Course summary

Durham University's unique MA in Museum and Artefact Studies will provide you with the high quality training relevant to a career in museums, the cultural heritage sector, and in the academic world. In particular, it is intended to equip you with a sound knowledge and critical understanding of current professional principles, good practice and contemporary debates relating to museum and artefact studies. It aims to help you develop a variety of skills: Professional skills, relevant to the care, management and exhibition of collections in museums Analytical skills, relevant to the study of a wide range of materials and artefacts, from different periods and cultures, and from a variety of disciplinary perspectives Research skills, relevant to studies of museums and artefacts, including an awareness of current theoretical issues Communication skills - oral, written and visual - relevant to work in the museum profession and to academic research. It also aims to encourage you to take personal responsibility for your own learning, team-work and professional conduct. Course Structure Core modules Museum Principles and Practice introduces museological theory and practice and provides an understanding of the principles, practice and debates around professional museum work, in particular collection and museum management. The module will enable you to develop a critical perspective and to use it in the assessment of museums and to build professional skills, through seminars, workshops and a placement at a local or national museum. Artefact Studies provides an understanding of the theory, practice and status of artefact studies, from an archaeological and an interdisciplinary perspective, referencing museum collections and archives. You will learn about the physical properties, and traditional production and consumption, of a range of materials and products and subsequently gain the necessary skills in handling, analysing, interpreting and recording them. You will also study a range of artefacts and materials from different periods and cultures. Debating Heritage and Museums enables you to identify and discuss the similarities and differences between heritage studies and museum studies and to develop your understanding of their key concepts, principles, theories and debates using case-studies from around the world. The module will also deliver the necessary skills in research and analysis that you can take into your subsequent academic or professional working life. You will also complete either a Research Paper or a Dissertation depending on your route through the course. If you plan to pursue a career in museums and galleries after the MA, you will research and write a research paper in an area of interest. Alternatively, if your interests lie in cultural heritage or you intend to undertake further postgraduate research, you will complete the more in-depth dissertation in an aspect of museum and artefact studies of your choice.