course overview

 

Theme and approach:

This senior seminar will be concerned with institutions and practices of public exhibition and display. Weekly readings, screenings and discussion topics will address historical and contemporary forms of display and their social, ethical, political and organizational dimensions. We will consider a range of examples of visual presentation including: exhibitions of art and artifacts, modes of commercial display (from store windows to billboards to runway), and the re-conceptualization of these as digital forms. Participants will also visit exhibitions and other sites of display that we will discuss in seminar. While focusing attention on critical analysis of practices of display as a site of research, the course will also consider alternative approaches to curatorial practice and engage participants in rethinking exhibition strategies. The core assignment of the course is research and development of components for an exhibition examining the theme of "Access."

Questions addressed include: How have museums mediated relationships between among social, cultural and economic groups? What ethical challenges are presented by the representation of others? What are the interrelationships among public exhibition practices and commercial display?

 

Seminar Meetings

Seminar Meetings: Wed 2 - 4:40, MCC 133 or Geisel Library (check syllabus)

Office Hours: Wed 11:00 am - 12 pm & Thurs 10-11 am in MCC 241

Email: bgoldfarb [at] ucsd • edu

After our first few meeting in MCC 133 (in the Communication dept building), we will be holding most of our meetings in the Geisel library. I will send out a schedule of classes via email and update meeting schedule on the website. There will also be a couple of weeks dedicated to field trips. We will discuss arrangements in class.

 

Requirements

  • Attendance is mandatory. Any unexcused absences will negatively impact your participation grade.
  • Weekly readings (approx. 30-50 pages) and/or film/video viewing (UCSD film library reserve).
  • Weekly online discussion entries in response to prompts about the readings and/or class projects.
  • Students will be responsible for researching and developing a component of an exhibition that will be installed in the Geisel Labrary at the end of the quarter. This will be done in pairs or groups of three. (Specifications to be discussed in class).
  • Visits to museum exhibitions and public display sites (TBA)

Assessment

The main goals of this class are learning and preparation for research, as well as intellectual and creative work in the field. Grades are required, but I hope of secondary concern. Participants will be graded based on attendaence, participation, and completion of assignment, as follows:

  • Attendance and participation (including off site exhibition visits and WebCT postings): 30%
  • Weekly online discussion entries 30%
  • Final exhibtion component project 40%

Texts

  • class readings will be available via WebCT/TED, ereserves, or linked to the course website as noted on the syllabus.

Suggested/Optional Texts:

  • Shelley Ruth Butler and Erica Lehrer, eds, Curatorial Dreams:Critics Imagine Exhibitions
  • Bettina Carbonell, ed, Museum Studies: An Anthology of Contexts
  • Karp, Kratz, Swarja, and Ybarr-Frausto , eds, Museum Frictions: Public Cultures/Global Transformations

Disability Accommodations

The professor is dedicated to making this course as accessible to all students as possible. If you require accommodations or services for disabilities, please communicate with the Professor immediately and register with the Office of Students with Disabilities (OSD) in order to obtain a current Authorization for Accommodation (AFA) letter. This letter is required for eligibility for requests. Receipt of AFAs in advance is necessary for appropriate planning for the provision of reasonable accommodations. OSD Academic Liaisons also need to receive current AFA letters.

For additional information, contact the Office for Students with Disabilities:

Course Policies

1.     Courtesy and consideration for others: The position taken in this class is that are no stupid opinions, only uninformed ones. Therefore in disagreeing with others' opinions, it is necessary to provide them with information that might persuade them to think differently instead of simply dismissing their views out of hand. All participants in the class are also required to observe the UCSD Principles of Community which can be found at: https://ucsd.edu/about/principles.html

2.     You are expected to read course materials before all lectures, sections and screenings. You are also expected to participate in all section discussions.

3.     Attendance at all seminar meetings is required. Unexcused absenses will affect your grade final course grade. Missing two sections meetings will result in a course grade reduction of 2 grade points (your maximum course grade will go from an A+ to A-), missing three section meetings will result in a reduction of 5 grade points ((your maximum course grade will go from an A+ to B-), Missing 4 section meetings will result in an F. If you have a legitimate excuse and must miss a class or section meeting, it is your responsibility to: (a) notify your TA, in advance if possible; and provide a written medical excuse when appropriate (b) obtain notes and information on what you missed from classmates (c) complete the assigned readings for the class. Do not ask the professor about material that you missed before obtaining notes from a classmate.

4.     All assignments must be turned in on the due date indicated on the syllabus. You will lose a grade point for each day that an assignment is late. This means, for example, that if you get an A on an assignment that is two days late, your grade will drop to a B+

5.     Incompletes will only be given for valid and documented medical or legal reasons (e.g. court appearance). There will be no exceptions to this policy.

6.     You are required to observe university regulations regarding academic integrity. This means no student shall engage in any activity that involves attempting to receive a grade by means other than honest effort; for example:

  • No student shall knowingly procure, provide, or accept any unauthorized material that contains questions or answers to any examination or assignment to be given at a subsequent time.
  • No student shall complete, in part or in total, any examination or assignment for another person.
  • No student shall knowingly allow any examination or assignment to be completed, in part or in total, for himself or herself by another person.
  • No student shall plagiarize or copy the work of another person and submit it as his or her own work.
  • No student shall employ aids excluded by the instructor in undertaking course work or in completing any exam or assignment.
  • No student shall alter graded class assignments or examinations and then resubmit them for re-grading.
  • No student shall submit substantially the same material in more than one course without prior authorization.
  • No student shall sign attendance sheets for another student, or ask someone else to sign in for her/him. Any plagiarism will result in a grade of F for the assignment or exam, will be reported to the Academic Integrity Office, and may result in an overall course grade of F. To view the UCSD Academic Integrity Statement, visit: https://students.ucsd.edu/academics/academic-integrity/ai-and-you.html

    Maintaining Academic Integrity: Students agree that by taking this course all required papers will be subject to submission for textual similarity review to Turnitin.com for the detection of plagiarism. All submitted papers will be included as source documents in the Turnitin.com reference database solely for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of such papers. Use of the Turnitin.com service is subject to the terms of use agreement posted on the Turnitin.com site.

7.     All beepers, cell phones, PDAs, and similar devices must be turned off during class. Laptops may only be used during lecture for note taking and web queries relevant to the lecture, NOT for email, social networking, or other coursework.