Museum Studies

Courses

MUSE 114: Archaeological Theory, Method, and Practice

Credits 3

This course provides an introduction to the history of archaeological thought and to basic principles of archaeological research. Students will explore the foundations of the discipline as they "tour" major archaeological sites and cultures. Learning activities will focus on artifact and site analyses that teach the basics of archaeological interpretation with a goal of understanding how material remains and archaeological evidence offers a unique perspective on human history and everyday life.

MUSE 115: Art Context & Meaning

Credits 4
Presents an introduction of world architecture, painting and sculpture from prehistoric times to the 14th century. Draws from a variety of academic disciplines and is designed to increase appreciation and understanding of art as it relates to its cultural context. Develops critical thinking and analytical skills in response to visual experience.

MUSE 116: Art: Context and Meaning II

Credits 3
Presents an introduction of world architecture, painting and sculpture from the Renaissance to the present. Draws from a variety of academic disciplines and is designed to increase appreciation and understanding of art as it relates to its cultural context. Develops critical thinking and analytical skills in response to visual experience.

MUSE 204: American Cultures of Memory: Monuments, Memorials, Souvenirs

Credits 4
This course explores the role of memory, monuments and commemoration in American civic life throughout the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries. Examining a number of key sites, events and individuals that have been the subject of commemoration, we consider the role of visual culture in the establishment of historical narrative and the construction of national identity. Objects of study will include statues, battlefields, gathering places, national parks, photos, paintings and souvenirs.

MUSE 210: Applied Museum Marketing and Communications

Credits 1 3
Students in this applied team use their communication and marketing skills by communicating with our communities through regular webpage, blog, Facebook and Twitter updates; coordinating with local press, including newspapers, for coverage of events; creating and distributing other advertisements around campus and Richmond; preparing an annual newsletter; and preparing a report covering the semester's marketing activities and their efficacy (including a comparative analysis of data related to web traffic and visitor attendance) and suggesting future directions (due during exam week each semester or prior to a JMM Advisory Board meeting). Members undergo IT training for managing Earlham-based web pages, and read and sign our Social Media Policy.

MUSE 214: National Museum Tour Guide Certification

Credits 2
Do you want to teach kids, give museum tours, become a better speaker, and/or lead outdoor trips? This two-credit course is designed for anyone who wants to lead educational programs for the public or school groups in settings outside of a classroom. It combines both the theoretical foundations of the interpretive profession with practical skills in delivering quality educational programming for visitors to parks, museums, libraries and other cultural institutions. We will learn about the history, definition, and principles of interpretation; universal design and inclusive practices; making your programs purposeful, enjoyable, relevant, organized, and thematic; using tangible objects to connect audiences to intangible ideas and universal concepts; and presentation and communication skills. Students will complete the requirements to become a Certified Interpretive Guide through the National Association of Interpretation (official certification from the national board requires an additional fee, though students may also take the course without becoming certified). The course will involve highly active, hands-on learning, and field trips to informal education sites such as museums and nature centers (as allowable per covid-19 restrictions in 2021). The course will culminate with students designing and leading an interactive educational station/program for a public audience.

MUSE 224: The Uses and Abuses of Museums

Credits 3
An inquiry into the development, philosophy and management of museums, especially as they relate to education, interpretation, research and conservation. Through lectures, discussions and field trips, students investigate science, natural history, art and history museums.

MUSE 231: Museum Fabrication

Credits 1 3
Students in this applied team decreate and maintain objects used for exhibits, research projects, and education that support the Joseph Moore Museum. Students develop skills in project deteamwork, 3-D fabrication, degraphics, structures, woodworking, metalwork, scientific illustration and more. The team meets weekly, and members undergo training and certification on large equipment and hand tools.

MUSE 239: Material Culture Studies

Credits 4

Material Culture Studies explores how museums can interpret human-mediated objects. We will take an interdisciplinary approach to understanding humans and their things which can include everything from buildings and architecture to clothes and jewelry to sporting goods and everything in between. Objects are essential for humans --we use them to shape our world and give it meaning. In this class we focus on the interpretation of objects in historical and anthropological collections with some reference to art collections and archives.

MUSE 242: Collections Care and Management

Credits 4

Collections Care and Management introduces core concepts in preserving biological, art, and historical materials in museum settings. The class will explore physical agents of deterioration, basic object conservation, current trends in data science and digitization in museums, and legal and ethical considerations for collections acquisition and care in domestic and international settings. Inclusive collections practices are emphasized. Students will complete projects in the cultural and biological collections of the Joseph Moore Museum.

MUSE 315: Engaging Audiences with Outreach and Interpretation

Credits 4
Do you want to teach kids, give museum tours, become a better speaker, and/or lead outdoor trips? This four-credit course is designed for anyone who wants to lead educational programs for the public or school groups, particularly in settings outside of a classroom. It combines the theoretical foundations of the interpretive profession and the science of teaching and learning with practical skills in delivering quality educational programming for visitors to parks, museums, libraries and other cultural institutions. We will learn about the history, definition, and principles of interpretation; making your programs purposeful, enjoyable, relevant, organized, and thematic; using tangible objects to connect audiences to intangible ideas and universal concepts; audience evaluation; the science of how people learn; reflecting on your teaching practice; presentation and communication skills. Students will complete the requirements to become a Certified Interpretive Guide through the National Association of Interpretation (official certification from the national board requires an additional fee, though students may also take the course without becoming certified). The course will involve highly active, hands-on learning, and field trips to informal education sites such as museums and nature centers. Major projects include designing and leading interactive educational stations/programs for an external audience, design of educational materials, and audience evaluation. This course satisfies requirements for the Museum Studies and Environmental Sustainability Majors.

MUSE 317: Museum Exhibit Design

Credits 3
This course introduces the principles of exhibition design. It will examine the role exhibitions have in communicating knowledge and explore a number of design techniques across disciplines. Students will consider the entire process from initial concept through research, design and fabrication with a considerable focus on narrative aspects of exhibition story telling and the various techniques available to enhance visitor experiences. Techniques for engaging diverse audiences including technology, furniture and lighting, flow, and programming will be considered. Includes lab period. MUSE 224 or another MUSE course is recommended.

MUSE 347: The Body in Modern & Contemporary Art

Credits 4

This course examines the use of human bodies as subject matter, canvas, artistic material, and creative agent across the modern and contemporary eras. Using theoretical approaches from critical race studies, disability studies, queer theory, and feminist theory, we will consider how concepts of the body influence ideas of artistic agency and museum display. Objects of study will include painting, sculpture, photography, performance, installation, video, and participatory art.

MUSE 359: Great Discoveries in Natural History Collections

Credits 4
Biological collections have underlaid major discoveries in public health, materials science, global and local biodiversity change and more. It was analysis of a hundred years of museum egg collections that provided the evidence that DDT, DDE and dieldrin were destroying bird populations by weakening egg shells, as described in Rachel Carson's landmark book, Silent Spring. The source of pathogen outbreaks from hantavirus to West Nile virus to coronavirus have been tracked using museum collections, informing public health initiatives critical to human safety. Learn about the scientific treasure trove in natural history museums where a specimen contains signatures of nutrients, heavy metals, pollinator interactions, predation, mimicry, mutualism, disease, migration, physiological processes and more. In this course, students will read primary scientific research using museum collections, design and conduct research using data from museum specimens and write a grant proposal detailing the design of your own collections-based research project. This course is designed to benefit from students' pre-class preparation via readings and videos, with classroom sessions devoted to hands-on activities and team-based learning. Because students will read scientific articles, they should feel comfortable with reading scientific papers and with ecological and evolutionary content covered in BIOL 111.

MUSE 370: That Belongs in a Museum!

Credits 3

In an iconic scene in Indiana Jones: Last Crusade, Indiana Jones mutters the famous phrase, “That belongs in a museum!” when a relic is forcibly taken from him. Though the scene is Hollywood fiction, it does serve to highlight real tensions that exist in our culture surrounding antiquities. Simultaneously viewed as objects of material, cultural and aesthetic value, ancient objects occupy a nebulous space in the collective imagination. This course is designed to introduce students to the types of artifacts that survive from antiquity and to explore some of the special challenges associated with antiquities collections. Students will become familiar with the most common materials and methods used in antiquity to create artifacts, develop an understanding of the archaeological processes of deposition, excavation and on-site processing of objects, and study a range of issues associated with the conservation, storage, display and publication of ancient artifacts by museums and universities.

MUSE 402: Curatorial Practicum

Credits 3
The student(s) will gain experience in many facets of museum practice including art handling, documentation, research, writing and presentation Working one-on-one with the Curator of the Earlham Art Collection, each student will select a group of works from the Collection to study. The course will culminate in curated presentation and discussion. Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor.

MUSE 485: Independent Study

Credits 1 3

Investigation of a specific topic conceived and planned by the student in consultation with a faculty supervisor. Culminates in a comprehensive report prepared in the style of a thesis or research paper.

MUSE 486: Independent Student Research

Credits 1 3

An investigation of a specific topic conceived and planned by the student in consultation with a faculty supervisor. Culminates in a museum exhibit, design or comprehensive report prepared in the style of a thesis or a scientific paper.

MUSE 486: Student Research

Credits 1 3

An investigation of a specific topic conceived and planned by the student in consultation with a faculty supervisor. Culminates in a museum exhibit, design or comprehensive report prepared in the style of a thesis or a scientific paper.