making his way through the exhibit that was beside me . I could see he was not a chaperone - he was younger and he was alone. He moved quickly and listlessly, only glancing at aneach artifact for a couple of seconds and,givingpaying no attention to the labels beside them. The entire exhibit washad to be behind glass, necessary for preservation purposes , but the glassitseeminglypreventedmade the history in front of the visitor from fully relating to it and enjoying it.farther removed and harder to relate to . The exhibit's narrative was lost on him. He was not able to fully appreciateas he had no idea how to read himself the story that was prepared. I remember the look on his face, one that I have possessed even givenwith my love of history. It was the look that he would ratherof wanting to be elsewhere and would be afteras soon as he had completedsatisfied his cultural duty.
I hope that helped you. I may try to do more later.
My undergraduate experienceexperiences has provided me more than a mere introduction to the field, establishing a foundation to build advanced knowledge in the theoretical and practical study of public history.
CombiningBy combining theory with hands-onhand-on experiences, I have been collaborated with other students, professors and community partners to create historical projects. The platforms have varied from creating digital exhibits through open-sourced software, making a historical podcast, using digital tools to make an exhibit guide for the Unspecified Historical Society, and conducting oral histories for the same exhibit.
Good luck!
