Introduction to Museology

This course considers museums not as stand-alone organizations but as dynamic institutions that interact with their communities and their surroundings. Consequently, this course is divided into two areas: museum theory and museum practice. In museum theory, students become acquainted with the latest literature about museum and their roles in society. The museum practice section of the course consists of meetings with professionals in the field. Emphasis is placed on the variety and diversity of job opportunities. Short field trips supplement the course content.

Museum Registration Methods

Registration involves both information management and care of objects under the museum’s purview. This course provides an introduction to object handling, loan contracts and acquisition documentation, traveling arrangements including packing and shipping, facilities care, security, storage, exhibition planning and installation methods, collections photography and legal and ethical issues surrounding museum collections. Study of these topics includes field trips and discussions with guest speakers from the field.

Museum Education

Museums offer a unique encounter with objects and ideas for people of many ages, interests, and backgrounds. Museum education strengthens that encounter by building bridges between visitors’ experiences and expectations and the experiences and ideas that emanate from a museum’s collection. It involves knowledge (of audience, resources, and techniques), communication, collaboration, advocacy, and evaluation. This course will provide an introduction to museum education and critical issues facing the field and an opportunity for discussions with other museum professionals.

Museum Exhibition and Display

Exhibitions are the ways in which museums share their collections with the public in specific settings and for particular reasons. This seminar examines both the practice and the theory of museum exhibitions in readings, classroom discussions, and on-site visits. In the class, students work in small groups to produce an exhibition for one of the many local museums or galleries.

Museum and Gallery Practica

Classroom discussion provides students with a foundation in the literature and theory surrounding museums in the twenty-first century. Internships and practica offer the opportunity to augment that learning with hands-on experience. Students are encouraged to contact area professionals and arrange to work with them on projects of interest to both the museum and the student. Students are expected to work a minimum of 9 hours a week during a practica and receive 3 course credits for their efforts.

Independent Studies