Anthropology 316MD - Special Topics in Anthropology: 'Museums, Difficult Dialogues, and Social Repair'

Museums increasingly are called to nurture courageous conversations about the most difficult challenges of the day. This course explores strategies for museum design, exhibition development, and public programming that promote meaningful, civil debate about such topics as climate change, environmental justice, and the biodiversity crisis; race and the legacies of slavery and social violence; indigeneity and cultural diversity; gender and sexuality, and the rights of non-human beings. What roles in turn might, and should, museums play in building partnerships and processes of social and ecosystem repair, restorative justice, and reconciliation across painful divides of history? Students will work closely with local museums, historical societies, libraries, and community organizations to develop innovative exhibitions and public programs that promote meaningful dialogues about inclusivity, belonging, and social justice.

Prereq: 8 credits in anthropology.