This course develops perspectives for understanding and thinking about the potential impact of media and technology on museums. Historical intersections of museums, media and technology will provide points of reference for elucidating the particular uses and challenges offered by new media, digitalization, the Internet and mobile computing. A key concern will be to consider in what ways museums still need material artifacts and physical architecture as they have in the past. Issues will include technology's effects on museum missions; social media and the control and vetting of information; materiality, space and remediation; the changing shape of memory and history in today's media landscape; and the challenges of implementing technology (exhibition design, web, apps, collections management) wisely.

Assignments will include readings on museum history, theoretical issues and case studies; visits to local museums; reviews of virtual and digital collections; and a technology project analysis for a museum of students' choosing.

This course can be taken for graduate credit. Graduate students will be expected to contribute a short report in class on a topic of their choosing as well as write a longer research paper.