Public History - Cooperation of the Faculty of History of the University of Gdańsk with Valdosta State University, USA - joint online classes in the Fall Semester 2022/23.
Public History - Cooperation of the Faculty of History of the University of Gdańsk with Valdosta State University, USA - joint online classes in the Fall Semester 2022/23.
For five years, the Faculty of History UG has been developing cooperation with the Department of History, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Valdosta State University, USA. Three times American students with Prof. Dr. John P. Dunn had spent summer semester at the University of Gdańsk. Two visiting professors from VSU and three from UG has taught for a whole semester respectively in Gdańsk and in Valdosta.
What is more, in 2022 the new area of cooperation was opened - "public history" experience exchange. This is related to the History (specialities: archives, teaching, museum and history in the media space) and Historical Tourism majors run at the Faculty of History.
On behalf of UG joint classes were held by Prof. Dr. Magdalena Nowak, a coordinator of Historical Tourism program.
On the VSU side, the classes were conducted by Drs. Sarah Wolk FitzGerald, Melanie Sue Byrd and VSU Director of Archives & Special Collections Dr. Deborah Davis.
In the Fall Semester 2022/2023 four joint online classes were held:
On September 29, 2022 Dr. Magdalena Nowak participated in Dr. FitzGerald’s classes. She showed two presentations: "Public history at the Faculty of History" and "Tricity heritage". She told American students about the Tricity, its history and heritage, and its most important cultural institutions. She also talked about the development of the "public history" at the Faculty of History UG and about Historical Tourism program.
On October 19, 2022 Dr. FitzGerald participated in Dr. Nowak’s classes. She told UG history BA students about her experience in the field of "public history". Before University career, Dr. FitzGerald had worked as a museum curator in Florida where she organized exhibitions in cooperation with the local community.
On October 25, 2022 students of Historical Tourism MA from Gdańsk took part in Dr. Melanie Byrd’s class. Dr. Deborah Davis, Director of Archives & Special Collections was also present and told students about the history of VSU and the exhibits of the VSU Museum. Dr. Melanie Byrd presented a history of the most valuable exhibits, Babylonian clay tablets. Then, American students presented their research projects devoted to films and their historical background.
On November 22, 2022 Dr. Byrd and her students participated in Dr. Nowak’s Historical Tourism MA class. Dr. Nowak’s PhD students: Anton Huz, Andrzej Cywlik and Dr. Anna Mazurkiewicz’s PhD student- Iwona Flis were also present. Polish MA and PhD students presented their projects of master's and doctoral theses. Dr. Nowak showed two presentations: "Tricity and its cultural heritage" and "School at Wiejska Street, 1903-1944" - about the Warsaw female gymnasium from the beginning of 20th century and the Second Polish Republic.
During joint classes students and professors had the opportunity to ask questions, compare and exchange experience and broaden their knowledge about historical heritage and "public history" in Poland and USA.
On November 18, 2022 in-person consultations of a group of scholars from both universities working on the "public history" experience exchange were held in the Valdosta State University Archives, USA. The meeting was attended by: Director Dr. Deborah Davis and Drs. Melanie Sue Byrd, Sarah Wolk FitzGerald and Magdalena Nowak. They discussed results of cooperation and talked about perspectives for the future. Dr. Nowak is going to be a fellow at the Valdosta State University in the Fall Semester 2023/24. She has prepared and presented the syllabus of "Public History in Poland", the subject she is going to teach during her work at VSU.
