GS222 Topics: Controversies and Ethics in Museums
Block 7 – Flex
How are museums responding to the extraordinary challenges and opportunities of the twenty-first century? This course examines how museums function as institutions of power, shaping our understanding of art, culture, history, and identity. As such, in recent decades museums have become lightning rods of controversy sparking outrage over issues of looting, cultural appropriation, patriotism, equity, and representation (among others). Using historical and contemporary perspectives, we will employ both theoretical approaches and recent case studies to interrogate and challenge how and why museums have collected, displayed, interpreted and preserved objects and stories – and to explore possible paths forward for museums in the 21st century. This class will engage directly with museums both local and regional. No prerequisite.
Professor: Leah Davis Witherow.
Questions? Contact Rebecca Tucker at rtucker@coloradocollege.edu.
