Assignment 1: Communities and stakeholders

Due: September 24, 2009 (submit by e-mail to Dr. Zimmerman and post to OnCourse Forum)

Points: 10

Length: (about 3 pages/ 750 words)

Directions:

This reflective essay (not a research paper!) asks you to respond to the questions: 1) "What is a community?” 2) “Who are stakeholders?" 3) “What rights should they have to their heritage?” Consider the communities to which you are now, or at sometime have been, a stakeholder, particularly those that have a heritage of which they might be proud or at least in which they are interested. As part of this, you should offer your own definitions of community and stakeholders, then do a brief analysis of  at least one of these communities. Do you think members would be upset if their heritage were misrepresented by outsiders or if they weren’t consulted about it? Has that ever happened? If so, what reaction did they have? If not, what reaction do you think they would have?

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Assignment 2: Museums and Conscience

Due: October 29, 2009 (submit Dr. Zimmerman and post to OnCourse forum)

Points: 10

Length: (3 pages/ 750 words)

Directions: This reflective essay asks you to respond to the question, "What is a museum of conscience?" You may draw on the authors we have read and the museums you’ve visited, but you should be sure to consult the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience as one of your sources http://www.sitesofconscience.org/en/.  In addition to submitting your essay for me to read, please post it to OnCourse so your colleagues in the class can read it and we can refer to our different perspectives during the discussion of the panels in the last class.

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Assignment 3: Why Museums Matter

Due: November 19, 2009 (submit by e-mail to Dr. Zimmerman and post on OnCourse forum)

Points: 15

Length: (3 pages/750 words)

Directions: This reflective essay asks you to respond to two questions: “Why do museums matter?” and “How do I want my work to matter for museums and their communities?” You may draw on the authors we have read and the museums you’ve visited, as well as other sources that have inspired or discouraged you. In addition to submitting your essay for me to read, please post it to OnCourse so your colleagues in the class can read it and we can refer to our different perspectives during the discussion of the panels in the last class.

Assignment #4: A403 Museum Analysis PowerPoint Presentation Guidelines

Overview

During the semester each of you will work independently or in small groups on a research project. The theme will relate to readings, issues, and case studies explored together in class, but your individual project will take you deeply into a particular institution’s history and will involve reading in primary and secondary sources that are relevant to your particular topic. (If small groups decide to collaborate, all students will receive the same grade and the project should show the amount of work that might be done by multiples students, i.e., if three students work together, you might expect it to be the detail of research—not necessarily length—that three people would produce.)

Objectives

• To build your  skills in research, writing, and oral presentation

• To deepen your knowledge in the history of museums

• To develop your  skills in analyzing and interpreting museum practices, particularly the political and cultural contexts of representing the past

Assignment

·     Select a museum or related cultural institution (such as an historical society or tribal cultural center) anywhere in the world that is at least 5 years old. Be sure you will have access to enough sources to conduct the research.

·     Investigate primary and secondary sources to gather information about the institution’s mission, history, role in its community over time, and the nature of its collections, exhibitions, and programs.

·     Based on your research, prepare a 5-15 slide PowerPoint presentation taking no more than 7-10 minutes to present, analyzing the institution’s structure, impact, and relevance on its community. Depending on the context of the museum, you can define “community” however you want – the local community, descendant community, the museum profession, the discipline (art, history, etc.), the nation, the industry, etc. Note:  the PowerPoint should not be a straight chronological narrative of the museum’s history. You may include a timeline or short summary of the institutional history, but the main part of your work should be analytical. Do include images where pertinent, and do include an additional slide or two at the end with your sources. Use the Notes fields on PowerPoints (At the bottom you’ll see Click to Add Notes) to provide additional information. This is not meant to be a formal research paper, but it is meant to provide information about a range of museums within the framework presented in the class.

·     Post your PowerPoint on the OnCourse Forum

Schedule

Sept. 17      Submit institution name and names of team members if working collaboratively. To ensure there is no duplication of museums, please post your selections to OnCourse no later than this date. Before you post, check to see what your classmates have chosen. First come, first served.

Oct. 1          Submit preliminary list of sources and annotated bibliography of at least 5 key sources. Be certain that at least some of these are not web sites!

Nov. 19       Submit a draft of your PPT to Dr. Zimmerman for comments

Dec. 3          PowerPoint presentations in first half of class (During second half we will attend grad student presentations).

Dec. 10       Remaining PowerPoint presentations.  All final PowerPoints to be posted on Oncourse.

 

General points

·       Research skills are a significant part of a museum  education.  This assignment requires the identifying a museum of interest, locating appropriate sources, collecting relevant information, critically analyzing the information or data, and communicating that research in a formal presentation that incorporates text and images. This research process of finding and synthesizing information and communicating it visually in meaningful ways is a critical skill for museum work.

·       This assignment requires you to work relatively independently. It assumes that, as an advanced undergraduate student (it is a 400 level class!) , you have basic research skills (how to locate and properly cite relevant sources, develop logical outlines, present ideas clearly and persuasively).  If there are skills, such as PowerPoint, that you feel you would like more guidance on or if you just want to talk through your ideas or challenges of your research project, feel free to meet with me.  The Writing Center (Cavanaugh 4^th floor) is also an excellent resource as are the reference librarians at the University Library.

·       This isn’t a formal research paper, but it is similar to the way ideas would be presented as part of a museum team in preparation of an exhibition, museum planning, or museum assessment.

·       You might also find that it can be fun!