Civic History Lab: Using history to understand today's worldAt — Brea Museum & Historical Society

The Civic History Lab will be a learning program designed to teach students and general audiences how to investigate contemporary community questions with historical evidence. 

History becomes more than a collection of past facts, it becomes a method of inquiry. Participants will examine historic documents, including primary sources, archival records, photographs, oral histories and government papers to help evaluate claims about the past and present.

The Intern will help develop this program as the Museum's signature teaching program.

The intern will draft several case studies which will demonstrate how historical research can help clarify contemporary questions. The case studies will include Brea downtown redevelopment, the History behind the Brea Mall, writing the history of a photograph, and the reason city council voted to approve the building of transitional housing. These types of case studies will help the intern demonstrate the research and analysis process.

Training:

1. Interns will have access to all research and collection materials at the Brea Museum. They will be trained to properly handle artifacts, while researching.
2. Interns will be trained to identify current issues in the community such as development, housing, traffic, politics, and homeless by reviewing newspapers, city documents and reports, social media trends, and public announcements.
3. Interns will be trained to substantiate sources and claims, evaluate evidence, trace the origins of claims and questions, and determine trustworthiness of sources.

Learning Outcomes:

1. Locate historical evidence including primary sources, archival materials, oral histories, photographs, newspaper collections, and other historical ephemera.
2. Evaluate and substantiate claims, narratives, current events, and trending social media topics in anticipation of common questions and concerns students will bring for clarification.
3. Practice ethical research, attribution, proper citations (Chicago Manual of Style with footnotes) and original writing without the use of AI.
4. Tailor all research to illustrate that public policies and community decision develop over time.