THE UNIVERSITY of EDINBURGH

DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2024/2025

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DRPS : Course Catalogue : Edinburgh College of Art : Architecture - History

Undergraduate Course: Building for Culture: the Architecture of the Museum (ARHI10042)

Course Outline
SchoolEdinburgh College of Art CollegeCollege of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) AvailabilityAvailable to all students
SCQF Credits20 ECTS Credits10
SummaryThe museum has been recognised in recent years as a site rich in cultural, social and political meaning, and is now the subject of much interdisciplinary study. Museums are among today's most striking buildings, and their architects are often accused of overpowering the collections the structures are designed to house. This course will trace the evolution of the specific building type from its origins in the Renaissance up to the present day, and will examine distinctions between the various museum typologies. It will look at architectural plans for the ideal museum, and examine the history of the museum as a public institution, the concept of collecting, attitudes to display and the institution's relationship with the public. Attention will be given to the way architecture expresses a message about the institution's purpose, and to architecture's ability to promote national values. It will look at ways in which meaning is created in the museum.
Course description Not entered
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Students MUST have passed:
Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements Students should normally have passed at least 60 credits of Architectural History or History of Art/History courses at Level 8. If the pre-requisites cannot be met, entry to this course can be negotiated in consultation with either the Course Organiser or Programme Director (Architectural History).
Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisitesVisiting students should have at least 3 History of Art courses at Grade B or above (or predicted to obtain this.) We will only consider University/College level courses.

** as numbers are limited, visiting students should contact the Visiting Student Office directly for admission to this course.
High Demand Course? Yes
Course Delivery Information
Not being delivered
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. Demonstrate a thorough knowledge and understanding of the history and range of museums and their architectural forms
  2. Demonstrate a critical understanding of the historical and cultural significance of the museum as an institution, its role within the city and its architectural representation
  3. Interpret and evaluate the values that museums impart through their architectural layouts and their strategies for display
Reading List
Duncan, Carol, Civilizing Rituals: Inside Public Art Museums (London; New York: Routledge, 1995)

Giebelhausen, Michaela (ed.), The architecture of the museum: symbolic structures, urban contexts (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2003)

Klonk, Charlotte, Spaces of Experience: Art Gallery Interiors from 1800 to 2000 (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2009)

McClellan, Andrew, The Art Museum from Boullée to Bilbao (Berkeley; Los Angeles; London: University of California Press, 2008)

Newhouse, Victoria, Towards a New Museum, (New York: Monacelli Press, 2006)

Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills Not entered
Special Arrangements None
KeywordsMuseum,Architecture,History,Curation,Collection
Contacts
Course organiserDr Anne Galastro
Tel:
Email: Anne.Galastro@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMr Daniel Jackson
Tel: (0131 6)50 2309
Email: Daniel.Jackson@ed.ac.uk
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