Secrets of Museums: A Critical Inquiry into the Origins and Culture of Western Museums

3 credits · Undergraduate

(3 hrs Lecture) Since the Enlightenment, museums have developed into centers of learning, entertainment and even shopping. The main goal of the modern museum is to educate citizens about history, culture, and ideology; thus museums are on the front lines of cultural shifts. This course prepares students to visit destination European museums with a critical and historical points of view. Important museums such as the British Museum, the Louvre, as well as local Winnipeg galleries, are contextualized through contemporary theories of collecting and display. Some assignments involve visiting local museums and galleries, and when possible, acquiring practical skills contributing to a curatorial project.