93151 - MUSEUM STUDIES (LM)

Conoscenze e abilità da conseguire

By the end of the course students will have studied museum history from being an institutional container for a collection, up to the idea of the modern archaeological museum with its complex organization. They will know the rudiments of museum theory, legislation and marketing. By studying museum methods and practices they will have the tools and methodologies to design an exhibition, or translate a "museum idea" (Museum, exhibition or archaeological park) into concrete reality, bearing in mind the cultural, display and communication aspects. Finally, they will have the analytical tools to monitor the flow of visitors. They will be able to apply the theoretical-scientific concept of Museology, in its various meanings and multi-functional sense, to the complex problems related to public enjoyment of the Archaeological Cultural Heritage. They will be able to take part in a critical debate on the subject, based on their own direct experience. Finally, they will profit by knowledge derived from monitoring the flow of visitors to improve their own powers of curatorship.

Contenuti

This course aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the role of museums in society through the historical, cultural, and political contexts in which they operate. It will critically analyze the development and evolution of museums, their significance in shaping national identities, and their relationship with communities and difficult heritage. Moreover, it will focus on audience engagement in museums, as well as on the educational design for museum settings, while offering hands-on experience through in situ exercises in museums of Bologna.

This curriculum provides a multidisciplinary approach to museum studies, equipping students with both the theoretical frameworks and the practical skills necessary to understand and approach the museum sector. It focuses mainly, but not exclusively, on the follwoing contents:

1. Introduction to Museum Studies (overview of key theories and methodologies in museum practices).

2. History of Museums (development of museums from cabinets of curiosities to contemporary institutions).

3. Museums and National Identity (the contribution of museums to the construction of national narratives in Europe and beyond).

4. International Organizations and Museums (the role of UNESCO and ICOM: definitions and practices).

5. Sensitive Topics and Difficult Heritage in Museums (how do museums address difficult or controversial issues, complex histories and contested narratives).

6. Communities and Museums (the role of museums in community engagement, representation, and participatory practices).

7. Audience Engagement in Museums (strategies for fostering meaningful connections with diverse audiences, addressing visitor needs, and researching the non-audience).

8. Oral History in Museum Exhibitions (how and why do we use oral histories to enrich museum narratives and provide platforms for marginalized voices).

9. Museum Education and Educational Design (principles of educational theory and practice as applied in museum settings, focusing on creating effective learning experiences).

10. Practical In Situ Exercises in Museums (students will engage in fieldwork and museum visits to apply theoretical knowledge in real-world contexts).

Testi/Bibliografia

1. Introduction to Museum Studies

   • Messias Carbonell B. (2014). Museum Studies: An Anthology of Contexts. New York: Wiley-Blackwell, 2nd edition.
   • Macdonald, S. (2013). A Companion to Museum Studies. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell.
   • Karp, I. & Lavine, S. D. (1991). Exhibiting Cultures: The Poetics and Politics of Museum Display. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press.

2. History of Museums

   • Simmons, J. E. (2016). Museums: a History. Maryland: Rowman and Littlefield.
   • Bennett, T. (1995). The Birth of the Museum: History, Theory, Politics. New York: Routledge.
   • Hooper-Greenhill, E. (1992). Museums and the Shaping of Knowledge. London: Routledge.

3. Museums and National Identity

   • McLean, F. (2015). Museums and National Identity. Museum & Society, 3(1), 1–4. https://doi.org/10.29311/mas.v3i1.60
   • Knell, S. Aronson, P., Amundsen, A. (2011). National Museums: New Studies from Around the World. London and NY: Routledge.

4. International Organizations and Museums

   • ICOM (2007). Museum Definition. Available at: ICOM Website [https://icom.museum/en/] .
   • UNESCO (2003). Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. Paris: UNESCO Publishing.
   • Desvallées, A. and Mairesse, F. (2010). Key Concepts of Museology. Museum Studies: An Introduction. ICOM.
   • Mairesse, F. (2023). Dictionary of Museology. ICOM.

5. Sensitive Topics and Difficult Heritage in Museums

   • Thomas, S. (2021). Representing difficult histories and contested heritage in museums. In N. Robbins, S. Thomas, M. Tuominen & A. Wessman (eds), Museum Studies - a Bridge between Theory and Practice. ICOFOM, pp. 532-545.
   • Macdonald, S. (2009). Difficult Heritage
     Negotiating the Nazi Past in Nuremberg and Beyond. London and NY: Routledge.
     

6. Oral History in Museum Exhibitions

   • Cento Bull, A. and Reynolds, C. (2021). Uses of Oral History in Museums: A Tool for Agonism and Dissonance or Promoting a Linear Narrative? Museum and Society 19(3):283-300
   • Day, A. (1999). Listening Galleries: Putting Oral History on Display. Oral History 27(1): 91-96

7. Communities and Museums

   • Golding, V. and Modest, W. (2013). Museums and Communities: Curators, Collections and Collaboration. London and NY: Bloomsbury Academic.
   • Simon, N. (2010). The Participatory Museum. Santa Cruz, CA: Museum 2.0.

8. Audience Engagement in Museums

   • McSweeney, K. and Kavanagh, J. (2016). Museum Participation: New Directions for Audience Collaboration. Museumsetc.
   • Falk, J. H., & Dierking, L. D. (2000). Learning from Museums: Visitor Experiences and the Making of Meaning. Walnut Creek, CA: AltaMira Press.
     

9. Museum Education and Educational Design

   • Hooper-Greenhill, E. (2000). Museums and Education: Purpose, Pedagogy, Performance. New York: Routledge.
   • Hein, G. E. (1998). Learning in the Museum. London: Routledge.

10. Practical In Situ Exercises in Museums

    • Tilden, F. (2008). Interpreting Our Heritage (4th ed.). Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press.
    • Walsh, K. (1992). The Representation of the Past: Museums and Heritage in the Post-Modern World. New York: Routledge.

Metodi didattici

The Museum Studies course is structured around 15 2-hr sessions and the methods applied are lectures, online research, in-situ exercises and on-site museum visits, student presentations.

The success of the course highly depends on the preparedness and engagement of all students. Every student is expected to participate in each session's discussion and to come to class prepared!

Modalità di verifica e valutazione dell'apprendimento

The overall assessment for this course is comprised of three main components:

1. Participation (a) in class discussions and (b) in-situ museum exercises (contributing to the 20% of the final grade).

Every student is expected to do the in-class readings, to participate in each session's discussion questions, to join the in-situ museum exercises, and to come to class prepared!

2. Museum/exhibition group assessment:

After our in-situ exercises in museum spaces a final presentation takes place in class: students in groups critically assess the sites we visited in a 7-10 min power point presentation (contributing to the 20% of the final grade).

3. An individual final essay up to 2500 words (contributing to the 60% of the final grade).

Select a gallery of a museum that you have visited either in person or online and write a critical review of its displays.

Consider questions from all sections of the handout given to you by the course instructor, and support your analysis with selected bibliographical sources.

Structure your discussion around the theoretical parameters of one or more themes presented in class (e.g. national identity, decolonization, difficult heritage, visitor engagement etc).

The final essay must be delivered to the course coordinator on a word document via email. The submission deadline is at least one week ahead of the scheduled exam date.

Strumenti a supporto della didattica

Lectures will be taught through powerpoint prenentations that will be made available on the Virtuale platform.

Students who require specific services and adaptations to teaching activities due to a disability or specific learning disorders (SLD), must first contact the appropriate office: https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students.

Orario di ricevimento

Consulta il sito web di Eleni Stefanou