Modules
Courses / Modules / ARCH6421 Museums in the Modern World

Museums in the Modern World

When you'll study it
Semester 2
CATS points
15
ECTS points
7.5
Level
Level 7
Module lead
Stephanie Moser
Academic year
2025-26

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.