Durham Beginnings

In 2015, graduate students in a Public History coursed taught by Dr. Jim C. Harper II in the Department of History at North Carolina Central University partnered with the Museum of Durham History to explore how museums can extend the life of an exhibit well beyond the museum’s walls.

This project was the first major Public History collaboration between the Department of History and a museum to complete a series of public history projects with graduate students. The graduate students were from the Department of History and the School of Library and Information Sciences.  The title of the full project was “Durham Beginnings, 1865–1885."

This project was grounded in research and best practices while still being publicly-accessible and engaging. The project-based course provided students with direct experience in a contemporary museum setting, exploring the ways modern institutions can use technology and collaboration to bring their exhibits to life for the public. The titles of the individual projects were as follows: "1865–1885 Playlist," "How to Use History," and "The WPA Interviews." The projects were displayed on a website (https://durhambeginnings.wordpress.com/) and in the Durham History Museum (March 25, 2015).

The graduate students at NCCU who were involved with the project are listed individually as "collaborators" on this project.