Historic house museums transform private homes into public history. They range from opulent mansions to tenement quarters, reflecting specific time periods, events, notable individuals, or cultural values. This seminar explores the preservation and interpretation of historic house museums, addressing challenges and opportunities for increasing their relevance and community engagement.
Additional Requirements for Graduate Students: Graduate level students are expected to work to an advanced level on all assignments, showing self-directed research and original critical perspectives. Length requirements on writing assignments for graduate students will be longer, and will receive more rigorous grading than at the undergraduate level.
Athena Title
Historic House Museums
Undergraduate Pre or Corequisite
One course in HIST or MUSE or ARHI or ARID or ARTS or CMLT or CLAS or COMM or HIPR or FCID 5010/7010 or any third- or fourth-year student standing
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Student learning Outcomes
Students will be able to analyze the historical, architectural, and cultural contexts of historic house museums.
Students will be able to evaluate interpretive approaches to social class, labor, gender, and race in domestic spaces, with attention to inclusive storytelling.
Students will be able to assess the challenges and opportunities historic house museums face in preservation, education, and community engagement.
Topical Outline
● What are Historic House Museums?
○ Types of historic house museums
○ What stories are told? What stories should be told, and how?
● Historic house museums in Athens - two field trips
● Labor in the home
○ Daily routines and social hierarchies
○ Enslaved and free domestic workers
○ Women’s roles and gendered spaces
● Material culture and the built environment
○ Architectural styles
○ Interior furnishing
○ Authenticity and reproduction
● Legacies of antebellum homes
○ Southern heritage and historical context
○ Race, class, and memory
○ Interpreting enslaved living quarters
● Public engagement
○ Educational programming strategies
○ Tour design and visitor experience
○ Exhibitions inside domestic settings
● Relevance and community connection
○ Identifying and attracting audiences
○ Staying relevant and meaningful
○ Evaluating impact
● Governance
○ Boards and decision-making
○ Fundraising challenges
○ Staff and volunteers
