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Art History
600 |
| This course critically
analyzes how the museum enterprise operates as a social agent in both reflecting
and informing public culture. Students will gain an understanding of historical
and current trends in museum studies and how these movements are informed
by shifting professional and popular standards. The significance of the
object in various cultural contexts will be examined for evidence of paradigmatic
core values.
Topics include the collection and display of human beings as objects, the art/artifact debate, racist memorabilia, identity construction, indigenous curation methods, commodification and consumerism, repatriation, censorship and contested ideas about authenticity and authority. Case studies are drawn primarily from The United States and Canada and include the plantation museum, American Indian cultural centers, lynching postcards, Japanese internment camps and performance art. The relationship of the museum to a diverse public with often contested agendas will be explored through class discussions, independent student projects and written assignments. |