Curating Cultures

Key information

Start date
End date
Year of study
Any
Duration
Term 2
Module code
15PARH079
FHEQ Level
7
Credits
15
Department
School of Arts & Department of History of Art and Archaeology

Module overview

Curating Cultures is designed to equip students with a range of critical, theoretical and practical approaches to curating.

Themes and issues addressed on the module will include: histories and ideologies of curating; theories of collecting, interpreting objects and writing exhibition texts; contemporary issues and critical debates; exhibition programming and design; collections management and conservation.

In particular, the module will provide an in-depth knowledge of the practical, intellectual and ethical issues involved in the interpretation and display of the SOAS teaching collections, and will culminate in student-led, group exhibitions of these collections in the Wolfson Gallery, SOAS Library. By providing practical, hands-on experiences of curating, the module will develop students’ knowledge and understanding of aspects of the exhibition development process, as well as team-working, organisational and communication skills.

The module will appeal to students wishing to pursue careers as curators in museums or galleries in Europe, the Americas, the Middle East, Asia and Africa. Students taking this module should refer to the module's current Moodle page for the latest updates.

Objectives and learning outcomes

  • Demonstrate an understanding of the theory and practice of curating.
  • Critically analyse the role of museums and galleries in the production of meaning and value to objects via practices of collecting, display, conservation and interpretation.
  • Appreciate the institutional and professional contexts within which curators work.
  • Identify the specific issues arising from researching, interpreting and displaying the SOAS teaching collections.
  • Gain experience of team-based work, exhibition development and presentation skills.

Workload

  • Lectures: 1 hour per week  
  • Tutorials: 1 hour per week 

Method of assessment

  • One 2,000-word essay (worth 50% of marks)
  • One 1,000-word group exhibition portfolio (worth 30%)
  • One 20-minute group presentation (worth 20%)

Suggested reading

  • Carbonell, B. M. (2004) Museum studies: an anthology of contexts, Oxford: Blackwell.
  • Macdonald, S.  (ed) (2006) A Companion to Museum Studies, Oxford: Blackwell Publishing.
  • Macdonald and Basu (eds) (2007) Exhibition Experiments, Oxford: Blackwell.
  • Obrist, H. (ed) (2008) A Brief History of Curating, Zurich: JRP/Ringier.
  • Preziosi and Farago (eds) (2004) Grasping the world: the idea of the museum, Aldershot: Ashgate.

Disclaimer

Important notice regarding changes to programmes and modules.