94330 - Sciences into Museums

Learning outcomes

The course is aimed at providing knowledge on the origin and historical evolution of museum collections starting from the birth of the great naturalistic museums up to their diffusion in the various countries, thanks to the work of the scientific societies and the role of the scientific expeditions. The students will know the organization of the museum collections of the University of Bologna, their variety (biological-naturalistic, paleontological) that contain the history of the various scientific institutes and disciplines, and their role and functions in the development of science. The students will know the conception and organization of the modern museum institutions, their current role and function (research, teaching, third mission), and the the current legislation in the field of cultural heritage. The students will also know the problems related to the management of the museum scientific collections. In this frame criticalities, perspectives and potentialities will be highlighted to foster a critical and conscious vision of the student on this peculiarity typology of museums underlining the still current value and function of the scientific museums in the context of research, conservation, communication and education. The course offers basic scientific knowledge to understand the concepts of the evolution and biodiversity, and the history of ecosystems changes, dealing also with the relationship between science and museums by deepening the contemporary debate relating to their function and their educational role in today's society. With this approach we intend to develop the theme of evolution and biodiversity and their representation in scientific museums through museum collections. Theoretical and research aspects will be addressed. Exploring the different museums, the students will define an objective and develop a proposal of their own for a project idea or innovate aspects they can identify for museum enhancement and communication. Emphasis will be placed on the valence of scientific vs. historical and artistic asset. Aspects related to the ethics of science, the custody, conservation and display of the sensitive collections, on the basis of current legislation, will be also provided. The course aims to highlight different methods, planning and educational paths of the different collections: the herbarium and of botanical garden of the Bolognese university, the zoological, comparative anatomy, paleontological and anthropological collections. At the end of the course the student is able to (a) understand the historical and historical-scientific value of the collections of scientific museums, (b) to propose and plan actions specific and targeted museum educational paths making the meaning of ""making"" a scientific museum their own, (c) and, by adapting and integrating previous and acquired knowledge, to promote scientific communication to participate in the process of continuous transformation that museums must have to respond to rapid changes in contemporary society. The student also (d) understands and knows nature and nature material characteristics of the finds of scientific museums, (e) is able to collect and catalog the finds by macro-categories and (f) it can propose actions aimed at improving its conservation status.

Course contents

Science and Museums (12 CFU) is integrated with Didactics and Communication in Museum Environments (6 CFU - Prof. Chiara Panciroli) of the Science Education and Communication in Museums course (18 CFU).

Science in Museums aims to address the theme of the relationship between science and museums in order to understand the different realities of the scientific collections, dealing with the contemporary debate regarding their function and educational role in today's society. With this approach, it is intended to address through museum collections (Anthropology, Zoology, Comparative Anatomy, Herbarium and Botanical Garden, Geology and Paleontology) and through specific research approaches, the topic of biodiversity and evolution. The course includes theoretical and practical activities.

The student may explore limitations, criticalities and potentials of different museum realities and can identify and define a goal to design and develop their own project idea to innovate aspects related to museum heritage enhancement and communication.

The course will include lecturers with different skills and who will cover topics related to the study, enhancement and management of various museum collections.

Maria Giovanna Belcastro (4 CFU: 3 lectures and 1 lab) - Anthropology Museum Collections

Topics: The history of scientific institutes and disciplines from which UNIBO science collections and museums originate. Research and teaching in museums. The Anthropology Collections. Cultural heritage and the Faro convention. Ethical aspects related to research, custody, conservation and display of sensitive artifacts and collections. Hands-on activities on human evolution and variability between macroevolutionary and microevolutionary processes: how to read and interpret them and what changes in their representation have occurred in the development of Anthropology. Human skeletal collections and the collection of facial casts "Lidio Cipriani"

Federico Fanti (2 CFU: 1 lecture and 1 lab) - Museum Collections of Geology and Paleontology

Topics: Museums of Geological and Paleontological, and Mineralogical Disciplines. From the legacy of the Wunderkammer to the scientific vision of Ulisse Aldrovandi. The communicative challenges of university history museums.

Valeria Franceschini (2 CFU: 1 lecture and 1 lab) - Museum Collections of Comparative Anatomy.

Topics: Comparative Anatomy Collections. Hands-on activities for setting up preparations, multimedia materials and/or videos for museum outreach and dissemination activities on the topic of evolution.

Marta Galloni (2 CFU: 1 lecture and 1 lab) - Botanical Garden and Herbarium

Topics: Botanical Garden and Herbarium. Hands-on activities to explain diversity, evolution and classification of plants. The herbarium and the scientific importance of exsiccata collections. The botanical garden and the current diversity of vascular plants, with special reference to angiosperms.

Fausto Tinti (2 CFU: 1 lecture and 1 lab) - Museum Collections of Zoology

Topics: Zoology Collections. Hands-on activities to learn molecular techniques (DNA extraction) and their use for phylogenetic reconstructions on museum specimens from Zoology collections.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

Readings/Bibliography

Lecture Slides 

Scientific papers

MG Belcastro, G Manzi, J Moggi (a cura di) QUEL CHE RESTA - Scheletri e altri resti umani come beni culturali. Ed. Il Mulino, Bologna (in uscita ad ottobre)

Laurajane Smith - Uses of Heritage. Routledge Tailor & Francis Group, London and New York, 2006

Teaching methods

Theoretical and practical activities.

 

The course participates in the University's teaching innovation project (integrative digital teaching - DDI)

Assessment methods

To verify the activities carried out, the student should produce a written paper on a topic related to a theoretical/practical museum experience of interest and agreed upon with the lecturers

Teaching tools

Video projector and PC. Museum collections will be used for hands-on activities.

Office hours

See the website of Maria Giovanna Belcastro

See the website of Marta Galloni

See the website of Fausto Tinti

See the website of Valeria Franceschini

See the website of Federico Fanti