Master
2020/2021
Tangible Things: Discovering History Through Artworks, Artifacts, Scientific Specimens, and the Stuff Around You
Type:
Elective course (Visual Culture)
Area of studies:
Cultural Studies
Delivered by:
School of Philosophy and Cultural Studies
Where:
Faculty of Humanities
When:
1 year, 1-3 module
Mode of studies:
distance learning
Instructors:
Ilya Inishev
Master’s programme:
Визуальная культура
Language:
English
ECTS credits:
3
Contact hours:
2
Course Syllabus
Abstract
In Tangible Things , you will discover how material objects have shaped academic disciplines and reinforced or challenged boundaries between people. This course will draw on some of the most fascinating items housed at Harvard University, highlighting several to give you a sense of the power of learning through tangible things. By “stepping onto” the storied campus, you and your fellow learners can explore Harvard’s astonishing array of tangible things—books and manuscripts, art works, scientific specimens, ethnographic artifacts, and historical relics of all sorts. The University not only owns a Gutenberg bible, but it also houses in its collections Turkish sun dials, a Chinese crystal ball, a divination basket from Angola, and nineteenth-century “spirit writing” chalked on a child-sized slate. Tucked away in storage cabinets or hidden in closets and the backrooms of its museums and libraries are Henry David Thoreau’s pencil, a life mask of Abraham Lincoln, and chemicals captured from a Confederate ship. The Art Museums not only care for masterpieces of Renaissance painting but also for a silver-encrusted cup made from a coconut. The Natural History Museum not only preserves dinosaur bones and a fish robot but an intact Mexican tortilla more than a century old.
Learning Objectives
- To learn how to communicate data-driven findings
- To learn how to use ggplot2 to create custom plots
Expected Learning Outcomes
- Understanding of museum curation approaches
- The basics of historical analysis and interpretation
Course Contents
- the value of stopping to look at the things around you
- ways people have brought things together into purposeful collections
Interim Assessment
- Interim assessment (3 module)0.3 * interview with academic supervisor + 0.7 * Online-course grade
Bibliography
Recommended Core Bibliography
- Alexander, E. P., Alexander, M., & Decker, J. (2017). Museums in Motion : An Introduction to the History and Functions of Museums (Vol. Third edition). Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=nlebk&AN=1465805
Recommended Additional Bibliography
- Balzer, D. (2015). Curationism : How Curating Took Over the Art World and Everything Else. London [England]: Pluto Press. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=975414
- Falk, J. H. (2016). Identity and the Museum Visitor Experience. [Place of publication not identified]: Routledge. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=nlebk&AN=1253185