Obermann Special Topics Seminar: What Can Museums Become? — Spring 2020

Graduate Seminar 
What Can Museums Become?
GRAD:7280
Primary Instructor: Teresa Mangum
Team Teachers: Jennifer Buckley and Joyce Tsai
Click the course title above to view the course description.

Museums have never been mere containers for objects, nor should they be. What Can Museums Become?, the Obermann Humanities Symposium (March 5–7, 2020), asks: How might we draw strength from existing institutions to enable vibrant futures? How can we expand the communities who feel a sense of belonging within and around museums?  What must we confront and transform to make this possible? This seminar prepares students to participate in the Symposium through a selection of relevant readings, a site visit, and an object-based study session.

The course entails three meetings prior to the symposium, attendance at the symposium, and one follow-up meeting. 

The course meets from 4-5:30 pm on the following Fridays: 1/24, 2/21, and 3/27, plus a World Canvass session from 5:30–7 pm on Thursday, 2/6. Full participation in the conference (March 5-7) is required.