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Museum Studies

Courselist

  • MUSE E-100 Introduction to Museum Studies (Fall, Spring)
  • MUSE E-101 Graduate Research Methods and Scholarly Writing in Museum Studies (Fall, Spring)
  • MUSE E-105 Managing a Museum in Changing Times (Fall)
  • MUSE E-110 Museum Exhibition Content Development (Spring)
  • MUSE E-115 Collections and Curation (Fall)
  • MUSE E-120 Museum Education (Spring)
  • MUSE E-130/W Using Technology to Support the Nonprofit Mission (Spring)
  • MUSE E-150 The Role of Museums in History (Spring)
MUSE E-100 Introduction to Museum Studies
Fall term (10207)
Katherine Burton Jones, MA, Research Advisor and Internship Coordinator, Museum Studies, Harvard Extension School.
Shelley N. Monaghan, CMS, Consultant.
Tuesdays beginning Aug. 30, 5:30-7:30 pm. Optional sections to be arranged.
Course tuition: noncredit $1,025, undergraduate credit $1,025, graduate credit $1,950.
Online option available. Lecture 1 video.
Website Printable version
Spring term (21989)
Sara Schechner, PhD, David P. Wheatland Curator of the Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments, Harvard University.
Shelley N. Monaghan, CMS, Consultant.
Wednesdays beginning Jan. 25, 5:30-7:30 pm. Optional sections to be arranged.
Course tuition: noncredit $975, undergraduate credit $975, graduate credit $1,900.
Syllabus Printable version
This course provides a behind-the-scenes view of museums from the people who are actively involved in their operation. Students learn about the history and objectives of various types of museums (art, natural history, science, historical, zoological) through panel discussions that involve museum directors, curators, conservators, collection managers, and exhibit designers. The focus is the rich and diverse resources of Harvard University's museums, but there also are guest lecturers from other local museums. The course is required for students planning to apply to the Graduate Program in Museum Studies, but it is also appropriate for the avid museum-goer who desires a more comprehensive understanding of how museums function. (4 credits)
MUSE E-101 Graduate Research Methods and Scholarly Writing in Museum Studies
Fall term (12896)
Christina J. Hodge, PhD, Lecturer on Anthropology, Harvard University.
Mondays beginning Aug. 29, 5:30-7:30 pm.
Course tuition: graduate credit $1,900.
Students who do not have Harvard ID cards must purchase $100 special borrower's cards at Widener Library. Graduate proseminar. Limited enrollment.
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Spring term (23589)
Diana Loren, PhD, Lecturer on Anthropology, Harvard University.
Thursdays beginning Jan. 26, 5:30-7:30 pm.
Course tuition: graduate credit $1,900.
Students who do not have Harvard ID cards must purchase $100 special borrower's cards at Widener Library. Graduate proseminar. Limited enrollment.
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This proseminar explores the special research requirements of the museum professional, including tools needed for identifying and documenting collections, preparing background context for exhibits, and assembling information for grant proposals. We look at the preparation of bibliographies in a number of museum subject fields, including anthropology, art, history, and science. Prerequisites: a B or higher grade in MUSE E-100 and a satisfactory score on the mandatory test of critical reading and writing skills. In addition, at the first class meeting, students must complete a writing assignment that demonstrates graduate-level reading comprehension and ability to write coherent, logical arguments. (4 credits)
MUSE E-105 Managing a Museum in Changing Times
Fall term (13795)
Laura B. Roberts, MBA, Advisor, Museum Leadership, Bank Street College of Education.
Mondays beginning Aug. 29, 7:35-9:35 pm.
Course tuition: noncredit $975, undergraduate credit $975, graduate credit $1,900.
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The building blocks of museum management are relatively constant, but sustainability requires adaptation to a dynamic environment. We examine these fundamentals—leadership, marketing, assessment, financial management, resource development, among others—through the lens of change. What leadership qualities are needed in the global economy? How will the millennial generation of workers reshape a profession created by baby boomers? How has user-generated content altered the position of authority and connoisseurship we associate with museums (and value as professionals)? Can the approaches of venture philanthropy and social entrepreneurship work in this sector? How do changing definitions of cultural property affect our practice of assembling and interpreting collections? Does an increasingly diverse population expect or need the same services as our traditional audiences? What case is there to be made for museums in a strained economy? Prerequisite: MUSE E-100, or the equivalent. (4 credits)
MUSE E-110 Museum Exhibition Content Development
Spring term (20185)
Shelley N. Monaghan, CMS, Consultant.
Thursdays beginning Jan. 26, 5:30-7:30 pm.
Course tuition: noncredit $975, undergraduate credit $975, graduate credit $1,900.
Syllabus Printable version
All exhibitions start with a key concept that informs all decisions made in its development. This course explores the issues and processes involved in the development of that concept, and the planning of exhibition content in a variety of museum settings. Topics include the development of exhibition themes and educational goals, visitor engagement, intellectual and physical accessibility, universal design, working with designers, and exhibit evaluation methods. The course encourages students to acquire creative communication and problem-solving skills through assignments, workshops, and field trips. (4 credits)
MUSE E-115 Collections and Curation
Fall term (12166)
*** MUSE E-115 Fall term (12166) has been CANCELED. ***
This course investigates the formation of collections and their use by museums for educational and research purposes. It also examines the roles of those who care for collections. Topics addressed include acquisitions, cataloguing, documentation, ethics, interpretation, loans, registration, and research. (4 credits)
MUSE E-120 Museum Education
Spring term (23288)
Marion Wingfield, MEd, Consultant.
Roger Dell, MA, Director of Education, Farnsworth Art Museum.
Fridays beginning Jan. 27, 5:30-7:30 pm.
Course tuition: noncredit $975, undergraduate credit $975, graduate credit $1,900.
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This course is designed to introduce students to the basic tenets of teaching and learning in museums. The first part of the course examines how museums' initial educational roles evolved. The second part explores case studies of noteworthy museum education programs, including how audiences are built, evaluation is conducted, and individuals learn in the galleries. The last third of the course looks toward future museum education practices and issues. The course includes guest speakers and visits to local museums. Prerequisite: MUSE E-100 is strongly recommended. (4 credits)
MUSE E-130/W Using Technology to Support the Nonprofit Mission
Spring term (23583)
Katherine Burton Jones, MA, Research Advisor and Internship Coordinator, Museum Studies, Harvard Extension School.
Tuesdays beginning Jan. 24, 5:30-7:30 pm.
Course tuition: noncredit $975, undergraduate credit $975, graduate credit $1,900.
Writing-intensive course.
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The Internet has changed the way nonprofits deliver information to constituents and the general public. In this course, we explore the ways in which nonprofits use the web and social media to deliver programmatic content as well as how the web and social media are used in marketing, public relations, and fundraising. We also take a look at the back-of-house systems that museums rely on for their information infrastructure, providing an in-depth look at the use of databases and websites to further the organization's mission. Prerequisite: MUSE E-100 or equivalent museum experience. (4 credits)
MUSE E-150 The Role of Museums in History
Spring term (23626)
Mary Malloy, PhD, Associate, Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University and Professor, Maritime Studies, Sea Education Association.
Wednesdays beginning Jan. 25, 5:30-7:30 pm. Optional sections to be arranged.
Course tuition: noncredit $975, undergraduate credit $975, graduate credit $1,900.
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In the ancient world, a museum was a place where ideas were exchanged. Using that definition as a starting point, this course examines the intellectual life of museums beginning with concepts of collecting and cultural property in the medieval period. We look at how traders, pilgrims, and crusaders perceived objects they brought back to western Europe; how the organization of collections into taxonomic categories influenced science in the age of Enlightenment; how natural history, anthropology, and art museums contributed to the development of those subject fields; the gulf between the "learned societies" and the P. T. Barnums; how social changes in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries led to the rise of large public museums; and how museums are redefining themselves today as educational, social, and cultural institutions. (4 credits)

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