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Overview

Course Prescription

Provides a foundation in the best practices, critical issues and the future of museology, and introduces students to a variety of museum collection-based activities through experiential education at the Auckland War Memorial Museum/Tāmaki Paenga Hira.

Course Overview

This course provides a foundation in the everyday practices, critical issues, and the future of museology by introducing students to a variety of museum collection-based activities through experiential education on-site at Tāmaki Paenga Hira Auckland War Memorial Museum. The course begins with a pōwhiri to welcome students to the museum, then the CEO presents his overview of Auckland Museum's management and governance. The application of He Kōrahi Māori (the Māori dimension) and Teu Le Va (the Pacific relationship) are explained by Māori and Pacific staff. The museum's role as a research institution, and museum values and ethics provide the content for the sessions in the first quarter of the course, and the first assignment is an analysis of museum policy and ethics. Natural History, Decorative Arts, Documentary History and Human History departments present on curatorship, and the conservators explain their role in repairing damaged objects. Students learn how to research the significance of an artefact in order to present a proposal for acquisition as their second assignment. In the third quarter of the course we visit Manu Taiko, the museum's off-site store in order to learn about preventive conservation, and how to make secure storage arrangements for collection items using nesting materials. The final part of the course introduces staff from the learning and engagement, public experience teams as well as collections management and loans, digital collections and photography which prepares students for their final assignment where they inhabit the role of one of these museum professionals in order to respond to a dilemma posed by a donation of artefacts to the institution.

This course has practical components to it where students are handling objects, making containers for them, analysing and researching them as well as moving around in the back-of-house areas of the museum so the numbers able to enrol in the course are limited to 15 maximum based on how many are able to be safely accommodated. It is designed to complement the existing Museums and Cultural Heritage courses on offer at Honours level (MUSEUMS 704 Exhibiting Cultures: Māori and Indigenous Perspectives, ARTHIST 734 Art Writing and Curatorial Practice). It is unique in that it is taught solely at the Auckland Museum by museum staff. It offers an introduction to museum practice from a museum professional’s perspective, looking across the institution into different areas including group work, seminars, practical exercises and hands-on experiences in the Museum.

Workload Expectations

This course is a standard 15 point course and students are expected to spend 10 hours per week involved in each 15 point course that they are enrolled in.

For this course, you can expect 2 hours of seminars, 5 hours of reading and thinking about the content and 3 hours of work on assignments and/or test preparation per week.

Locations and Semesters Offered

LocationSemester
City

Teaching and Learning

Campus Experience

Attendance is required at scheduled activities including collection store visits to receive credit for the components of the course.
All learning activities including artefact assessments and practical preventive conservation exercises need to be completed on site and in person. Therefore the  activities for the course are scheduled as a two-hour class per week taught on-site at Auckland Museum.

Teaching and Learning Methods

Lectures, object studies, ethical dilemma discussions, reading review and associated activities.

Learning Resources

Taught courses use a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas to provide students with learning materials including reading lists and lecture recordings (where available). Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.

Additional Information on Learning Resources

Weekly readings with one core article around 5000 words to read and respond to at the following week's class.

Copyright

The content and delivery of content in this course are protected by copyright. Material belonging to others may have been used in this course and copied by and solely for the educational purposes of the University under license.


You may copy the course content for the purposes of private study or research, but you may not upload onto any third-party site, make a further copy or sell, alter or further reproduce or distribute any part of the course content to another person.

Learning Continuity

In the event of an unexpected disruption, we undertake to maintain the continuity and standard of teaching and learning in all your courses throughout the year. If there are unexpected disruptions the University has contingency plans to ensure that access to your course continues and course assessment continues to meet the principles of the University’s assessment policy. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator/director, and if disruption occurs you should refer to the university website for information about how to proceed.

Academic Integrity

The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. This requirement also applies to sources on the internet. A student's assessed work may be reviewed for potential plagiarism or other forms of academic misconduct, using computerised detection mechanisms.

Similarly, research students must meet the University’s expectations of good research practice. This requires:

  • Honesty - in all aspects of research work
  • Accountability - in the conduct of research
  • Professional courtesy and fairness – in working with others
  • Good stewardship – on behalf of others
  • Transparency – of research process and presentation of results
  • Clarity - communication to be understandable, explainable and accessible

For more information on the University’s expectations of academic integrity, please see the Academic Conduct section of the University policy hub.

Disclaimer

Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about taught courses is made available to enrolled students in Canvas.

Students may be asked to submit assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. In exceptional circumstances changes to elements of this course may be necessary at short notice. Students enrolled in this course will be informed of any such changes and the reasons for them, as soon as possible, through Canvas.


Assessment and Learning Outcomes

Course Learning Outcomes

CLO #OutcomeProgramme Capability Link
1
2
3

Assessments

Assessment TypeAssessment PercentageAssessment Classification

Assessment to CLO Mapping

Assessment Type123

Student Feedback, Support and Charter

Student Feedback

Feedback on taught courses is gathered from students at the end of each semester through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions. Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students. In addition, class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.

Additional Information on Student Feedback

This course has been re-ordered to allow more time between the seminars and the due date for the final assignment on professional roles. Time has been made for an in-class discussion of the reading led by two members of the class each week.

Class representatives

Class representatives are students tasked with representing student issues to departments, faculties, and the wider university. If you have a complaint about this course, please contact your class rep who will know how to raise it in the right channels. See your departmental noticeboard for contact details for your class reps.

Tuākana

Tuākana is a multi-faceted programme for Māori and Pacific students providing topic specific tutorials, one-on-one sessions, test and exam preparation and more. Explore your options at Tuakana Learning Communities.

Inclusive Learning

All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor.

Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website.

Wellbeing

We all go through tough times during the semester, or see our friends struggling. There is lots of help out there - please see the Support Services page for information on support services in the University and the wider community.

Special Circumstances

If your ability to complete assessed work is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due. If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page. This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.

Student Charter and Responsibilities

The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter.

Student Academic Complaints and Disputes

Students with concerns about teaching including how a course is delivered, the resources provided, or supervision arrangements, have the right to express their concerns and seek resolution. The university encourages informal resolution where possible, as this is quicker and less stressful. For information on the informal and formal complaints processes, please refer to the Student Academic Complaints Statute in the Student Policies and Guidelines section of the Policy Hub.