Archival Studies and Community Documentation

Introduction Aims Internships Course Requirements Declaration of Minor

Introduction

The first of its kind within the City University of New York, this program, sponsored by the Department of History and the Brooklyn College Library, complements course work with diverse, supervised internship opportunities and field experiences in a variety of New York City cultural organizations, including museums, archives, and educational institutions. Intellectually, the minor offers students the opportunity to cultivate a deeper understanding of New York's local communities-their history, geography, culture, folklore, religions, politics, and social structure. Practically, the minor enables students to explore potential careers in various fields that draw on the study of community archives.

Aims of the Minor

The minor in Archival Studies and Community Documentation:

• Provides students with the intellectual and preprofessional foundation necessary for full  participation in an internship.
• Places students in supervised internships in archives, libraries, museums, local history and historical restoration projects, and educational institutions.
• Helps students to explore prospective careers in professions related to community history and its documentation.
• Offers education majors fieldwork experience in community history that will enable them to prepare enriched curricula for their students.
• Promotes the documentation, preservation, and interpretation of New  York City's local communities, drawing on the Brooklyn College Archives as a resource and repository for these activities.
• Fosters ongoing interchange between Brooklyn College and our neighboring communities, their people and their institutions.

A key component of the minor in Archival Studies and Community Documentation is an internship program in which students gain firsthand experience by working in local organizations. This critical field experience will provide a foundation in archival management and community history and offer students the opportunity to make important contacts with professional archivists, curators, educators and public historians. Typical activities of interns include processing archival collections, researching community history projects, assisting in the production of Web sites or CD-ROMs, and organizing local history exhibitions and curricula.

Course Requirements

Students must complete 15 credits for the minor, consisting of two courses in theory and methodology (6 credits); one community-focused course (3 credits); and two internship courses (6 credits). Two  of the required courses must be completed before students begin their internships.

  Theory and Methodology Courses (6 credits) -Students Must Take Both Courses
 

History 69.1 Introduction to Archival Management The role of the archivist in historical research. Theoretical and historical basis of archival management. Types of archives. Applications of modern archival practices. The Brooklyn College archives will serve as the students laboratory. Prerequisite: Permission of the Instructor.

History 69.2 Oral History: Theory and Practice Theory of oral history interviewing and field based application.  Preparing for; conducting and transcribing oral history interviews.  Reviewing legal and ethical issues. Analyzing the relationship between history and memory. Studying the use of life-history narratives in print, film. television, radio, exhibitions, performance, community history projects ,and educational institutions including school classrooms. Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor.

Community -focused Courses (3 credits) Students must take one community-focused course, selected from the list below, which must be in a department other than their major.  Subject matter is related to the general focus of the internships-the study of the local community.

 

For information about specific internship sites and how to pursue a minor in Archival Studies and Community Documentation, contact Professor Anthony Cucchiara, Acting Coordinator, by telephone (718) 951-5346 or by email tonyc@brooklyn.cuny.edu.

Or fill out the request form and send it in by mail to:
 

For more information and applications, contact:

             Philip F. Napoli
             521 Whitehead Hall
             Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
             Department of History
             Brooklyn, New York 11210
             (718) 951-5323