Presenting the past: Museums and Heritage

Module overview

In this module we will examine how knowledge about the past is presented in museum exhibition and display. We will look at current practices in exhibition design and discuss the contemporary literature on communicating heritage to a range of audiences. You will then work in groups and present an oral presentation prior to completion of an exhibition proposal on a subject or theme relating to archaeology and heritage.

Aims and Objectives

Learning Outcomes

Knowledge and Understanding

Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

the impact of museum exhibitions on the construction of knowledge
the power and importance of material culture in communicating ideas about cultures past and present
the problems of interpretation and presentation when communicating archaeology to non- professional audiences

Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

prepare exhibition design proposals for a non-professional audiences

Transferable and Generic Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

develop your time management skills
work as part of a team, where each team member makes a different contribution
develop your verbal presentation skills

Learning and Teaching

Teaching and learning methods

Teaching methods include: • Lectures to outline the theoretical framework and background to the subject • Group seminars to explore specific issues in the presentation of heritage and to help consolidate your knowledge • Museum visit to see real world examples of heritage presentation and to provide field data for group work. Learning activities include: • Preparation of essays • Preparation and performance of oral presentation • Participation in seminars • Presentation of updates on group work

Study time
Type	Hours
Lecture	16
Seminar	8
Preparation for scheduled sessions	38
Completion of assessment task	80
Fieldwork	8
Total study time	150

Resources & Reading list

Textbooks

Parry, R. (2010). Museums in a Digital Age. London: Routledge.

Kreps, C.F (2003). Liberating culture: cross-cultural perspectives on museums, curation, and heritage preservation. London: Routledge.

Lord, B and G. Lord. (eds) (2002). The Manual of Museum Exhibitions. Walnut Creek, CA: Altamira Press.

Sandell, R. (ed.) (2002). Museums, Society, Inequality. London: Routledge.

Ambrose, T. and C. Paine (2012). Museum Basics.. London: Routledge.

Dean, D. (1997). Museum Exhibition. Theory and practice. London: Routledge.

Moser, S. (2006). Wondrous Curiosities. Ancient Egypt at the British Museum. Chicago: Chicago University Press.

Falk, J.H. & L. Dierking (2000). Learning from Museums. Walnut Creek CA: Altamira Press.

Marstine, J. (ed.) (2006). New Museum Theory and Practice. Oxford: Blackwell.

Swain, H. (2009). An Introduction to Museum Archaeology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Assessment

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Essay	25%
Group presentation	10%
Group project report	65%

Repeat Information

Repeat type: Internal