Unit Title: Museums and the | Custom PHD Thesis

Unit Title: Museums and the
Anthropology of Collecting

Australian Government Higher Education (CRICOS)
Registered Provider number: #00212K
This Unit Outline must be read in conjunction with:

a) UC Student Guide to Policies, which sets out University-wide policies and procedures, including
information on matters such as plagiarism, grade descriptors, moderation, feedback and deferred
exams, and is available at (scroll to bottom of page)
http://www.canberra.edu.au/student-services

b) UC Guide to Student Services, and is available at (scroll to bottom of page)
http://www.canberra.edu.au/student-services

c) Any additional information specified in section 6h.

1: General Information

1a Unit title: Museums and the Anthropology of Collecting

1b Unit number: 8945

1c Teaching Period and year offered: Semester 2, 2014

1d Credit point value: 3cp

1e Unit level: Level 2

1f Name of Unit Convener and contact details (including telephone and email)
Dr Gretchen M Stolte
Location: off campus, please email
Email: gretchen.stolte@canberra.edu.au

1g Administrative contact details (including name, location, telephone and email)

Room: 7A29
Ph: +61 (0) 2 6201 2178
Email: FADadmin@canberra.edu.au

2: Academic Content

2a Unit description and learning outcomes
This unit provides a historical context for contemporary museum practice. Students will be
introduced to various issues, such as representation in museums (ie community, indigenous
societies) in exhibitions, publications and the web. Museums in Australia and overseas may be
used as case studies.

Learning Outcomes
Students completing this unit will be able to:
1) Understand the changing role of museums in society
2) Understand key issues in the history of museums and collecting
3) Understand key issues relating to museums and indigenous societies.

2b Generic skills
In addition to meeting the specific academic requirements of a particular degree, all graduates
are expected to acquire a range of generic skills or graduate attributes through their program
of study.
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Employers value these highly, and it is important for your future career that you are able to
identify your generic skills and point to the learning experiences that produced them.

The table at 5a indicates which of the generic skills in the University’s completed list are
addressed in this unit.

The current list of generic skills/graduate attributes is downloadable from
https://guard.canberra.edu.au/policy/policy.php?pol_id=3030 .

2c Prerequisites and/or co-requisites
Not applicable.

3: Delivery of Unit and Timetable

3a Delivery mode
The delivery of this unit is on campus via lectures and seminar/tutorials. Attendance is highly
recommended. The seminar/s will follow the lecture.

Lecture: Wednesdays 1:30-2:30 pm. 06B10
Seminar/Tutorial 1: Wednesdays 2:30-4:20 pm. 07C05
Seminar/Tutorial 2 Wednesdays 4:30-6:20 pm. 07C05

3b Timetable of activities, such as lectures/ tutorials/ practicals/ field classes, showing key
dates and topics
These dates and topics are indicative. The exact schedule may vary to accommodate specific
student interests, availability of site visits and opportunities to enhance the program by
incorporating visiting lecturers. Students will be notified of any changes through messages on
the Moodle site.

Week Date (TUES) Topic
1 13 Aug Museums and Objects: introduction
2 20 Aug Natural History Museums
3 27 Aug Anthropology Museums
4 3 Sept Art Museums
5 10 Sept Libraries, Archives and non-Traditional Museums
6 17 Sept
Anthropological Collections: Lloyd Warner and Donald
Thompson
7 24 Sept Anthropological Collections: Alfred Haddon and Walter Roth
8
29 Sept – 3
Oct
Non-teaching period (please visit the National Museum of
Australia’s Gallery of First Australians and the Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander galleries at the National Gallery of
Australia)
9 8 Oct Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Collections
10 15 Oct Museums and Empire Building
11 22 Oct Indigenous Museums
12 29 Oct The Politics of Representation
13 5 Nov Online Museums and the Open Access Movement

4: Unit Resources

4a Lists of required texts/readings

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Alexander, Edward P., Mary Alexander and American Association for State and Local
History, Museums in Motion: An Introduction to the History and Functions of Museums,
American Association for State and Local History Book Series, 2nd edn. (Lanham: AltaMira
Press, 2008). Copies of this book have been ordered by the Co-op bookshop and is on short
loan in UC Library.

Further readings will be listed on Moodle.

4b Materials and equipment
Not applicable.

4c Unit website
To find your unit site online, login to LearnOnline(Moodle) using your student ID. Your unit
site is:
http://learnonline.canberra.edu.au/course/view.php?id=12154

Note that your unit site has a profiles page that displays your name and email address for the
benefit of other students. If you prefer to hide your email address, click here for instructions.

Various essential aspects of this unit will be conducted via the University’s Learnonline
(Moodle) system. Students must check the Moodle site regularly, at least once a week, for
updated course materials, announcements and confirmation of the timetable etc.
Communication about assessment and class activities will be made via Moodle and the
student’s university email address. The lecturer will not use a non-university email.

5: Assessment

5a Assessment overview

Assessment item
Due date of
assignments
Weighting
(total to equal
100%)
Addresses learning
outcome(s)
Related
generic skill(s)
Assessment 1.
Participation &
Presentation
Judged over the
Semester
20% 1,2 & 3 1, 2, 3, & 4
Assessment 2.
Object Analysis
1000 word essay
5pm 26 September 40% 1,2 & 3 1, 2, 3, & 4
Assessment 3.
Museum /
Collection Analysis
2000 word Essay
9am, 10
November
40% 1,2 & 3 1, 2, 3, & 4

UC Generic Skills
1 – Communication
2 – Analysis and Inquiry
3 – Problem Solving
4 – Working independently and with others
5 – Professionalism and Social Responsibility

5b Details of each assessment item
Assessment 1: Seminar Participation and Presentation (20%).
Each week, two students will be rostered to lead discussions on the readings through the
preparation of a PowerPoint presentation between 10-15 minutes. The assessment is designed
to give students practice in developing visual presentations, practice speaking in front of a
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group and to create discussion within the seminar. In the presentation, provide a succinct
summary of the author’s argument and end with five discussion questions that engage with
the reading material and course themes.

In summarising the essays, ask yourself the following questions to guide your preparation, but
do not feel that you have to answer every question.

1. Who is the author(s)? How is their background reflected in their writing?
2. What is the author’s purpose in writing?
3. What is the author’s argument(s)?
4. What assumptions underlie the author’s argument?
5. How would you categorise the author’s approach to the subject? (Anthropological? Art
historical? Cultural studies? Other?)
6. What kind of methodology and evidence does the author employ to explore their chosen
theme and support their argument? Are these methodologies robust and appropriate?
7. What other (different) points of view might there be of this subject? Does the author
address different views? How might they be criticised and could their viewpoint withstand
such criticisms?

Students will be graded in-class.

Assessment Criteria for this Item
1. Clarity and ability to present the information and engage conversation about the information
(10%)
2. Structure, clarity and argument development in the presentation (5%)
4. Participation (5%)

Failure to complete a presentation will result in loss of points for this assessment and will
bring your overall course mark down.

Assessment 2: Object Analysis. Essay, 1000 words (40%).
A 1000 word essay analysing an object or document while examining its place within the
holding institution. The purpose of this essay is to critically analyse an object within a
museum collection, critique its display and consider how it fits within the museum’s
philosophy of collecting.

Choose an object currently on display from one of Canberra’s major museums: the National
Museum of Australia, the Australian War Memorial, the Canberra Museum and Gallery, the
Museum of Democracy or the National Dinosaur Museum. (The National Museum of
Australia is free and open to the public with regular bus service from Civic.) An ‘object’ can
be anything on display at the Museum: utensil, pottery, weaving, painting, artefact, tool,
weapon, map, document, statue, skeletal display or natural material, flora or fauna. Students
should be able to see the item in person, on display (e.g. in its museum context) and be able to
say something about it.

Consider the following questions in writing the essay with your chosen object in mind:

1. What is the object (describe it and give the raw (catalogue) information)?
2. Where is it housed? How would you describe this institution (natural, cultural, archival,
etc. as per Weeks 2-5 lectures)
3. How are objects in general displayed in this museum (case, cabinet, open-air, glassed,
label/no label, etc.)?
4. How is your chosen object displayed (e.g. a single object of interest, as part of a
series/larger collection, etc)?
5. How does this object fit into the collecting and/or institutional philosophy of the museum?
6. Why did you choose this object?
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This essay should be submitted by 5pm on Friday 26 September 2014.
Essays should be typed using A4 format, using Times New Roman 12 pt, left justified with
line spacing at 1.5 or double. Students should keep copies of their work. More details about
essay requirements will be discussed in seminars.

Late essays will be penalised 2 points for every day late.

NOTES
Please use the “footnote” referencing style,
http://www.canberra.edu.au/studyskills/writing/sources.

Requests for extensions of assignment deadlines must be made to the unit convenor prior to
the due date and will normally require the submission of a medical certificate.

Assessment 3: Collection or Museum Analysis. Essay 2000 words
(40%).
Choose one of two topics for your final essay.

Option 1: Collection Analysis
Choose a named collection either based on a major collector or housed in a major institution in
Australia or overseas. Examples include the Basedow Collection or the ATSIAA Collection at
the NMA but please feel free to choose a collection of your choice. The essay should include
the scope of the collection, its history, the context in which it was collected and the reasons
why it was developed. The essay should also reflect on the importance of the collection today.
Aspects to be considered include:

1. How did the collection come to the museum
2. Who was the major collector
3. What was their philosophy of collecting – when did they collect?
4. What is the make-up of the collection (e.g. paintings, photographs, artefacts,
assortment, etc.)? Be specific in the content analysis of the collection
5. What were the historical, cultural or social underpinnings (the context) during which
the collection was being made?
6. Does a single institution hold the collection or is it spread over many institutions?

Or…

Option 2: Museum Analysis
Choose a museum from Australia or overseas for analysis. You can choose any museum you
are interested in but make sure there is documentation and enough material about the museum
for you to develop a coherent and engaging essay. The essay should include the history of the
museum, how it was developed, and any interesting facts research might uncover. The essay
should also reflect on the importance of the museum today. Any issues or concerns, please
contact me for clarification. Aspects to be considered include:

1. Who was the major founder of the museum?
2. When was the museum created and under what conditions?
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3. How has the museum changed over the years?
4. What kind of museum is it and what is its major philosophy?
5. What kinds of collections does the museum hold?

More details and directions on the essay will be discussed in tutorials. If you have a particular
topic you would like to write about, please email me so that we can discuss the parameters for
your ideas. I am open to students wanting to explore other aspects of museology so long as it
ties into the themes and goals of the course.

Late essays will be penalised 2 points for every day late.

This essay should be submitted by 9am on Monday, 10 November 2014.
Essays should be typed using A4 format, using Times New Roman 12 pt, left justified with
line spacing at 1.5 or double. Students should keep copies of their work. More details about
essay requirements will be discussed in seminars.

NOTES
Please use the “footnote” referencing style,
http://www.canberra.edu.au/studyskills/writing/sources.

Requests for extensions of assignment deadlines must be made to the unit convenor prior to
the due date and will normally require the submission of a medical certificate.

5c Submission of assessment items
All assessment items will be submitted online via the unit Moodle site. The first page of each
assessment submission should include the following information:

Student Name:
Student ID:
Assessment Name:
Word Count:

5d Special assessment requirements
Not applicable.

5e Supplementary assessment
Supplementary assessment will be permitted for eligible students.

5f Academic Integrity
Students have a responsibility to uphold University standards on ethical scholarship. Good
scholarship involves building on the work of others and use of others’ work must be
acknowledged with proper attribution made. Cheating, plagiarism, and falsification of data are
dishonest practices that contravene academic values. Please see UC’s Academic Integrity
Policy.

To enhance understanding of academic integrity, it is expected that all students will complete
the LearnOnline Academic Integrity Module (AIM) at least once during their course of
study. The module is automatically available as a listed site when students log into
LearnOnline.

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5g Use of text-matching software
The University of Canberra has available, through LearnOnline (Moodle), text-matching
software that helps students and staff reduce plagiarism and improve understandings of
academic integrity. Known as URKUND, the software matches submitted text in student
assignments against material from various sources: the internet, published books and journals,
and previously submitted student texts. Click here for further information on the URKUND
text-matching software.

6: Student Responsibility

6a Workload
The amount of time you will need to spend on study in this unit will depend on a number of
factors including your prior knowledge, learning skill level and learning style. Nevertheless, in
planning your time commitments you should note that for a 3cp unit the total notional
workload over the semester or term is assumed to be 150 hours. These hours include time
spent in classes. The total workload for units of different credit point value should vary
proportionally. For example, for a 6cp unit the total notional workload over a semester or term
is assumed to be 300 hours.

6b Inclusion and Welfare
Students who need assistance in undertaking the unit because of disability or other
circumstances should inform their Unit Convener or Inclusion and Welfare as soon as possible
so the necessary arrangements can be made.

6c Participation requirements
Students are expected to attend all face to face contact (lectures, tutorials, seminars,
workshops). Participation through attendance is an important and significant component of
learning. Not only is this relevant to the gaining of knowledge and skills appropriate to this
particular unit but it also applies to your degree as a whole. From our experience, there is a
significant link between a student’s attendance/ participation, and the quality of their learning
outcomes demonstrated by the submitted assessable assignments.

6d Withdrawal
If you are planning to withdraw please discuss with your unit convener. Please see Withdrawal
of Units for further information on deadlines.

6e Required IT skills
Assignments are to be typed in Word (or in a Word compatible format) and may be illustrated
where appropriate. Students will be required to access Moodle for unit updates.

6f In-Unit Costs
Students may choose to acquire textbooks provided on the reading lists. However, all reading
materials will be available either on Moodle or in the UC library. Field trips may incur entry
charges to museums but options for free entry museums are also available.

6g Work placements, internships or practicums
Not applicable in this unit.

6h Additional information
None.

7: Student Feedback

All students enrolled in this unit will have an opportunity to provide anonymous feedback on
the unit at the end of the Semester via the Unit Satisfaction Survey (USS) which you can
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access by logging into MyUC via the UC homepage: http://www.canberra.edu.au/home/. Your
lecturer or tutor may also invite you to provide more detailed feedback on their teaching
through an anonymous questionnaire.

8: Authority of this Unit Outline

Any change to the information contained in Section 2 (Academic content), and Section 5
(Assessment) of this document, will only be made by the Unit Convener if the written
agreement of Head of Discipline and a majority of students has been obtained; and if written
advice of the change is then provided on the unit site in the learning management system. If
this is not possible, written advice of the change must be then forwarded to each student
enrolled in the unit at their registered term address. Any individual student who believes
him/herself to be disadvantaged by a change is encouraged to discuss the matter with the Unit
Convener.
Week 10: Museums & Empire Building
ASSESSMENT 2 REVIEW
Marking Range:

•  HD   34-40
•  DI    33-30
•  C    29-26
•  P    25-20

Characteristics
•  Concise and informative introduction with an innovative thesis
statement
•  A well-developed structure that addressed the key concepts
outlined in the assessment description
•  A well-researched bibliography that mixed web sources with
articles and books and 4-5 sources
•  A solid writing style that included good mechanics for citation,
clearly marking the author’s ideas from their sources
•  Insightful observations and analysis regarding the object of
choice and the different levels of mediation that affected viewers
experiences of the object.
HDs hit all these points, DIs hit all but one or two,
Cs hit two or three and so forth
CITATION

The paintings in the exhibition are organised according to the three stylistic regions in
Arnhem Land: western Arnhem Land, where figurative images predominate; eastern
Arnhem Land, where the emphasis is on geometric and conventionalised imagery; and
central Arnhem Land, where artists tend to combine both approaches. Within these three
stylistic regions Old Masters explores some of the major themes of bark painting, from the
ancestral realm to expressions of identity and reflections on contemporary life .
Original Text
Text Used in Essay
According to the website and exhibition text, Old Masters is organised around three stylistic
regions: western, central and eastern Arnhem Land (NMA 2013). Each region has its own
‘style’ as defined by the curators. For example, in western Arnhem Land, there is a focus on
figurative images whereas in eastern Arnhem Land, geometric designs are more common
(ibid.). These styles are what make up the three regions and the exhibition emphasises this
division with paintings chosen to support the definitions. In addition to the stylistic
differentiation, the exhibition explores themes spanning “the ancestral realm to expressions of
identity and reflections on contemporary life” (ibid).
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bibliography Reference
National Museum of Australia (2013). “Old Masters Exhibition: the bark
paintings.” Viewed 13 October 2014.
http://www.nma.gov.au/exhibitions/old_masters/bark_paintings

Morphy, Howard (1999). Aboriginal Art . London: Phaidon Press.

Morphy, Francis & Howard Morphy (2013). “Anthropological theory and
government policy in Australia’s Northern Territory: The hegemony of
the ‘mainstream’.” American Anthropologist , vol. 115, no. 2, pp.
174-187.

Taylor, Luke (2008). “Negotiating form in Kuninjku bark-paintings.” Australian
Aboriginal Studies no.1, pp. 56-66.
Why does citation matter if in the syllabus it is only 5%?
Citation marks another author’s ideas from your own. If demonstrates your
research skills and your ability to apply what you have learned in an essay. If I
cannot tell your ideas from a source, this greatly impacts on the first two
assessment criteria which are applicability of information and clarity of
argument.

Assessment Criteria for this Item
1.   Clarity and applicability of the information given in the assignment (15%)
2.   Structure, clarity and argument development in the written work (15%)
3.   Demonstration of appropriate research (utilization of texts beyond the set
reading) (5%)
4.   echanics of essay: grammar, bibliography, in-text referencing (Harvard
style), etc. (5%)
Assessment 3
Assessment 3: Collection or Museum Analysis. Essay 2000 words (40%).
Option 1: Collection Analysis
Choose a named collection either based on a major collector or housed in a major institution in
Australia or overseas. Examples include the Basedow Collection or the ATSIAA Collection at the
NMA but please feel free to choose a collection of your choice. The essay should include the
scope of the collection, its history, the context in which it was collected and the reasons why
it was developed . The essay should also reflect on the importance of the collection today.

Aspects to be considered include:

1.   How did the collection come to the museum
2.   Who was the major collector
3.   What was their philosophy of collecting – when did they collect?
4.   What is the make-up of the collection (e.g. paintings, photographs, artefacts, assortment, etc.)?
Be specific in the content analysis of the collection
5.   What were the historical, cultural or social underpinnings (the context) during which the
collection was being made?
6.   Does a single institution hold the collection or is it spread over many institutions?

Assessment 3: Collection or Museum Analysis. Essay 2000 words (40%).
Option 2: Museum Analysis
Choose a museum from Australia or overseas for analysis. You can choose any museum you are
interested in but make sure there is documentation and enough material about the museum for you
to develop a coherent and engaging essay. The essay should include the history of the museum,
how it was developed, and any interesting facts research might uncover. The essay should also
reflect on the importance of the museum today. Any issues or concerns, please contact me for
clarification.

Aspects to be considered include:

1.   Who was the major founder of the museum?
2.   When was the museum created and under what conditions?
3.   How has the museum changed over the years?
4.   What kind of museum is it and what is its major philosophy?
5.   What kinds of collections does the museum hold?
Assessment 3: Collection or Museum Analysis. Essay 2000 words (40%).
Additional Clarification for both essay topics :

•  This is a critical analysis essay
•  Critical analysis means looking at both positives and negatives
aspects, strengths and weaknesses of a collection or a museum
•  This is a research essay
•  Research essays include an engagement with the published thoughts
and ideas surrounding the topic
•  Research and critical analysis is typically demonstrated through a
thesis statement .

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