Module overview
This module examines the past, present and future of museum and heritage communication. It will explore the ever-changing purposes and practices espoused by and employed by heritage bodies, particularly museums, with a primary but not exclusive focus on UK institutions. The broad contextual study of the heritage dynamic will encompass the development of heritage communication, public engagement with the past and the debates around authority, protection and control. This context will provide the background to more detailed case studies, including fieldtrips as well as practical activity linked to the construction of interpretive schemes. The theoretical frameworks that underpin the construction of such interpretive schemes will be examined, as well as the shifting political, social and economic contexts that drive the delivery of heritage interpretation. Note, this module cannot be taken by students who have completed ARCH3017: Presenting the Past, and vice versa.
Aims and Objectives
Learning Outcomes
Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- plan, develop and implement creative solutions to heritage issues through the application of appropriate skills and interpretative frameworks;
- apply, with critical awareness, appropriate theoretical frameworks and practical approaches to relevant debates;
- critique and present your own evaluation, analysis and synthesis of key issues relating to cultural heritage;
- integrate the results from your own research or fieldwork with that of others to answer specific questions;
- critique museum presentations and prepare exhibition design proposals for non-professional audiences.
Knowledge and Understanding
Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:
- an awareness of museum policy frameworks and funding;
- an understanding of the history of museums and their place in the modern world;
- an understanding of the professional context of museums;
- an understanding of the theoretical frameworks underpinning heritage interpretation and presentation;
- an understanding of the practical processes required to deliver exhibitions in museums.
Transferable and Generic Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- work effectively alone and/or as part of a team to meet deadlines and reflect on own or others' functioning in order to improve practice;
- evaluate evidence on paper or in the field;
- apply and develop key skills in critical thinking and analysis, written communication, information-handling and professional presentation;
Syllabus
Heritage communication and presentation in the past; the birth of the museum; museums in the modern world; theoretical developments underpinning heritage interpretation and presentation; debates around value; protecting whilst presenting the past; policies and funding; implementing an interpretive scheme.
Learning and Teaching
Teaching and learning methods
Lectures
Seminars
Field trip to a museum
| Type | Hours |
|---|---|
| Lecture | 10 |
| Practical classes and workshops | 12 |
| Seminar | 12 |
| Preparation for scheduled sessions | 44 |
| Completion of assessment task | 60 |
| External visits | 12 |
| Total study time | 150 |
Resources & Reading list
Textbooks
Lord, B and G. Lord. (eds) (2002). The Manual of Museum Exhibitions. Walnut Creek CA: Altamira Press.
Dean, D. (1997). Museum Exhibition. Theory and practice.. London: Routledge.
Ambrose, T. and C. Paine. (2012). Museum Basics. London: Routledge.
Black, G. (2012). Transforming Museums in the twenty-first Century. London: Routledge.
Marstine, J. (ed.) (2006). New Museum Theory and Practice. Oxford: Blackwell.
Assessment
Assessment strategy
Formative
This module has been designed around providing formative feedback within the classroom environment through the provision of student-led seminars and formative input to the development of an interpretive scheme. This will allow students to receive formative feedback in advance of the summative assessment of the interpretive scheme.
Summative
There is one assessed essay which allows students to select an area of heritage communication/interpretation that they would like to explore.
The interpretive scheme gives students the opportunity to interpret and present heritage for museum displays and exhibitions.
Summative
This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Essay | 40% |
| Project | 60% |
Referral
This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Extended Essay | 100% |
Repeat
An internal repeat is where you take all of your modules again, including any you passed. An external repeat is where you only re-take the modules you failed.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Project | 60% |
| Essay | 40% |
Repeat Information
Repeat type: Internal & External