ANT 320 - Anthropology and the Museum

This course explores the complicated and sometimes fractious relationship between anthropology and museums of ethnography and natural history in both North America and abroad. Museums are ideological sites that produce particular (self-serving) understandings of Us and Them. Since the later-1800s, museums have figured prominently in how the public learns about non-western cultures while also being a place of legitimate anthropological research. As well, some of anthropology’s more significant academic debates have been fought out in the museum. These overlapping relationships are the subject of this course.

Prerequisite(s): ANT 101 or ANT 103, or permission of instructor.
Co-requisite(s):
Credits: 3

Meets the Following Core Requirement: Ethical Inquiry, Social Responsibility, and Citizenship
Course Typically Offered:
Course Type: Anthropology