ERIC Number: EJ1128199
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016
Pages: 12
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1059-8650
EISSN: N/A
The Practicum Course Model: Embracing the Museum-University Culture Clash
Journal of Museum Education, v41 n4 p250-261 2016
Museums and universities have natural connections. Yet with few exceptions, collaborations between them segregate each partner to its traditional sphere of activity. This article presents a practicum course model that blurs and overlaps the distinctive roles of the museum and university in productive and mutually beneficial ways. In particular, working with undergraduates on an applied project with public relevance invites us to reconsider university and museum spaces as labs or studios. This offers strategies for bringing into the museum content that may be ambiguous, sensitive, polarizing, academic, or run contrary to accepted beliefs. This article shares lessons learned over five years of developing partnerships between the Johns Hopkins University and various sized independent and university museums and other heritage organizations such as the Baltimore Museum of Art, Jewish Museum of Maryland, Baltimore National Heritage Area and the Maryland Zoo. It illustrates these lessons with two case studies, one focused on a project at a national institution, the other on a partnership with a university historic house.
Descriptors: Museums, Universities, Practicums, Undergraduate Students, Case Studies, Exhibits, Partnerships in Education, Culture Conflict
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Maryland (Baltimore)
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A