Socially Engaged Practice in Museums and Galleries (Taught)

This course will examine the role of museums and practitioners in shaping society's understandings of contemporary issues, upholding antiracist and anti-oppression values of inclusivity and accessibility, and ensuring that museums benefit their communities. Choosing to study Socially Engaged Practice in Museums and Galleries will give you access to leading research and practice on the impact that museums and galleries can have on advocating for social justice and human rights, and how they might better explore and address the contemporary issues that face our societies.

This course brings together cutting-edge examples of socially driven professional practice in dialogue with research undertaken by academics within the School of Museum Studies. It draws on broader global shifts in practice and will challenge you to think deeply about the role of culture in society and the characteristics of socially purposeful museums and galleries.

Over the course, you will engage critically and creatively with areas such as:

• partnership working

• participatory practices

• anti-racism and anti-oppression work

• ethical frameworks for practice

• accessibility and audience-centred practices

• visitor studies and audience research

• leadership at all levels of an organisation

• how socially engaged practice can be embedded into the work of museums and galleries

You will gain a deeper understanding of the historical, current and emerging debates, theories, issues, techniques and practice in order to effectively develop and advocate for socially engaged practice in museums, galleries, and similar organisations. The course offers a platform to explore and experiment with ways of maximising the impact that museums and galleries can have on the wellbeing of communities, on civil debates around controversial topics, and on the building of fairer and more equal societies.

The course is delivered in a variety of ways, including recorded online lectures, seminars, and tutorials, and discussion activities. The programme is designed to fit around your existing commitments and is sympathetically structured to allow you to break up the work into manageable chunks and focus on one assignment at a time.

You will receive high quality support from your module tutors and a personal tutor throughout your studies.