Museum and Artefact Studies MA

Durham University

The course is mainly delivered through a mixture of lectures, tutorials and practical classes. Typically lectures provide key information on a particular area, and identify the main areas for discussion and debate in the Museums sector. Tutorials, seminars and workshops then provide opportunities for you to discuss and debate particular issues or areas, based on the knowledge that you have gained through your lectures and through independent study outside formal contact hours. Finally, practical classes allow you to gain direct experience of practical and interpretative skills in Museum and Artefact Studies through placements and curating an exhibition and/or developing an educational programme for the University Museums. The balance of these types of activities changes throughout the course, as you develop your knowledge and ability as independent learners , giving you the opportunity to engage in research, professional practice, and developing and demonstrating research skills in a particular area of the subject. The course aims to develop these key attributes thereby preparing you for work or further study once you have completed the course. In Terms 1 and 2 you will typically attend 6-8 hours a week of lectures, up to 4 hours of tutorials or seminars, in addition to 2 workshops and 4-6 hours of practical sessions working with artefacts or museum environment-related matters as well as fieldtrips over the term. You will have a 20-day Museum placement at Easter in a museum or archive. Outside timetabled contact hours, you are also expected to undertake your own independent study to prepare for your classes and broaden your subject knowledge. Professional speakers are brought in to engage the students with issues within the professional body. In Term 3 the balance shifts from learning the basic skills required, to applying them within a real-life museum environment in the module Museum Communications where you will work in groups on a specific project(s) with an opening date in May, June or July. Typically, you could be spending the equivalent of a working week as you complete the work for your projects, under supervision. The move towards greater emphasis on independent research and research continues in Term 3, where the use of research skills acquired earlier in the course are developed through the Dissertation research project or the Research Paper. Under the supervision of a member of academic staff with whom they will typically have between 3 and 5 one-to-one supervisory meetings, you will undertake a detailed study of a particular area resulting in a significant piece of independent research. The Dissertation is regarded as a preparation for further academic work while the exhibition and Research Paper route is designed for a more professional environment. Throughout the course, all students also have access to an academic adviser who will provide them with academic support and guidance. Typically you will meet your adviser two to three times a year, in addition to which all members of teaching staff have weekly office hours when they are available to meet on a ‘drop-in’ basis. The department also has an exciting programme of weekly one hour research seminars which you are strongly encouraged to attend as well as Friends of the Oriental Museum events.