Skip navigation to main content

You are here: UNE Home / Course and Unit Catalogue / 2013 / A-Z / HIST337

Sub sections:

Quick Search

Quick Links

Year:

HIST337 History and Museums

Credit Points 6
Offering
Responsible Campus Teaching Period Mode of Study
Armidale Trimester 2 Off Campus
Intensive School(s) None
Supervised Exam There is no UNE Supervised Examination.
Pre-requisites 12cp in ANCH or ASST or ECON (units with a 4 or 5 as second digit [denoting ECON HIST] only) or HIST or candidature in BArch(Hons) or candidature in a postgraduate award
Co-requisites None
Restrictions HIST237 or LOCH227 or LOCH228 or LOCH427
Notes

offered in odd numbered years
Combined Units None
Coordinator(s) Janis Wilton (jwilton@une.edu.au)
Unit Description

Museums play a central role in collecting, conserving and presenting our natural and cultural heritage, and in educating people from all walks of life. Their focus moves between the past, present and future. This unit prepares students to take an active role in the curatorial practices involved in presenting history and heritage in museums. It requires them to become familiar with the processes involved in researching, collecting, documenting, conserving, analysing and presenting material culture, and establishes an appreciation of the steps involved in exhibition planning.
Materials Textbook information will be displayed approximately 8 weeks prior to the commencement of the teaching period. Please note that textbook requirements may vary from one teaching period to the next.
Disclaimer Unit information may be subject to change prior to commencement of the teaching period.
Assessment Assessment information will be published prior to commencement of the teaching period.
Learning Outcomes (LO) Upon completion of this unit, students will be able to:
  1. appreciate more fully the central role of museums in collecting, conserving and presenting cultural heritage;
  2. have a greater understanding of the variety of skills and procedures required to ensure the efficient and effective management and curatorship of history museums, collections and exhibitions;
  3. apply some of the skills required for good museum practice; and
  4. have some of the background knowledge and skills to seek work (paid or voluntary) in history museums.

Graduate Attributes (GA)
Attribute Taught Assessed Practised
1 Knowledge of a Discipline
Students will become familiar with key aspects of museology. Discipline knowledge will be provided through study guide materials, online discussions, electronic resources, museum visits, and assessment tasks designed to enhance and extend student awareness of key aspects of museum and curatorial practices for historians. 		True True
2 Communication Skills
Students will be taught communication skills through feedback on assignments. They will learn valuable participation in the online discussion board. Students will be assessed on the style of writing and clarity of writing, expression and development of ideas, and referencing. Students will practise their communication skills through completing the assessment tasks. 		True True True
3 Global Perspectives
Students are required to locate developments in the history and nature of museums in a global context, and to evaluate the practices in specific museums against this background. They are also required to become familiar with culturally appropriate and sensitive ways to develop and promote cross-cultural themes and awareness in the museum environment. 		True True
4 Information Literacy
Students will be directed to relevant literature on museology and how to assess its validity, and they will be required to visit and assess museums and their collections. Students will be assessed on their ability to critically analyse the literature and their encounters with museums. 		True True True
5 Life-Long Learning
This unit will promote lifelong learning through its emphasis on competencies in research, analysis and writing, skills that students will ideally continue to develop beyond the duration of their course. It will also encourage students to become much more aware of the role of museums in collecting and presenting cultural heritage, and should encourage a life long desire to visit and evaluate museums as cultural institutions. 		True
6 Problem Solving
Students are taught how toresearch, evaluate and present the insights that can be gained from the collection, conservation and exhibition of cultural materials. They learn specific problem solving skills involved in identifying relevant sources and information, and in piecing together the information into coherent stories and analyses. 		True True True
7 Social Responsibility
By highlighting the popularity of museums as sites for visitors and by illustrating the ways in which poor museum practices can offend, distress or provide distorted views, students will be introduced to the importance of social awareness and ethical issues in museum practice. 		True
8 Team Work
Students will practise their teamwork skills through participating in online discussion postings. They will be required to discuss the weekly topics with their fellow students in a thoughtful and respectful manner. 		True
   

Email to a friend