Publishing in historical studies (and in other academic fields), is undergoing a transformation, the precise contours of which are unclear. This BA/MA (4-1) program in historical publishing and editing builds on the History Department’s connections to a variety of publishing venues (including UF Press, Law and History Review, Alpata, and Points: The Blog of the Alcohol and Drugs History Society) to introduce students interested in academic publishing to the issues being faced by that industry and the tools used by editors working in different genres.
Undergraduates interested in this program are strongly urged to work on the editorial board of Alpata for a semester before they begin the BA/MA program. In addition, undergraduates interested in this program might find the following courses relevant or helpful:
ENC 3310: Advanced Exposition—Into the Blogosphere
ENC 4212: Professional Editing
Total graduate credit hours: 30, broken down as follows:
15-21 of graduate level history credits
- At least 12 credits in a major field of history
- 3 credits from this category must be taken the student’s first year in the BA/MA program
- 3 credits must be in Historiography
9-15 credits of Methods and techniques
Further explanations:
For a discussion of MA major fields, see http://history.ufl.edu/graduate-studies/current-students/ma-program/.
Methods and techniques training is at the heart of this BA/MA program:
- Pro seminar: HIS XXXX (3 credit hours, required): The Pro Seminar is a hybrid course that will introduce students to some of the issues and tools of historical editing. Students will meet in a seminar setting every third week to talk to experts (editors, bloggers, etc) and discuss and critique projects. Other sessions will take place online, as students blog, edit, and draft reports and reviews of articles and books. Students enrolled in the Pro Seminar will also work for Alpata during the semester they are enrolled (students may work on Alpata other semesters, as well, without credit).
- Internship: HIS XXXX (3-6 credit hours, 3 required; requires permission of the graduate coordinator and a statement of internship)
- HIS 6957, Non-thesis project (3-6 credit hours; 3 are required): The non-thesis project for the History Publishing and Editing program shall take the form of a portfolio prepared by the student in consultation with his/her thesis committee. The portfolio will center around one of two substantive projects: an article (which may be based on a revised seminar paper) that has been prepared in accordance with a journal’s submission requirements and submitted OR a historical blog exploring a particular moment in history or issue of history; in addition, the portfolio shall include: a referee report, written in conformity with the guidelines of a journal selected by the student, an editor’s report, prepared as part of the pro-seminar course; and a scholarly book review).