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
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.