Studying New York Museums: History on Di

In this course, we will use some of New York City’s many museums to introduce students to museum studies, a field of inquiry which looks at the process and politics of publicly displaying objects for “educational” purposes. We will use individual museums as case studies of particular issues in museology, from antiquities and the art market at the Metropolitan Museum of Art to racism and cultural appropriation at the American Museum of Natural History. We will also look at “alternative” museums, such as the Mmuseumm and the Treasures in the Trash Museum to consider how they resist and rewrite traditional museum narratives. Class time will be divided between class discussions, museum visits, student presentations, and digital workshops.