SYLLABUS 2012 - Texas Tech University

SYLLABUS: MUSM 5334, Curatorial Methodology (Fall 2012) 1 

FALL 2012 SYLLABUS 

CURATORIAL METHODOLOGY 

MUSM-5334 

MTTU: KLINE ROOM 

TIMES: 1:30-2:50 PM Tuesday and Thursday 

INSTRUCTOR: PETER S. BRIGGS, Ph. D. 

Office Hours: by appointment or following class 

Office: Museum DM1 

Voice: 806.742.2442 ext. 270 

Home: 806.795.0456 

Email: peter.briggs@ttu.edu 

COURSE DESCRIPTION 

Curatorial Methodology develops skills for analysis of sources, development of original research, and 

scholarly communication within museum contexts. Students acquire requisite knowledge, critical thinking 

and decision-making skills for professional curatorial practice. 

COURSE PURPOSE 

Develop critical skills required for analysis of sources, foundations for original research and techniques 

for expository writing applicable to contemporary museum contexts. The focus is on 1) curatorial issues 

that provide examples for developing critical and analytical thinking; 2) techniques to express the results; 

and 3) information and practical experience to develop, organize and present curatorial-based research. 

The course will prepare students in museum science to organize, explore and embrace original research 

for application within professional museum and curatorial contexts.


REQUIRED READINGS 

• Akrich, Madeleine. 1992. “The de-scription of technical objects.” In Shaping technology, ed. 

Weibe Bijker and John Law, 205-224. Cambridge: MIT Press. 

• Appadurai, Arjun. 1994. “Commodities and the politics of value.” In Interpreting objects and 

collections, ed. Susan M. Pearce, 76-91. London: Routledge. 

• Binford, Lewis R. 1962. “Archaeology as anthropology.” American Antiquity 28(2): 217-225. 

• Borges, Jorge Luis. 1998. Collected fictions, translated by Andrew Hurley, 112-118. New York: 

Penguin Putnam. 

• Bowker, Geoffrey C. and Susan Leigh Star. 1999. Sorting things out: classification and its 

consequences, 285-365. Cambridge: MIT Press, Cambridge. 

• Brown, Michael F. 1998. “Can Culture be Copyrighted?” Current Anthropology 39(2): 193-222. 

• Clarke, David. 1994. “Culture as a system with subsystems.” Interpreting objects and collections, 

ed. Susan M. Pearce, 44-47. London: Routledge. 

• Clouse, Abby. 2008. “Narratives of value and the ‘Antiques Roadshow’: ‘Game of 

Recognitions.’” Journal of Popular Culture 41(1): 3-20. 

• Crew, Spencer R. and James E. Sims. 1991. “Locating authenticity: fragments of a dialogue.” 

Exhibiting Cultures: The Poetics and Politics of Museum Display, ed. Ivan Karp and Steven D. 

Lavine, 159-175. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press. 

• Cuno, James. “Museums, Antiquities, Cultural Property, and the US Legal Framework for 

Making Acquisitions.” In Who owns the past? ed. Kate Fitz Gibbon, 143-157. Brunswick, New 

Jersey: Rutgers University Press. 

• Deetz, James F. Deetz and Edwin S. Dethlefsen. 1966. “Death’s head, cherubs, and willow trees: 

experimental archaeology in Colonial Cemeteries.” American Antiquity 31(4): 502-510. 

• Gibbon, Kate Fitz. “The Elgin Marbles.” In Who owns the past? ed. Kate Fitz Gibbon, 109-121. 

Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers University Press. 

• Hedstrom, Margaret and John Leslie King. 2005. Epistemic infrastructure in the rise of the 

knowledge economy, 1-19. No publisher. 

• Kirshenblatt-Gimblett, Barbara. 1991. “Objects of Ethnography.” In Exhibiting cultures: the 

poetics and politics of museum display, ed. Ivan Karp and Steven D. Lavine, 386-443. 

Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press. 

• 1 Latour, Bruno. 1992. “Where are the missing masses? The sociology of a few mundane 

artifacts.” Shaping technology, ed Weibe Bijker and John Law, 225-258. Cambridge: The MIT 

Press. 

• 2 Latour, Bruno. 2011. “Some Experiments in Art and Politics.” In e-flux, http://eflux.com/journal/view/217 

• Latour, Bruno and Adam Lowe. In press. “The migration of the aura or how to explore the 

original through its facsimiles.” In Switching Codes, ed. Thomas Bartscherer, np. Chicago: 

University of Chicago Press. 

• Levi-Strauss, Claude. 1961 (English edition; 1955 original French edition). Tristes Tropiques, 

translated by John Russell, 160-180. New York: Criterion Books. 

• Meltzer, David J. 1981. “Ideology and culture.” In Modern material culture: the archaeology of 

us, ed. Richard A. Gould and Michael B. Schiffer, 113-125. New York: Academic Press. 

• Morris, Errol. September 25, 2007, 6:48 pm. “Which Came First, the Chicken or the Egg? (Part 

One)”; October 4, 2007, 11:21 pm. “Which Came First? (Part Two)”; October 23, 2007, 11:42 

pm. “Which Came First (Part Three): Can George Lionel and Marmaduke Help Us Order the 

Fenton Photographs”. 

o http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/09/25/which-came-first-the-chicken-or-theegg-part-one/ 

o http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/10/04/which-came-first-part-two/


o http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/10/23/which-came-first-part-three-cangeorge-lionel-andmarmaduke-help-us-order-the-fenton-photographs/ 

• Preda, Alex. 1999. “The turn to things: arguments for a sociological theory of things.” The 

Sociological Quarterly 40(2): 347-366. 

• Rothschild, Nana A. 1981. “Pennies from from Denver.” In Modern material culture: 

the archaeology of us, ed. Richard A. Gould and Michael B. Schiffer, 161-181. New York: 

Academic Press. 

• White, Hayden. 2004. “The fictions of factual representation.” In Grasping the world: the idea of 

the museum, ed. Donald Preziosi and Claire Farago, 22-35. Burlington, VT: Ashgate Publishing. 

USEFUL TEXTS (IN MOTTU LIBRARY) 

• Berkman, R.I. 2000. Find it fast: how to uncover expert information on any subject online or in 

print. Fifth edition. New York: Harper Resource. 

• Booth, Wayne C., Joseph R. Williams, and Gregory G. Colomb. 2003. The craft of research. 2nd 

edition. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. 

• Buch, Rebecca A and Jean Allman Gilmore eds. 2010. MRM5: Museum Registration Methods, 

5th Edition. Washington: American Association of Museums Press. 

• Hacker, Diane. 2003. A writer’s reference. Fifth edition. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins. 

• Harvey, Gordon. 1998. Writing with sources: a guide for students. Indianapolis: Hackett 

Publishing Co., Inc. 

• Lunsford, Andrea A. 2008. The St. Martin’s handbook, 6th edition. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s. 

• Serrell, Beverly. 1996. Exhibit labels: an interpretive approach. Walnut Creek: Alta Mira Press. 

• Strunk, W. and E.B. White. 2003. The elements of style. Fourth edition. Needham, MA: Allyn & 

Bacon. 

• Thompson, John M.A., et al. 1992. Manual of curatorship: a guide to museum practice. 2nd 

edition. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann, Ltd. 

• University of Chicago Press. 2003. The Chicago Manual of Style. 15 ed. Chicago: University of 

Chicago Press. 

SELECT INTERNET TEXTS (not in any specific order) 

• Hacker, Diana. Research and documentation online. 

http://www.dianahacker.com/resdoc/ 

• Zalta, Edward N., editor. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. 

http://plato.stanford.edu/ 

• Harvard University. The Writing Center. 

http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~wricntr/resources.html 

• wordorigins.org 

http://www.wordorigins.org/ 

• bartleby.com [Great Books online] 

http://bartleby.com/ 

• Oxford English Dictionary Online [go through TTU University Library since they have a 

subscription] 

http://dictionary.oed.com/entrance.dtl 

• The University Writing Center, Texas Tech University 

http://uwc.ttu.edu/default.asp 

http://english.ttu.edu/uwc01/Resources/default.asp 

[reference materials online at Writing Center] 

• The OWL at Purdue 

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/


• Duke University Libraries: Citing Sources 

http://library.duke.edu/research/citing/ 

• Museology Bibliography (BMUSE) 

http://daryl.chin.gc.ca:8000/BASIS/bmus/user/www/sf 

• Google translator 

http://translate.google.com/ 

• foreignword.com the language site 

http://www.foreignword.com/ 

FALL 2010 CLASS SCHEDULE AND OUTLINE 

General things to remember: 

• Instructor’s Email: peter.briggs@ttu.edu 

• You must turn in hard copies of all CYH Tasks, Short Papers and the Annotated Bibliography. 

Hard copies are due at the end of class on the day noted on the syllabus. All written assignments 

must also be sent as an email attachment on or before the dates and times noted on the syllabus 

and handouts. Late assignments may not be graded or will be marked down unless prior approval 

from the instructor for an extension has been obtained. 

GENERAL TOPIC ASSIGNMENTS 

Ø Aug 28 TU, Introduction 1 

Ø Aug 30 TH, Introduction 2 

Ø Sep 4 TU, Critical Review/Discussion, Borges, Clark, Latour 2; 

Misc. Assignment1 

Ø Sep 6 TH, Critical Review/Discussion, Borges, Clark, Latour 2 continued; 


Short Essay1 due; email due by 9am and submit hard copy at end of class 

Ø Sep 10 MO, Curating Your Home: CYH1 due via email by 9am 

Ø Sep 11 TU, CYH I bring hard copy to class for discussion and review; 

Ø Sep 13 TH discussion about annotated bibliography 

Ø Sep 17 MO submit by email clearly written topic for annotated bibliography by 9am 

Ø Sep 18 TU, Critical Review/Discussion, Hedstrom and King 

Ø Sep 20 TH, Critical Review/Discussion, Bowker and Star; James Cokendolpher??? 

Ø Sep 24 MO last day to have annotated bibliography topic approved by 4pm 

Ø Sep 25 TU, Movie: Freakonomics 

Ø Sep 27 TH, Critical Review/Discussion, Binford; 

Short Essay2 due, email by 9am, submit hard copy at end of class; Misc. Assignment3


Ø Oct 1 MO, Curating Your Home: CYH2 email due by 9 am 

Ø Oct 2 TU, Curating Your Home: CYH2 discussion 

Ø Oct 4 TH, Movie: Power Trip 

Ø Oct 9 TU, Meet at The Ranching Heritage Center, presentation by Dr. Scott White 

Ø Oct 11 TH, Critical Review/Discussion, Akrich; 

Short Essay3 due, email by 9 am, submit hard copy at end of class; Misc. Assignment4 

Ø Oct 16 TU, Critical Review/Discussion: Meltzer, Crew and Sims 

Ø Oct 18 TH, Critical Review/Discussion: Preda 

Ø Oct 22 MO by email send at least five annotations from bibliography by 9 am 

Ø Oct 23 TU, Annotated Bibliography: bring for review at least five annotations; turn in hard copy 

at end of class 

Ø Oct 25 TH, Critical Review/Discussion, Latour and Lowe; Kirshenblatt-Gimblett 

Misc. Assignment 5 

Ø Oct 30 TU, Critical Review/Discussion, Kirshenblatt-Gimblett continued 

Short Essay4 due, email by 9 am, submit hard copy at end of class; meet in MoTTU Ethnohistory 

Gallery 

Ø Nov 1 TH, Critical Review/Discussion, Latour1 

Ø Nov 6 TU, Critical Review/Discussion, Morris (all) 

Misc. Assingment6 

Ø Nov 8 TH, Critical Review/Discussion, White 


Ø Nov 13 TU, Critical Review/Discussion: Deetz and Dethlefson; Misc. Assignment8 

Ø Nov 15 TH, Critical Review/Discussion, Levi-Strauss, Rothschild 

Misc. Assingment9 

Ø Nov 20 TU, Critical Review/Discussion: Brown, Cuno, Gibbons 

Misc. Assignment10; Short essay5 due, email by 9 am, submit hard copy at end of class 

Ø Nov 22 TH, no class 

Ø Nov 26 MO, Curating Your Home: CYH3 email due by 9am 

Ø Nov 27 TU, Curating Your Home: CYH3 discussion 

Ø Nov 29 TH, Critical Review/Discussion: Clouse, Appadauri;



Ø Dec 3 MO, Annotated Bibliography; last day to submit hard copy and email attachment of 

annotated bibliography. DEADLINE: 4pm for email and hard copy. 

Ø Dec 4 TU, Curating Your Home: CYH3 Power Point Exhibitions1 

Ø Dec 5 WE, last day to submit CYH3 power point presentation by 4pm 

Ø Dec 6 -12, TBD, Curating Your Home: CYH 3Power Point Exhibitions if needed 

EXPECTED LEARNING OUTCOMES 

Following completion of this course, students will be able to: 

• Analyze scholarly articles and books in museum related literature for coherence and logic of 

arguments, relevance of data, reasonableness of conclusions, and significance to the field. 

• Identify and develop research topics. 

• Plan research programs. 

• Convey research findings in relevant formats. 

• Identify and critically evaluate published literature. 

• Achieve a synthetic understanding of the relationship between research and curation. 

• Gain practical expertise in effectively communicating research and critical analyses. 

METHODS FOR ASSESSING LEARNING OUTCOMES 

The course outcomes will be assessed through response papers, oral presentations, class discussion and 

participation, an annotated bibliography, and written curatorial exercises. There are no extra credit 

assignments. 

1. Class Participation and Presentation 

Students are required to: read all assignments and be prepared to discuss, analyze and formulate questions 

about the content of the assigned readings present assigned readings and lead discussion. Oral 

presentations must focus on the identification of the author’s thesis, a concise and accurate representation 

of the author’s argument, the evidence for the argument and the reasonableness of the author’s 

conclusion(s). Class participation is an important component of this course. Participation includes 

students presenting assigned readings, asking questions, answering questions, and initiating 

relevant discussion. 

2. Short Essay Papers 

Students will submit five written essays. Each paper will: 

• identify its topic 

• present coherent arguments 

• critically evaluate relevant data 

• critically evaluate the success or failure of arguments 

• offer suggestions for further research or improvement 

• provide concluding remarks 

• articulate ideas in clear, grammatically correct English 

Effective critical remarks, conclusions, and suggestions will not simply be personal opinion. The essays 

will demonstrate understanding of a developed point(s) of view and argument(s), and insightfully respond 

to them. Your remarks and opinions will be collegial and informed, including explanations of the success 

or failure of the argument and reasons for its success or failure.


The purposes of these essays are to: 

• develop critical reading skills 

• identify successful and problematic arguments 

• express critical thinking in a coherent and objective format 

• effectively and clearly express complex ideas in written English. 

The length of each Short Essay Paper will be five pages of expository text in 11 point Times New Roman 

or similar serif typeface. The papers will have one-inch margins on the left, right, top and bottom. Do not 

use footnotes. Use text citations and include a list of references cited. The list of references cited is not a 

part of the five-page requirement. Place a header outside of the one-inch margins in the upper right corner 

of each page. This header must include your first and last name, the class and assignment (e.g., MUSM 

5334 Short Essay3), the date, and a page number. It would look something like this: 

“Jane Doe, MUSM 5334 Short Essay3, 24 Aug 2011, 1”. This header must appear at the top of every 

page and make sure that the page numbers change progressively. 

3. Annotated Bibliography 

Each student will develop an annotated bibliography on a curatorial topic. The topic selected by the 

student must be approved in advance by the instructor. The bibliography will be inclusive, presented in 

written format and focus on professional or scholarly publications. The bibliography can be considered 

finished if there are more than 35 citations. An annotation is a summary and evaluation of a publication’s 

relevance to the topic. An annotated bibliography, therefore, includes bibliographic citations as well as a 

summary and evaluation of the cited source. The annotated bibliography will: 

• provide an introductory paragraph that identifies clearly the subject of the bibliography; 

• summarize the primary argument(s) of each source; 

• evaluate the usefulness, relevance, objectivity and reliability of the source. 

The purposes of this assignment are to: 

• identify potential research topics 

• organize materials as a literature review 

• read critically 

• summarize succinctly and effectively. 

A consistent style of citation must conform to one of the following: The Chicago Manual of Style, 

American Psychological Association (APA) or Modern Language Association (MLA). The topic of the 

annotated bibliography must be approved in advance by the instructor. Text will be in 11 point Times 

New Roman type with one-inch margins on the left, right, top and bottom. Use the same header format as 

outlined in the Short Essay assignments. 

Some observations about the annotated bibliography: 

• Search out and find other examples of annotated bibliographies. They might provide ideas on 

how to organize your bibliography. 

• Your annotations will generally be written in paragraph form, varying from one or two sentences 

to a long paragraph. A sentence or two of your summary should be followed by a sentence or two 

of evaluation. 

• You will need to read the source in order to annotate it. As you gain experience, you might want 

to modify your reading techniques. 

• For additional information and examples a potentially useful source is: 

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/general/gl_annotatedbib.html


4. Curating Your Home 

Each student will curate a group of 7 items selected from their dwelling in Lubbock. There will be three 

assignments or tasks associated with curating this collection. There is a separate handout covering the 

details of this curation project. Assignments require: 

• revisions of information about items in the collection; 

• written and oral reasoned justifications for methods and techniques used to revise information 

about the items; 

• written and oral review of problems associated with revising information on the items 

• presentation. 

The purposes of this assignment are to 

• provide concrete exercises related to curatorial decision-making; 

• critically review and examine curatorial decision-making processes; 

• use curatorial methods; 

• critically review and examine curatorial methods. 

The length of each CYH assignment will be determined by the amount of space needed to respond to the 

task. Each assignment will be typed and may include images, diagrams, drawings or other relevant 

supporting information. The papers will have one-inch margins on the left, right, top and bottom. Do not 

use footnotes. Use text citations and include a list of references cited. Place a header outside of the 

one-inch margins in the upper right corner of each page. This header must include your first and last name, 

the class and assignment (e.g., MUSM 5334 CYH2), the date, and a page number. It would look 

something like this: “Jane Doe, MUSM 5334 CYH2, 24 Aug 2011, 1”. This header must appear at the top 

of every page and make sure that the page numbers change progressively. 

5. Other 

Films, special or guest lectures outside of regular class meetings and field trips may be assigned 

periodically. 

Guidelines for Email attachments and hard copies of papers: 

• All written assignments will follow APA, MLA or Chicago Manual styles. 

• All digitally submitted assignments will be formatted for 8 ½ x 11 inch paper; have one inch 

margins on top, sides and bottom; double spaced; 11 point type in Times New Roman or very 

similar type face (no script typefaces); no formatting; indent new paragraphs five spaces; submit 

as attachment to an email. Save files as either MSWord .doc, .docx or as .rtf. DO NOT SUBMIT 

AS PDF FILES. 

Attached email files must be named in the following manner: 

• For short essays: last name of student_assignment (e.g., briggs_CYH2.doc) 

• All hard copy written assignments will be typed, 1” margins, and stapled in the upper right corner. 

No extra lines between paragraphs. The typeface will be 11 point Times New Roman or a very 

similar serif type face. No script typefaces are permitted. The student’s name, the course number, 

the assignment, the date, and a page number must be included as a header outside of the one inch 

margin and in the upper right corner. typed on the first page. Illegible and grammatically 

incoherent papers are not acceptable. Paper will be on white paper; type will be black ink. If you 

use citations, do not use footnotes. Use either endnotes or citations within the text followed at the 

end by a list of “References Cited”. Endnotes or references cited are NOT counted toward the 

length of the assignment.


CRITERIA FOR GRADING 

Short Essays (5@ 10 pts ea) 

Annotated Bibliography 

Curating Your Home (3 tasks) 

Class Participation 

Oral Presentations 

Quizzes (5 @ 4 pts ea) 

50 pts 

35 pts 

35 pts 

30 pts 

30 pts 

20 pts 

Total 200 

Grading follows OP 34.12: A=Excellent (180-200 pts); B=Good (160-179 pts); C=Average (140-159 

pts); D=Inferior (120-139 pts); F=Failure (below 120 pts); P=Passing; PR=In Progress; I=Incomplete; and 

W=Withdrawal. A plus or a minus may be added to the grade. Please note: the grade of I is given only 

when a student’s work is satisfactory in quality but, due to reasons beyond her or his control, has not been 

completed. It is not given in lieu of an F or W. Assigned work and a change of grade must be recorded 

within one calendar year from the date of the I. Failure to do so results in an F for that course. 

FALL 2011 SEMESTER: IMPORTANT UNIVERSITY DATES 

Aug 27 Classes begin 

Dec 5 Last day of classes 

Sep 3 Labor Day 

Dec 7-12 Final Exams 

Nov 21-25 Thanksgiving 

Dec 14-15 Commencement 

CLASS POLICIES 

• Attendance at every class is required excepting religious holy days or officially sponsored trips. 

Any other excused absences are determined by the instructor. 

• During class ALL electronic devices will be shut-off or in “airplane mode”. This includes IPODS, 

IPADS, lap tops, phones, and similar devices. The only exception will be for presentations. 

• Late work will only be accepted if the instructor is presented with an acceptable notice in advance 

of a religious holy day or official university trip, or after the fact and within the week of the 

student’s return to class with a documented emergency. 

• Academic Honesty. (Please see OP 34.12.) It is the aim of the faculty of Texas Tech University 

to foster a spirit of complete honesty and high standard of integrity. The attempt of students to 

present as their own any work not honestly performed is regarded by the faculty and 

administration as a most serious offense and renders the offenders liable to serious consequences, 

possibly suspension. “Scholastic dishonesty” includes, but it not limited to, cheating, plagiarism, 

collusion, falsifying academic records, misrepresenting facts, and any act designed to give unfair 

academic advantage to the student (such as, but not limited to, submission of essentially the same 

written assignment for two act. Academic standards for written student work require that all ideas 

and any phrases longer than five words must be properly acknowledged. 

• Health and Safety. MTTU will endeavor to comply with the intent of state laws or acts and the 

University Health and Safety Program in an effort to maintain a safe academic and working 

environment for students, staff, and faculty. 

• Observance of Religious Holy Day or Officially Approved Trip. (Please see OP 34.19.) A student 

who intends to observe a religious holy day or make an official trip should make that intention 

known to the instructor prior to the absence. A student who is absent form classes for the 

observance of a religious holy day or an official trip will be allowed to complete an assignment 

scheduled for that day within a reasonable time after the absence. 

• Americans with Disabilities Act. (Please see OP 34.22) Any student who, because of a disability, 

may require some special arrangements in order to meet course requirements should contact the 

instructor at 742-2442 ext 270 or peter.briggs@ttu.edu as soon as possible to request necessary


accommodations. Students should present appropriate verification from Student Disability 

Services (AccessTECH). No requirement exists that accommodations be made prior to 

completion of this approved university process. 

• Any student who, because of a disabling condition, may require some special arrangements in 

order to meet course requirements should contact the instructor as soon as possible so that the 

necessary accommodations can be made. 

• Civility in the Classroom. Students will assist in maintaining a classroom environment that is 

conductive to learning. In order to assure that all students have the opportunity to gain from time 

spent in the classroom, students are prohibited from engaging in any forms of distraction. 

Inappropriate behavior in the classroom will result minimally in a request for the student to leave 

class. The following activities are among those that will be considered a serious infringement of 

acceptable class behavior: 

• Active laptops or similar devices 

• Active cellular phones, I-Pads, I-Pods or similar devices, or beepers 

• Eating 

• Tardiness or leaving class early [class starts at 1:30 pm] 

• Offensive, character-focused or aggressive remarks 

• Reading of non-assigned literature or other printed material 

• Private conversations 

• Sleeping 

• Interruption of others while they are talking

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