Introductory description

In this module you will explore the origins of museums and examine the relationship between museums and cultural policy in the UK. Using case studies and examples of museum practice, you will be supported to develop your understanding of the relationship of cultural and other public policies to the activities and priorities of museums of different types. Although we will focus on the British context, you will be encouraged to develop your knowledge of cultural policy and museum practice in other countries according to your interests. The module will enable you to appreciate the context within which museums operate, and the historical origins of contentious issues in the field today.

Module web page

Module aims

Outline syllabus

This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.

This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.

1. The origins of museums: class positioning and empire building
2. The relationship of museums to cultural policy: 'it's complicated'
3. The dilemma of the 'public museum': multiple accountabilities
4. The inclusive museum: the politics of representation
5. The participatory museum: engagement and co-production
6. The digital museum: what's new?
7. Commercialising museums: entrepreneurial practices and austerities
8. Decolonising the museum: can it be done?
9. Activist museums: new practices

Learning outcomes

By the end of the module, students should be able to:

• Understand the historical development of the museum sector in the UK and the key issues in the field
• Understand the key actors in UK cultural policy
• Demonstrate familiarity with the different types of museum and their relationship to cultural policy and other external influences
• Question the assumptions and values upon which cultural policies are based and develop a position on these based on engagement with academic debates
• Undertake effective research into cultural policy models in the UK and elsewhere
• Communicate understanding, arguments and ideas in writing
• Develop conceptual and independent thinking at an advanced level

Indicative reading list

Bennett. T. et al. Culture, Class and Distinction (London, Routledge, 2009)
Witcomb, A. (ed) Re-imagining the museum: beyond the mausoleum (London, Routledge, 2002)
Marstine, J. (edI The Routledge companion to museum ethics: redefining ethics for the twenty-first century museum; Bennett, T. The birth of the museum: history, theory, politics (London, Routledge, 1995)
Hill, K. Culture and Class in English Public Museums 1850-1914 (London, Routledge, 2016)
E. Alexander & M. Alexander, Museums in Motion: An Introduction to the History and Functions of Museums (Lanham, AltaMira Press, 2008)
M. Alivizatou, Intangible Heritage and the Museum: New Perspectives on Cultural Preservation (Walnut Creek, Left coast Press, 2012)
L. Bedford, The Art of Museum Exhibition: How Story and Imagination Create Aesthetic Experiences (Walnut Creek, Left Coast Press, 2014)
S. Bhatti, Translating Museums: A Counterhistory of South Asian Museology (Walnut Creek, Left Coast Press, 2012)
A. Desvallees & F. Mairesse (Eds), Key Concepts of Museology (Paris, Armand Colin, 2010)
A. Dewdney, D. Dibosa & V. Walsh, Post-Critical Museology: Theory and Practice in the Art Museum (Abingdon, Routledge, 2013)
J. Elsner & R. Cardinal (Eds), The Cultures of Collecting (London, Reaktion Books, 1994)
C. Gray, The Politics of Museums (Palgrave/Macmillan, 2015)
C. Gray & V. McCall, The Role of Today's Museum (Abingdon, Routledge, 2020)
R. Harrison, Heritage: Critical Approaches (Abingdon, Routledge, 2013)
O. Impey & A. Macgregor (Eds), The Origins of Museums: The Cabinet of Curiosities in Sixteenth and Seventeenth Century Europe (London, House of Stratus, [1985] 2001)
R. Janes, Museums and the Paradox of Change: A Case Study in Urgent Adaptation (3rd Ed, Abingdon, Routledge, 2013)
J. Mackenzie, Museums and Empire: Natural History, Human Cultures and Colonial Identities (Manchester, Manchester University Press, 2009)
R. Mason, A. Robinson & E. Coffield, Museum and Gallery Studies: The Basics (Abingdon, Routledge, 2018)
L. Smith, Uses of Heritage (Abingdon, Routledge, 2006)

Interdisciplinary

This module draws from museum studies; heritage studies; sociology; politics; economics; art history; cultural studies

International

This module is intended to support students to undertake their own research into cultural policy models from around the world, and compare them to British cases.

Subject specific skills

You will develop your awareness of the political context within which museums operate and the rationale of government policy in the cultural sector. Understanding the political context within which museums function will allow you to appreciate where trends in museum practice come from, and a historical perspective on museum development will mean you can put these trends in context. Examining the assumptions and values underpinning cultural policy will support you to become a reflective practitioner in the sector. Understanding how the museum sector is changing in response to a changing social and political context will enable you to think about the importance of professional and organisational values in the field.

Awareness of the interdisciplinary nature of museum and heritage work
Identification of the skill-sets required for museum and heritage work

Transferable skills

The module Outline states that:
The module will equip you with the necessary skills and knowledge to engage in academic debates on public institutions for management and strategy on museums.
It will enhance your ability to understand and situate existing policy, strategy, report and research publications, conducted by government agency research, advocates and consultancy research, and scholarly research.
It will enhance your skills in the processes and challenges of researching for cultural organisations (for strategy building, implementation, agenda-creation and communications, management and initiative-taking or enterprise initiatives).