Museology

According to the Dublin descriptors, students, at the end of the course, will demonstrate:

- knowledge and understanding in a post-secondary level field of study and knowing the fundamental themes in one's field of study;

- ability to apply knowledge and understanding in order to demonstrate a professional approach and possess adequate skills both to conceive and support arguments and to solve problems in one's field of study

-  learning skills necessary to undertake subsequent studies with a high degree of autonomy.

The course seeks to provide useful skills and to develop both valid museum teaching projects (indispensable instrument for conveying knowledge of the museum’s holdings), and an overall picture of the complex historical and legislative link between cultural and museum heritage and civil society.

The following will be taken into consideration: the history of collecting, the communicative circuit, museum teaching aimed at an audiences of children, of people with difficulties (disabled, people on the margins of the economic/socio-cultural fabric). Part of the syllabus will centre on topics of a legal (management, legal status) and organizational nature with regard to museum structures, and on the relationship between museography/museology, illustrated by means of some case studies.

The subjects will be studied using the illustration of several case studies compared in the classroom.

A) Introduction to the subject: definition and evolution of the concept of museums, disciplinary nature and purpose of museology, cultural and methodological implications.

 Collectionism, the private museum and the public museum, legislation (relations, competences, tasks of the museum institution in Italy and abroad), management, standards and assessment, relations with visitors, the exposition (4 CFU).

- M. T. Florio, Il museo nella storia. Dallo studiolo alla raccolta pubblica, Pearson, Milano-Torino 2018, pp. 1-245.

- M. V. Marini  Clarelli, Il museo nel mondo contemporaneo. La teoria e la prassi, Carocci, Roma 2024, pp. 315.

B) Narration at museum as cultural heritage education (1 CFU).

- S. Bodo-S. Mascheroni- M. G. Panigada, Un patrimonio di storie: perché e per chi ?, in S. Bodo-S. Mascheroni- M. G. Panigada (a cura di), Un patrimonio di storie. La narrazione nei musei, una risorsa per la cittadinanza culturale, Mimesis, Milano-Udine 2016, pp. 21-22;

- S. Mascheroni, Il museo narrativo: un laboratorio di vita, in S. Bodo-S. Mascheroni- M. G. Panigada (a cura di), Un patrimonio di storie. La narrazione nei musei, una risorsa per la cittadinanza culturale, Mimesis, Milano-Udine 2016, pp. 25-32;

- S. Bodo, Il narratore al museo, “persona di consiglio per chi ascolta”, in S. Bodo-S. Mascheroni- M. G. Panigada (a cura di), Un patrimonio di storie. La narrazione nei musei, una risorsa per la cittadinanza culturale, Mimesis, Milano-Udine 2016, pp. 33-49;

- M. G. Panigada, Esperimenti narrativi in un museo, in S. Bodo-S. Mascheroni- M. G. Panigada (a cura di), Un patrimonio di storie. La narrazione nei musei, una risorsa per la cittadinanza culturale, Mimesis, Milano-Udine 2016, pp. 65-69;

- E. Daffra- P. Strada, Il museo, la città dove (anche) si scambiano le memorie, in S. Bodo-S. Mascheroni- M. G. Panigada (a cura di), Un patrimonio di storie. La narrazione nei musei, una risorsa per la cittadinanza culturale, Mimesis, Milano-Udine 2016, pp. 93-105;

- V. Lattanzi- R. A. Di Lella, “Al museo con. Patrimoni narrati per musei accoglienti”, in S. Bodo-S. Mascheroni- M. G. Panigada (a cura di), Un patrimonio di storie. La narrazione nei musei, una risorsa per la cittadinanza culturale, Mimesis, Milano-Udine 2016, pp. 139-151;

-P. Rampoldi, “Tutti al museo”, una proposta per il coinvolgimento attivo dei visitatori, in S. Bodo-S. Mascheroni- M. G. Panigada (a cura di), Un patrimonio di storie. La narrazione nei musei, una risorsa per la cittadinanza culturale, Mimesis, Milano-Udine 2016, pp. 159-167;

C) Museums in a Digital World (1 CFU)

- N. Mandarano, Musei e media digitali, Carocci, Roma 2019, pp. 7-118.

Knowledge of the events concerning the setting up, development and staging of the two museums (chosen by students) will be discussed during the exam.

For the students, as well as consultation of the Studium platform (on the University of Catania’s website) and the study of the texts in the course description, it is important to consult the ICOM Italia website (www.icom-italia.org) and to study (in the «documenti» section of the same site) the documents relating the to the national charter of museum professions, to the professional training and refresher courses for museum personnel, and to museum and cultural heritage volunteers.

The students are also required to study with the aid of a historical atlas (to be chosen by the student), especially the parts relating to the legislation and history of collectionism.

Please remember that in compliance with art 171 L22.04.1941, n. 633 and its amendments, it is illegal to copy entire books or journals, only 15% of their content can be copied.

For further information on sanctions and regulations concerning photocopying please refer to the regulations on copyright (Linee Guida sulla Gestione dei Diritti d’Autore) provided by AIDRO - Associazione Italiana per i Diritti di Riproduzione delle opere dell’ingegno (the Italian Association on Copyright).