HUM 295: Museums in Contemporary Society

(Susan Strauber), 4 credits, prerequisite: none. Enrollment cap: 20. This course will examine museums as repositories of cultural and historical knowledge as well as institutions of social and political power. The past 25 years have seen an explosive growth in museums, and a massive transformation in their functions, audiences, and public presence. More specifically, museums have become a focal point for ideological debates about local, national and global issues, and about individual and communal values. Readings will focus on the contemporary status of museums via consideration of issues such as the ownership of objects and their value, war and remembrance, history and cultural memory, racial and national identity, institutions and their communities, the poetics and politics of display, culture wars over scientific knowledge, and new trends in entertainment and tourism. These readings are paired with on-site visits to the various types of institutions exemplifying the place of museums in contemporar y society.