Museology and Museum Studies

Academic Year 2024/2025 - Teacher: ROSALBA PANVINI

Expected Learning Outcomes

According to the Dublin descriptors students should, at the end of the course, acquire:

1) Knowledge and understanding of museum institutions, the administrative organisation of museums, the main elements of the Lex museologica, the origins of collecting and the establishment of public collections, and finally good practices of usability and accessibility. 

2) Ability to apply knowledge and understanding to the arrangement and organisation of exhibitions and to the realisation of educational workshops.

3) Autonomy of judgement: to enable students to recognise conservation and quality standards and to be able to apply them appropriately. 

4) Communication skills: by means of slides demonstrate that they are able to enhance the collections and know how to promote them appropriately. 

5) Learning skills: students will be involved during the lectures to check their learning status and will also be encouraged to study the relevant bibliography in depth.

Course Structure

Formal Lectures or distance learning if necessary. 
Should teaching be carried out in mixed mode or remotely, it may be necessary to introduce changes with respect to previous statements, in line with the programme planned and outlined in the Syllabus.
 

Required Prerequisites

To have attended disciplines in the fields of history and archaeology in order to have acquired the essential terminology.

Attendance of Lessons

Lectures or equivalent activities: 36 hours. 

Detailed Course Content

Museum Institutions, elements of Museum Laws; Quality and Preservation Standards; Origins of Collectionism and the Foundation of Public Collections. Museum Administrative Organization. Didactic Workshops. Valorisation and Promotion of Collections. Usability and accessibility. 

Textbook Information

1) M. V. Marini Clarelli, What is a museum ?, Carocci 2005;

2) M. C. Ciaccheri - F. Fornasari, The museum for all. Good accessibility practices, La meridiana 2022;

3) A. R. Palmieri, Elements of Museum Education. An introductory profile, Stamen 2017;

4) L. Cataldo - M. Paraventi, The Museum today. Guidelines for a contemporary museology, Hoepli 2023;

5) M. L. Tomea Gavazzoli, Handbook of Museology, Etas 2005;

6) L. Zerbini (a cura di) Museum Didactics, Aracne 2006.

In the course of the lectures, the lecturer will distribute photocopied handouts.

Course Planning

 SubjectsText References
1The origins of collecting and the establishment of public collections. Museum institutions; administrative organisation of museums. M.V. Marini Clarelli, What is a museum?, Carocci 2005, pp. 9-122.
2Usability and accessibility elements.M. C. Ciaccheri - F. Fornasari, The museum for all. Good accessibility practices, La meridiana 2022, pp. 1-114.
3Elements of museological lex; conservation and quality standards; the enhancement of collections and their promotion.M.L. Tomea Gavazzoli, Handbook of Museology, Etas 2005, pp. 15-165.
4Didactic MethodologyL. Cataldo - M. Paraventi, The Museum today. Guidelines for a contemporary museology, Hoepli 2023, pp. 1-320.
5Museum didactics. Educational workshops.A. R. Palmieri, Elements of Museum Education. An introductory profile, Stamen 2017, pp. 1-66; L. Zerbini (a cura di), Museum Didactics, Aracne 2006, pp. 9-191.

Learning Assessment

Learning Assessment Procedures

Traditional. The learning assessment may also be carried out electronically, should conditions require it.

Examples of frequently asked questions and / or exercises

Criteria for organising an exhibition route