Museum Studies: Collection, Curation, and Colonialism

Museums: What are they good for?

The Ashmolean, since it opened its doors in 1683 as the world's first ever public museum, has informed and been informed by every development in museum scholarship, collecting practice, and object-centred teaching and learning. In this course, we’ll explore the origins of the modern museum and trace the development of the Oxford collections as a paradigm for the assembly of a material analogue for every kind of historic and scientific record. We’ll consider the museum as an instrument for the promotion of national and racial ideologies and ask how we can constructively confront a past that has often embodied ideas that are deeply at odds with 21st century sensibilities. Most importantly, classes will be taught among the peerless collections of the Ashmolean. We will spend our time not only in the galleries but in study rooms where we will handle and examine objects ranging from Palaeolithic hand axes to 19th century silver and from neo-Assyrian sculpture to Renaissance drawings by Michelangelo and Raphael, considering fundamental questions of sources, research, and what it is truly possible to know.

By the end of this course, you will:

• Command a rich knowledge base related to the history of art and material culture across a wide chronology and geography.
• Sharpen a wealth of critical thinking skills, including close reading and close looking, establishing provenance, developing catalogues, curating interpretation, analysing and appraising objects, evaluating different styles and materials, and even thinking through effective strategies for enhancing engagement with collections.
• Be able to evaluate the relationship objects and collections alongside their historical and cultural contexts.
• Understand and critically assess the key debates regarding museum studies and its future direction.

This course would suit students of Art History, Museum Studies, and the Humanities more broadly, especially those with an interest in Visual Culture, Material Culture, the History of Collections, English Literature, or History. The course would be of particular relevance to those with an interest in Collections and Curation.

Available as a Residential course on the following dates:

Session 1: 29th June - 17th July 2026