ANTH 4045 / 5045 Introduction to Museum Anthropology

This undergraduate/graduate course traces the development of anthropology in museums from the late 19th century to the present day.  Museums are places where ideas, identities, theories and power relations are debated, created, and placed on display.  They are places that reflect and sometimes challenge dominant ideologies about indigenous peoples to a wide audience.  The objectives of this course include: introducing students to a range of topics in contemporary museum politics, theory and practice; presenting the legacy of collecting and challenges of representing others; and, illustrating the interplay of anthropology, material culture and colonialism in order to understand the complex history of contemporary anthropology museums and the move towards collaborative museum anthropology.

Professor Jen Shannon

See the University Catalog for specifics, recommendations, and prerequisites.