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Events
Apr. 7 | MAASA Joint Conference—April, 2011
Joint conference on material culture, April 7-11, 2011, UW-Madison
About: Resolutions and Actions
Approval of a Task Force for Public Practitioners in American Studies
March 2001
Many American Studies scholars interpret American life in venues outside the academy, in public lectures, museums, libraries, films, local history projects, and other sites. In light of that fact, the Council voted to approve the creation of a Task Force for Public Practitioners in American Studies. The Task Force, which will be appointed by President Michael Frisch, will take as its project these goals: assessing the needs, interests, and priorities of American Studies scholars who work or plan to work in the area of public practice; recommending to the officers and the Council of the Association any activities that will effectively serve the needs of public practitioners; and informing the Council and ASA membership of the issues affecting public practice in American Studies.
A first step will be to gather information from ASA members engaged in or planning work in the area of Public American Studies, consulting in particular with members of the Material Culture Caucus, the Visual Culture Caucus, and graduate students who are planning careers in public practice. The Task Force might develop a comprehensive directory of members who work either part-time or full-time in public venues. The group will also engage in and encourage formal and informal conversations—at annual breakfasts, conferences, and through face-to-face, electronic, and other media-about the particular concerns and contributions of public practitioners. Are there measures that ASA might adopt to help public practitioners create connections with one another, share ideas, and support one another’s work? The Task Force will also initiate conversations with professionals in public practice not now members of the ASA, but whose work involves interpretation of American life.
As a result of these conversations, the Task Force will consider and recommend a variety of options for creating permanent support networks and connections within the ASA. Such practices as maintaining a web site, electronic discussion networks, and special sessions at regularly scheduled meetings might be useful means of fostering communication. Equally important, the Task Force will consider and recommend ways that information regarding career opportunities in public American Studies may be made more widely available to graduate students in academic departments. Finally, the Task Force will offer recommendations to the Council and the membership for ways that the ASA might bring its voice and its values to ongoing public discussions about topics within the ASA’s scholarly purview.
The Council decided that the Task Force should consist of seven members, the majority of whom will have experience in public American Studies projects. Members will serve three year terms. The Council welcomes suggestions and comments on the project of the Task Force from all interested ASA members.
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