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Unit of study_

MUSM7035: Ethics of Cultural Property

This unit tracks the ethical and political disputes surrounding the ownership, control and care of cultural property. It begins by establishing historical attitudes towards cultural property which are then compared to current attempts to protect cultural heritage and regulate its movement. In doing so it considers how, more recently, museums have entered into dialogues with source communities about restitution and repatriation, new methods of display and ongoing relationships. The unit analyses numerous Australian and international case studies in order to define current models of best practice.

Code MUSM7035
Academic unit Art History
Credit points 6
Prerequisites:
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None
Corequisites:
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None
Prohibitions:
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None

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

  • LO1. Understand the concepts and practices of the ethics and politics surrounding cultural property
  • LO2. Understand the politics of domestic and international museum practice regarding cultural property
  • LO3. Understand the current issues affecting museums, such as ownership, repatriation of material culture and human remains
  • LO4. Have developed a body of knowledge about the history of the museum and contemporary debates in museology
  • LO5. Examine the relationship between museums and indigenous groups.
  • LO6. Identify, access, organise and communicate knowledge in both written and oral English
  • LO7. Appreciate the requirements and characteristics of scholarship and research
  • LO8. Adopt a problem solving approach
  • LO9. Be capable of rigorous and independent thinking
  • LO10. Use information technology for professional and personal development