Katie Jones,

The following is regarding a university course where objects are used to
study history, it is not a course on how to use objects, which is what I
believe you asked about.  Nevertheless I thought it might be of interest to
you.

The Williams/Mystic Program in Maritime Studies is a semester long
undergraduate program offered by Williams College with students (from many
colleges other than Williams) in residence at Mystic Seaport.  The students
take four core courses: American Maritime History, Literature of the Sea,
Marine Policy (politics, law of the sea), and Marine Ecology or
Oceanography.  This is obviously an interdisciplinary program; it has been
in existance for twenty years with 22 students each semester.  The students
are on a sailing research vessel for two weeks and also take extended field
trips to the west coast and to Nantucket.

Now, one could take those four courses in any classroom, but having them at
Mystic Seaport is what makes the program so unique.

The history course makes active use of the manuscript collection for
primary research.  It also has a "material culture" component in which the
students are first introduced to the idea of learning from objects (rather
than books), then study one object or exhibit in the museum and make a
presentation -in situ- to the rest of the class placing the object or
objects in context relating to the study of American Maritime History.

I hope you find this useful (or at least interesting).  More information is
available from Mystic Seaport's Web page.

Edward Baker

**********
Edward Baker
Supervisor of Interpretation
Mystic Seaport Museum
Box 6000
Mystic, CT  06355
(860)572-0711
[log in to unmask]
http://www.mysticseaport.org
**********