This 3-credit accelerated honors upperclass course, taught by the Anthropology Museum Director, is offered once per year (traditionally during the fall semester) to provide an intensive introduction to curation and collections management topics. Students discuss readings and complete hands-on exercises focusing on museum topics such as: registration (like accessions and loans), collection management (including cataloging and labeling), and laws and ethics. While a general overview of standards and best practices is discussed, the course, as a whole, focuses on how these are operationalized in anthropology collections. This course is ideal for future museum professionals.
Occasionally, this course also includes a Community-Based Learning (CBL) project, performing a unique service to a partner Wisconsin community organization. Examples of these projects (often assisting small, community museums) have included: performing a collections assessment, designing and installing a small exhibit, and creating draft policies.
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