Anthropology 240 - Museum Anthropology

Museums are dynamic sites of collecting, conserving, analyzing, interpreting, and displaying cultural objects, both ancient and contemporary. This course uses insights from cultural anthropology, archaeology, and heritage studies to explore the history of museums, their diverse formats and audiences, the ethical and legal frameworks guiding their operations, and ongoing debates about their roles as sites of cultural contact, conflict, reconciliation, and restitution. Students gain hands-on experience working with Five College museum collections–primarily archaeological materials from Latin America–and visit other area museums during the semester. Enrollment limited to 30.