Bachelor of Arts

Public History

With a passion for the past and a need to share history for the future, TU’s public history program goes far beyond the walls of a history classroom. Public history focuses on insight of historical events and the best ways to communicate history to the masses. Our classes focus on research, critique and various means of communication through written word, filmmaking and design, to ensure future generations will know historical value.

The BA in Public History is an applied history program. Students who earn this degree will be prepared to work in various applied history professions, including historical consultants, museum professionals, government historians, archivists, oral historians, cultural resource managers, curators, film and media producers, historical interpreters, historic preservationists, policy advisers, local historians, and community historical activists. to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, archivists, curators and museum workers have a median pay $47,360 per year (in 2017) or at $22.77 per hour.

In 2016, the number of jobs in public history field totalled at 31,000, but the job outlook in 2016-2026 is set to increase by 13%, or 4,200 jobs, which is faster than average.

With TU’s curriculum, a student also has the opportunity to apply to a graduate history program.

HUMANITIES CORE

ENG152 Technical Writing    3

DMD134 Introduction to Digital Media    3

COM324 Communicating Across Cultures    3

DMD230 Digital Video I    3

COM310 Human, Interpersonal and Small Group Communication    3

SAS470 Internship    3

Total    18 hours

 

PUBLIC HISTORY MAJOR

HIS122 Research and Writing for History    3 hours

HIS114 Public History I    3 hours

HIS231 Creating a Nation: The United States through the Civil War (w)    3 hours

HIS242 The United States, 1865-1945: Consolidation, Industrialization and the Rise to Global Leadership (w)    3 hours

HIS267 The Challenges of Global Leadership: The United States after 1945 (w)    3 hours

HIS214 Public History II    3 hours

HIS303 Civilizations Emerge and Develop (w)    3 hours

HIS323 The Emerging West, Exploration, Colonization, and Commerce (w)    3 hours

HIS314 Public History III    3 hours

HIS410 The Inter-Connected World: Globalization In a Post-Colonial World (w)    3 hours

HIS425 Historiography (w)    3 hours

HIS475 Practicing Public History    3 hours

Total    36 hours

This is a sample course sequence to illustrate course offerings for this major. Consult the official Academic Bulletin for detailed registration and advising information.

On Campus - Offered in a 15-week semester format with start dates of January and August

There are no related concentrations available.

Research and Writing for History (HIS122) - This class is designed to develop the research and communication skills common to the history profession. Each student will complete a variety of research projects using primary and secondary source material, scholarly journals, oral histories, artifacts and photographs. The advantages and shortcomings of online research will be presented. Students will also learn how to work successfully in groups to prepare and deliver an oral presentation of their joint research. This is a writing intensive course.

Communicating Across Cultures (COM324) - Introduction to the study of cultural and intercultural theory and behavior, discussion of various culturally specific patterns of communication. This is a writing intensive course

Historiography (HIS425) – This capstone course investigates how the study of history has evolved, with a special emphasis placed on competing historical theories. Using samples of historical writing from representative historians over time, students will seek to understand the role of objectivity and the temptations of manipulating the past to influence the future. In addition, they will learn how technology has influenced the profession. Material studied will include European as well as American historical thought and practice. This is a writing intensive course.

Dawn of Humankind: Civilizations Emerge and Develop (HIS303) - This course explores the birth and diffusion of world civilizations from the dawn of recorded history to 1350 CE. First, the course will begin by examining the development of early civilizations and then will follow their developments into the classical age by exploring the Mediterranean societies of Greece and Rome, the Indian subcontinent, China, and the Persian Empire. Finally, the course will conclude with the establishment of post-classical empires and the expansion of world religions. Over time, technology and human enterprise led to regular encounters between distant societies. This course highlights the ways these interactions came to shape the modern world. This is a writing intensive course.

  • Archivists
  • Community Historical Activists
  • Cultural resource managers
  • Curators
  • Film and Media Producers
  • Government Historians
  • Graduate School
  • Historical Consultants
  • Historical Interpreters
  • Historic Preservationists
  • Local Historians
  • Museum Professionals
  • Oral Historians
  • Policy Advisers

This is a new program! Successful placements to come in the next few years …

Faculty

Michael Goodnough
Michael Goodnough

Michael Goodnough, Ph.D.

goodnoughmd@tiffin.edu
419.448.5872

Assistant Professor of History

School of Arts & Sciences
Degrees & Certificates
  • Ph.D., in Cultural and Intellectual History, Kent State University
  • M.A., Kent State University
  • B.A., History, Bowling Green State University

Michael Goodnough, Ph.D.

Dr. Michael Daniel Goodnough is Assistant Professor of History in the School of Arts and Sciences. He started at Tiffin University as a part-time instructor in 2017 before coming on full-time as Instructor of History in the fall of 2018. A native of Ohio, Dr. Goodnough received his B.A. from Bowling Green State University in 2011 and completed his M.A. (2013) and Ph.D. (2019) in cultural and intellectual history from Kent State University.

Professor Goodnough’s teaching interests are wide-ranging. At TU, he teaches the majority of the history courses. He specializes in teaching U.S. history from colonization to globalization, World History, and sub-Saharan African history. Dr. Goodnough uses the lens of cultural history to teach how culture can provide insight into a plethora of historical themes. While at TU, he also worked to develop the new Public History major, which merges the field of history with the University’s mission of linking knowledge to professional practice.

In addition to teaching, Dr. Goodnough is an active scholar. He has presented research at international, national, and regional conferences, including the 2014 15th International Bakhtin conference at the Royal Institute of Art, Stockholm, Sweden and the 2017 American Historical Association Annual Conference in Denver, Colorado. He published a journal article (2015) and an encyclopedia entry (2018) about the New Left during the 1960s. His current research focuses on antimodernism during the 1970s.

Michael Goodnough, Ph.D...
Assistant Professor of History
Michael Goodnough, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of History
goodnoughmd@tiffin.edu
419.448.5872

Testimonials

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    Nellene Arnett
    Class of 2017
    Toledo, Ohio

    Students in game room

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    "What I love about Tiffin University is the fact that I am learning about real-life experiences inside the classroom. Once I graduate, I know I will be prepared for a career in my field. I am thankful for the support I have received from my professors and

  • TU helped grow my network and give me experience by meeting students from other cultures and countries, and learning from a range of professors. Anyone who wants to feel connected to their fellow students, to their personable professors, and the community, then TU is place for you.

    -Alexis Mohr '06

    TU helped grow my network and give me experience by meeting students from other cultures and countries, and learning from a range of professors. Anyone who wants to feel connected to their fellow students, to their personable professors, and the community

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    – Allison Marie Staunton, Class of 2016

    "TU wasn’t just the place I went to get my degree. It was the place I grew up and I am forever thankful for my Dragon family. It’s always a great day to be a Dragon.” – Allison Marie Staunton, Class of 2016

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