Norkunas, Martha K.

Martha Norkunas holds a PhD in folklore from Indiana University’s Folklore Institute and authored the book, The Politics of Public Memory: Tourism, History, and Ethnicity in Monterey, California, in 1993. A faculty member at the University of Texas, she teaches an interdisciplinary graduate course focusing on memory and history as well as social and cultural issues. In 1999, she developed the course as a part of the Project in Interpreting the Texas Past (ITP) in collaboration with the Intellectual Entrepreneurship Program.

ITP concentrates on illuminating Texas history, particularly in regard to the histories of women and minority groups, through research, interpretation, and presentation. Over its lifetime, the project has produced award winning films, exhibits, educational material, posters, brochures, and online exhibits. The program is a partnership between the University of Texas College of Liberal Arts, College of Fine Arts, College of Communication, and the School of Information as well as several Texas foundations and community organizations, including Texas Parks and Wildlife. Prior history topics have dealt with Winedale, the Varner-Hogg Plantation State Park, the Neil-Cochran House Museum, Sauer-Beckmann Living History Farm, Penn Farm, and the George Washington Carver Museum. Norkunas and her students have also conducting oral history projects focusing on African-Americans and women in Austin, Texas.

Sources:

Intellectual Entrepreneurship: A Cross Disciplinary Consortium. “Interpreting the Texas Past.” The University of Texas at Austin. https://webspace.utexas.edu/cherwitz/www/ie/itp.html (accessed on September 3, 2010).

Intellectual Entrepreneurship: A Cross Disciplinary Consortium. “Martha Norkunas.” The University of Texas at Austin. https://webspace.utexas.edu/cherwitz/www/ie/norkunas.html (accessed on September 3, 2010).

Martha Norkunas holds a PhD in folklore from Indiana University's Folklore Institute and authored the book, "The Politics of Public Memory: Tourism, History, and Ethnicity in Monterey, California," in 1993.

A faculty member at the University of Texas, she teaches an interdisciplinary graduate course focusing on memory and history as well as social and cultural issues. In 1999, she developed the course as a part of the Project in Interpreting the Texas Past (ITP) in collaboration with the Intellectual Entrepreneurship Program. ITP concentrates on illuminating Texas history, particularly in regard to the histories of women and minority groups, through research, interpretation, and presentation. Over its lifetime, the project has produced award winning films, exhibits, educational material, posters, brochures, and online exhibits. The program is a partnership between the University of Texas College of Liberal Arts, College of Fine Arts, College of Communication, and the School of Information as well as several Texas foundations and community organizations, including Texas Parks and Wildlife. Prior history topics have dealt with Winedale, the Varner-Hogg Plantation State Park, the Neil-Cochran House Museum, Sauer-Beckmann Living History Farm, Penn Farm, and the George Washington Carver Museum. Norkunas and her students have also conducting oral history projects focusing on African-Americans and women in Austin, Texas.