Introduction to humanities museum project

The Museum Project Part 1 – Curating

Instructions

The Museum Project Part 1: Curating

To begin the virtual museum project, you must fill out this form and submit it to the assignment folder. The following information will help you to successfully complete the form.

• Having explored the ideas presented in the class, you hopefully found something to pique your interest.  Was there a reading that you found particularly enlightening?  Was there an idea that engaged you or helped you to draw a connection to something outside the course? 
  • You need to identify that reading or idea and explain it as if you were explaining it to someone who has not taken the course. 
  • You need to review the materials in Learning Unit One and consider how the reading or idea works within two or three humanities disciplines (called “humanities fields” in Unit One).
• After you’ve explained and explored the reading or idea, you’ll want to begin searching for images and research to help you shape your own thinking on your subject. 
  • It’s at this stage where you might want to also explore other forms of art – not just paintings but photography, film, music, street art, dance, theater, literature, etc. – that you can incorporate into your presentation. 
  • You may even want to think of this as your opportunity to create a “mini lesson” for this Humanities Course. 
  • This step will take you quite a bit of time as you will need to curate – locate and evaluate – your materials.
  • As you take notes and find materials, be thinking about the relationship between your materials and why you find them interesting or how they relate.  Also, be sure to keep track of your sources.  You’ll need to provide the full MLA bibliographic citation for each item you curate. 
    • For information on creating and formatting an MLA bibliographic citation, see here.
    • You are required to curate at least six images (paintings or photographs) and three research sources
    • You may substitute up to three images with music, street art, dance, theater, literature, etc. – this still ensures six curated pieces of art but broadens the definition from paintings and photography to include other art forms
  • Images must come from either the BC Online Library and its databases or from a physical museum’s website
  • Other research (essays, books, journal articles, etc.) must come from the BC Online Library or its databases
• After you’ve curated your images and research materials, it’s time to start shaping your ideas into a presentation.  To do that, you need to create a working thesis and outline. 
  • A thesis is the central argument of a paper or presentation.  Since you’re creating a narrative, you are essentially creating a paper, as well.  It’s just a paper that you might “read” as you present your images and ideas.  Therefore, you need to ask yourself: “What do I want to prove?” 
    • Remember, a thesis is an argument for meaning.  What does your curated information mean or suggest?  How do you know?  What is the relationship between the course material and the information you’ve found? Why is it interesting? What can we learn from it?
    • When you completed your discussion in Unit Eight, you practiced interpreting and creating meaning for the images provided.  Throughout the semester, the reflection papers and discussions have also asked you to create meaning.
  • In addition to a working thesis, the outline must contain an Introduction (The Thesis), Three Main Ideas, and a Conclusion
    • Each Main Idea must have at least two supporting details which reference two images or pieces of art from your curated materials and one scholarly source from your research. (There is an outline template found in the worksheet – in fact, this entire page is a kind of outline)
    • For information on creating an outline, visit these videos:
• Finally, how do you want to present your information in the final draft?
  • As stated before, you can create a video, powerpoint, prezzi, etc.
  • You must create a narrative for your presentation and either read it with your final project or submit it as a written document.
    • The narrative must contain in-text citations for quoted and summarized materials — even the recorded or spoken narrative needs these citations
    • The final page of the presentation or narrative must have a Works Cited page listing all of your curated materials.

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