American Studies 258 - Museums and Education

(Offered as EDST 258 and AMST 258.) All too often, when we think of education we think of the grammar of schooling—desks, the classroom, a teacher lecturing—but some of the most exciting and creative educational work is happening in museum spaces. Museums are educational institutions in that they seek to preserve and disseminate knowledge, culture, aesthetics, and scientific insight. Museums are innovators in expanding the modes of conveying information beyond reading and writing—the written text. They have worked hard to be sites of experiential learning for students of all ages. Examining museums and education together highlights the complementary nature of these endeavors as well as their inherent tensions. How does a museum’s materiality affect its educational mission? What economic and political forces (philanthropy, governments, public sentiment) set and shape museums’ educational programming? This course introduces students to the educational mission of different kinds of museums through weekly visits to local museums and semester-long group projects with a specific museum partner. This course interrogates the opportunities and challenges of creating and sharing knowledge in museum settings and through that process provides new insights into the goals and methods of education. Note on field trips: Occasionally class sessions will involve transportation to area museums and may conclude after 3:50 pm (closer to 4:30 pm instead).

Limited to 24 students; Fall 2024; Professor Sanchez-Eppler and Professor McLeod IV

How to handle overenrollment: Priority to majors in American Studies or Education Studies and then to sophomores and first year students

Students who enroll in this course will likely encounter and be expected to engage in the following intellectual skills, modes of learning, and assessment: close reading, object analysis, analytic writing, active discussion, community engagement, and public facing group projects.