Spring 2025 Courses
Scroll down to register for:
- Building a Solid Foundation: Planning Documents for Historic Preservation – Online – Tuesdays beginning February 4
- American Architectural History – Hybrid – Mondays beginning February 10
- Introduction to Heritage Tourism – Hybrid – Thursdays beginning March 6
- Navigating the National Park Service – Online – Wednesdays beginning March 26
- Igniting the Spark: Initiating the Downtown Revitalization Process – Hybrid – Wednesdays beginning April 30
Online offerings often fill within 24 hours. Subscribe for our newsletter here so you’re among the first to know when registration opens!
Payment for these courses will be accepted online via the registration links below starting on Wednesday, January 8. We are able to accept payment by purchase order for these courses.
If you prefer to pay by check or PO, email preservation@camden.rutgers.edu with your name, the course(s) and/or workshop(s) you want to take, and your intention to pay by check or PO, and we will provide you with instructions for completing your registration.
Building a Solid Foundation: Planning Documents for Historic Preservation
Tuesday, February 4, 2025 – Tuesday, March 4, 2025 at 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.
5-week class | credit/no credit | 1 CEU
Online via Zoom and Canvas (Rutgers course management system)
This course is an introduction to planning documents that are most commonly used for the preservation of historic sites and landscapes. Students will learn how these documents and reports are created, what information they contain, why they are important to the preservation and interpretation of a site, and strategies to develop and utilize them effectively and efficiently. The course will cover foundational documents like the Historic Structure Report, specific studies like materials and building systems analyses, and reports to plan for maintenance of and disaster preparation for a historic site.
At the end of this course, you should be able to:
- Understand how the planning reports and documents are created
- Understand what each planning document and report is used for
- Identify which planning report and document to use at a given time
- Develop the planning documents that are needed to preserve and interpret a historic site efficiently and effectively
This course does not cover all planning documents and reports that may be used for the preservation of historic sites.
Instructor: Shannon Bremer
Schedule: Five weeks, starting Tuesday, October 1, 2024 through Tuesday, October 29, 2024; live online from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.
Who should register?: This course is intended for audiences of all educational and professional backgrounds who have an interest in historic preservation. We welcome both professionals in the field of historic preservation and related fields, as well as those who volunteer with historic organizations and buildings, own their own historic homes, or who have a general interest in the topic. The course fulfills an elective requirement for the continuing education certificate in historic preservation.
Required technology: Computer with webcam and microphone and a reliable internet connection.
Cost: $150 – We accept Purchase Order (PO) requests.
Course Number: HP-132-S25-Online
REGISTER (limit 20): Registration opens January 8. If the class is full, you will be added to the waiting list. If a spot opens on the waiting list, we will let you know.
About the instructor:
Shannon Bremer is a Historic Preservation Specialist for the New Jersey Historic Trust. She has overseen numerous grant-funded, preservation projects ranging from preservation plans and construction documents to ADA accessibility and capital improvement projects since she began working for the Trust in 2022. Ms. Bremer also provides technical assistance to grantees and the public at large as well as assists with the Trust’s Emergency Intervention Fund. Ms. Bremer holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Historic Preservation from the University of Mary Washington (Fredericksburg, VA) and a Master of Arts in American Studies from the College of William & Mary (Williamsburg, VA). She also holds a certificate in Material Culture and Public History from the National Institute of American History and Democracy at the College of William & Mary.
American Architectural History
Monday, February 10, 2025 – Monday, April 7, 2025 and April 21, 2025 at 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. There will be no class on Monday, April 14, 2025.
10-week class | credit/no credit | 2 CEUs
Hybrid (online class via Zoom and Canvas (Rutgers course management system)
This course is required to complete the certificate program
Our built environment, including landscapes, buildings, and other features, is shaped by ecological, cultural, technological, political, and economic forces, to name just a few.
In this course we will explore how these different forces have impacted the built environment in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States from the Native American period to around 50 years ago. We’ll also examine relevant examples of the built environment from other parts of the world to place the development of our local architecture in context.
Within each period, we will discuss examples of urban and rural landscapes, a wide variety of building types, and significant engineering and industrial structures. The goal will be to understand the diversity of the built environment and the people who lived there during each period, so we can appreciate why it looked the way it did, what has been lost, and what has survived to the present day.
Each week, you will be required to complete assignments that will help you develop a critical eye for the built environment that you experience every day. You will also develop a final project narrative that focuses on a site of your choice and will include a description of the site; changes over time; and impacts of the significant forces that have shaped your site.
At the end of this course, you should be able to:
- Understand the relevance of the built environment in your day-to-day life for the purposes of interpretation, research, and advocacy in the field of historic preservation
- Identify key moments, styles and trends in the history of the American built environment, with a focus on the Mid-Atlantic region
- Analyze the built environment for clues about the date of construction and changes over time
- Articulate why components of our built environment look the way they do
Instructor: Lori Aument
Schedule: Ten weeks starting Monday, February 10, 2025 through Monday, April 21, 2025. There will be no class Monday, April 14, 2025. This class will meet synchronously online from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.
Who should register?: This course is intended for audiences of all educational and professional backgrounds who have an interest in historic preservation. We welcome both professionals in the field of historic preservation and related fields, as well as those who volunteer with historic organizations and buildings, own their own historic homes, or who have a general interest in the topic. It is required for the Continuing Education Certificate in Historic Preservation.
Required technology: Computer with webcam and microphone and a reliable internet connection.
Cost: $275 – We accept Purchase Order (PO) requests.
Course Number:
REGISTER (limit 20): Registration opens on January 8. If the class is full, you will be added to the waiting list. If a spot opens on the waiting list, we will let you know.
About the instructor: Lori Aument has 25 years of experience as a building conservator and is currently a Senior Associate at WJE in Philadelphia. Her expertise is in the history of architecture and the practical methods needed to protect and repair historic sites. She holds a BS in Art History and a MS in Historic Preservation. In 2019, Lori launched the Philadelphia history podcast, Found in Philadelphia, to engage listeners with stories from the past that still impact our lives today. She is also adjunct faculty in the Historic Preservation department at Thomas Jefferson University.
Introduction to Heritage Tourism
Thursday, March 6, 2025 – Thursday, March 27, 2025 at 6:30 – 8:30 p.m and Saturday, April 12
5-week class | credit/no credit | 1.5 CEU
Online via Zoom and Canvas (Rutgers course management system)
Do you want to enhance your visitors’ engagement with history at your site or in your municipality but need a jump start on inspiration or project planning? Would you like a chance to consider how your historic site fits within the broader landscape of the region’s heritage tourism so you can identify prospective collaborators and funding sources? Then join us for a course on Cultural Heritage Tourism lead by Dorothy Guzzo, Executive Director of the New Jersey Historic Trust. Cultural heritage tourism, defined by the National Trust for Historic Preservation as “traveling to experience the places, artifacts, and activities that authentically represent the stories and people of the past and present,” encompasses a range of activities central to our work in historic preservation, broadly defined. Whether you work at a historic site or within the hospitality industry, this course is designed to provide a basic understanding of why visitors seek historic experiences and how to enhance tourism potential. If you are planning on developing or enhancing anything from a placed-based walking tour to an interpretive sign to an evening lecture featuring local cuisine, this course will help you identify the tools you need to enhance your site’s cultural heritage tourism profile.
This course may be of particular interest to historic site personnel, board members, and volunteers; individuals in the hospitality industry; chamber of commerce members and staff; local government or historic review board representatives; and anyone who wants to support heritage tourism and historic preservation in their communities.
Instructor: Dorothy Guzzo
Schedule: Six weeks, starting Thursday, March 6, 2025 through Thursday, March 27 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. and Saturday, April 12, 2025 time TBD. There will be no class the week of April 30 to allow time for students to complete final assignment, which includes a historic site visit.
Who should register?: This course is intended for audiences of all educational and professional backgrounds who have an interest in historic preservation. We welcome both professionals in the field of historic preservation and related fields, as well as those who volunteer with historic organizations and buildings, own their own historic homes, or who have a general interest in the topic. The course fulfills an elective requirement for the continuing education certificate in historic preservation.
Required technology: Computer with webcam and microphone and a reliable internet connection.
Cost: $150 – We accept Purchase Order (PO) requests.
Course Number:
REGISTER (limit 20): Registration opens on January 8. If the class is full, you will be added to the waiting list. If a spot opens on the waiting list, we will let you know.
About the instructor:
Dorothy P. Guzzo served as executive director of the New Jersey Historic Trust from 2008-2024. From 1995 to 2008, as the deputy state historic preservation officer for New Jersey, she oversaw the New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places, project certification to qualify for Investment Tax Credits, certifying local governments for implementing programs on the municipal level, historic and archaeological resource inventory and resource protection through state and federal regulations. She has held elected office and served on her municipal planning board and local historic preservation commission. Ms. Guzzo served on the New Jersey Heritage Tourism Task Force and was charged with creating a Heritage Tourism Master Plan for the state of New Jersey.
Navigating the National Park Service
Wednesday, March 26, 2025 – Wednesday, April 23, 2025 at 7:00 – 8:30 p.m.
5-week class | credit/no credit | 1 CEU
Online via Zoom and Canvas (Rutgers course management system)
This course introduces students to the history of the National Park Service, its mission, and the establishment of historic sites. Students will learn about the tumultuous history of putting together the first National Park and the political ramifications of starting the National Park Service. The course also covers the environmental problems faced by park service employees, as well as regular citizens, in the preservation of historic areas. Students will learn how to navigate the forms necessary for sites to be declared historical and federally protected. This course will serve as a foundation for understanding the National Park Service, its environmental history, problems that arose in its 100+ history that are still relevant today, and the process of establishing historic sites.
At the end of this course, you will be able to:
- Explain the history of the National Park Service
- Identify key problems facing historic sites, both environmental and political
- Understand how historic sites are identified
- Assess a National Park Service site or other historic sites’ historical interpretation
- Find and Identify an historic sites’ enabling legislation and use that document to assess that sites’ historical interpretation
Instructor: Dr. Lucas Wilder
Schedule: 5 weeks, starting Wednesday, March 26, 2025 through Wednesday, April 23, 2025 at 7:00 – 8:30 p.m.
Who should register?: This course is intended for audiences of all educational and professional backgrounds who have an interest in historic preservation. We welcome both professionals in the field of historic preservation and related fields, as well as those who volunteer with historic organizations and buildings, own their own historic homes, or who have a general interest in the topic. The course fulfills an elective requirement for the continuing education certificate in historic preservation.
Required technology: Computer with webcam and microphone and a reliable internet connection.
Cost: $150 – We accept Purchase Order (PO) requests.
Course Number:
REGISTER (limit 20): Registration opens on January 8. If the class is full, you will be added to the waiting list. If a spot opens on the waiting list, we will let you know.
About the Instructor:
Igniting the Spark: Initiating the Downtown Revitalization Process
Wednesday, April 30, 2025 – Wednesday, May 28, 2025 at 7:00 – 8:30 p.m.
5-week class | credit/no credit | 1 CEU
Hybrid (online class via Zoom and Canvas and in-person site visit)
Description: Have you ever walked through a dreary downtown or stared at a dilapidated building or an empty lot and wondered what could be? This class is geared toward professionals new to, or interested in, the placemaking field, and those who have a vested interest in how communities can be revitalized while retaining their unique, historic character. The intent of the course is to help students understand the factors that negatively impacted downtowns and how to correct or replace these factors to move toward a more inviting, safe and genuine sense of place. The course combines online learning, discussion, and short in-field exercises.
By the end of the course, students should understand the fundamentals of neighborhood revitalization to better engage in the process and have completed the following:
- Gain a general understanding of how traditional commercial districts lost their vitality and learn the basic components for revitalization
- Complete a reconnaissance assessment of existing physical conditions of a neighborhood of their choice
- Learn to identify historic characteristics of the neighborhood of their choice and other neighborhoods
- Propose general uses/improvements for an opportunity site that can later be included in a revitalization plan
The proposed course format is structured to inform and give hands-on experience to those interested in elevating their knowledge of neighborhood revitalization. This is not an architectural history or urban planning course but some understanding of buildings and urban design is helpful.
Instructor: Sheila McElroy
Schedule: 5 weeks, starting Wednesday, April 30, 2025 – Wednesday, May 28, 2025 at 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
Who should register?: This course is intended for audiences of all educational and professional backgrounds who have an interest in historic preservation. We welcome both professionals in the field of historic preservation and related fields, as well as those who volunteer with historic organizations and buildings, own their own historic homes, or who have a general interest in the topic. The course fulfills an elective requirement for the continuing education certificate in historic preservation.
Required technology: Computer with webcam and microphone and a reliable internet connection.
Cost: $150 – We accept Purchase Order (PO) requests.
Course number:
REGISTER (limit 20): Registration opens on January 8. If the class is full, you will be added to the waiting list. If a spot opens on the waiting list, we will let you know.
About the Instructor:
Cancellation policy:
- Courses (three or more class meetings): Students may cancel their registrations prior to the start of class for a full refund. For withdrawals within the first two weeks of class, cancellations will be refunded 50 percent. After the first two weeks, no refunds will be issued.
- Workshops (two days or less): Cancellations are fully refundable up to one week prior to the start of the workshop. No other refunds will be issued.
- In all cases, registrations are non-transferable to another person.
*Class and workshop details subject to change.