Study-Unit Description

Study-Unit Description


CODE TTC5009

 
TITLE Exhibiting Cultures: The Arts and the Media

 
UM LEVEL 05 - Postgraduate Modular Diploma or Degree Course

 
MQF LEVEL 7

 
ECTS CREDITS 5

 
DEPARTMENT Tourism Management

 
DESCRIPTION Cultures need to be seen to be understood and evaluated better. This study-unit will provide a discussion on how such a manifestation can and should be set up so as to make expressive and aesthetic culture available to the general public as well as to the more alert cultural visitor.

The unit on exhibiting cultures will discuss the the evolution of exhibitions from the Renaissance to the present day. It will look into the role of curators, artists, art historians, art critics and educationalists. The setting up of temporary exhibitions as part of permanent displays in museums are discussed, as also their role as a means for presenting different narratives and amplifying less familiar themes. The unit aims at evaluating the ethics of exhibitions and the values that underpin curatorial choices through the process of curating art exhibitions. Evaluations on multi-disciplinary approaches to exhibition planning and logistics, the educational processes and communication methods will also be presented.

Exhibiting cultures involve the visual experience as gained from art galleries, open-air museums and alternative exhibition spaces. This would involve the understanding of audiences and the catering for different learning styles. A final area of study would concentrate on the reproduction and commercialisation of exhibition artefacts in relation to museum structures and outreach programmes, such as bookshops and websites, as well as aspects of consumerism.

Study-unit Aims:

- Give students a knowledge of the development of exhibitions and collective memory;
- Foster an understanding of ethical principles relating to exhibitions of collections as well as temporary exhibitions;
- Create an awareness of boundaries that delimit exhibitions and their narratives;
- Familiarise students with the planning process and multidisciplinarity of exhibitions;
- Develop students' skills relating to exhibition narratives and their scripting as well as the means of harnessing different technologies as a means of communication.

Learning Outcomes:

1. Knowledge & Understanding:

By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to:

- Comprehend the basics of theories of exhibitions, their audiences and the infrastructure of exhibiting;
- Evaluate the ethics and principles of exhibitions;
- Demonstrate an awareness of curatorial choices;
- Recognise the relationship between content, form and location of exhibitions;
- Develop and practise critical skills and conceptual tools to analyze various forms of visual culture.

2. Skills:

By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to:

- Discuss written and non-written sources for the study of exhibitions as an expression of cultural heritage;
- Be familiar with the means of developing curatorial skills;
- Be knowledgeable about the logistics and multi-disciplinary skills needed to put up exhibitions;
- Review and analyse exhibitions.

Main Text/s and any supplementary readings:

- ICOM Code of Ethics (http://icom.museum/the-vision/code-of-ethics/). AM121.I356
- E. Hooper-Greenhill (2000) Museums and the Interpretation of Visual Culture. AM7 H655
- T. Bennett (1995) The Birth of the Museum: History, Theory, Politics. AM7 B4
- T. Bennett (2004) Pasts Beyond Memory: Evolution, Museums, Colonialism. AM7. B459
- S. Macleod, ed. (2012) Museum making: narratives, architectures, exhibitions. NA6690. M872
- B. Lord, ed. (2001) The Manual of Museum Exhibitions. AM121. L67 2009
- N. MacGregor (2012) A History of the World in 100 Objects

 
STUDY-UNIT TYPE Lecture and Seminar

 
METHOD OF ASSESSMENT
Assessment Component/s Assessment Due Sept. Asst Session Weighting
Seminar Paper See note below Yes 30%
Assignment See note below Yes 70%
Note: Assessment due will vary according to the study-unit availability.

 
LECTURER/S

 

 
The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints.
Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice.
It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2024/5. It may be subject to change in subsequent years.

https://www.um.edu.mt/course/studyunit