HIST 430B - Museum Learning

(3 units) CO13, CO14

Explore the central role of learning in the mission of museums and analyze designs for informal learning in various museum contexts with particular emphasis on humanistic institutions: heritage sites, sites of conscience, history and art museums, and museums with anthropological focus. Participate in a collaborative museum learning project with a regional museum to apply research and museum learning theory and meet partner institution expectations for the design and delivery of the project.

Maximum units a student may earn: 3

Prerequisite(s): General Education courses (CO1-CO3) completed; at least 3 courses from CO4-CO8 completed; Junior or Senior standing. Recommended Preparation: HIST 309 or ANTH 309; HIST 310 or HIST 311.

Grading Basis: Graded
Units of Lecture: 3
Offered: Every Fall - Odd Years

Student Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:
1. articulate critical elements of a theory of museum-based informal learning and explain important considerations related to physical and cognitive accessibility.
2. contextualize the contemporary museological focus on informal and participatory learning and shared authority within the larger cultural history of museums and the design of their exhibits.
3. critically analyze and contextualize key texts related to the historical development of and current practice of museum-based informal learning design, especially in the Humanities, and apply their conclusions to the design of a collaborative project.
4. work in a professional manner with colleagues, mentors, and community partners through an iterative design process to guide to completion a semester-long, collaborative, humanities-focused service-learning project at a museum or similar institution.
5. apply knowledge, research, pedagogical (eg. dialogic), and writing skills developed in previous history and / or related courses to a collaborative, humanities-focused service-learning project at a museum or similar institution.
6. apply and integrate core design principles for museum learning, including universal design, in a collaborative, humanities-focused service-learning project at a museum or similar institution.
7. critically reflect on the collaborative project integrating their knowledge, theoretical perspectives gained through participation in the class, and feedback from professional partners into a final concluding essay.

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