BERGAMO
Overview
Date/time interval
Syllabus
Course Objectives
Upon completion of the course, students will have an in-depth understanding of the issues related to museum communication.
In particular, they will be able to:
- Identify the key players involved in museum communication and their primary role in that context
- Understanding the reasons for the shift in focus in museum communication, from objects to stories and people
- Analyse how museums approach communication (for example, with or without technological support)
- Apply this knowledge to a specific case of their choice
Course Prerequisites
No pre-requists
Teaching Methods
The teaching method will combine lectures, a case study that students will partially prepare during classes by applying the theoretical concepts learned and presentations and discussions in class, in order to encourage the direct involvement of students as much as possible and to create interactive lessons.
Assessment Methods
For attending students, the exam consists in a project presentation that serves as a starting point for assessing the topics covered during the course.
This project, to be completed individually, involves identifying a museum of your choice, and analysing the following aspects:
- How the museum approaches communication in general
- How it manages audience development
- What the main narrative lines developed within the museum are, and for what purposes they are developed
- If and how it uses digital technologies, for what purpose, and with what results
For non-attending students, an ad hoc programme is available.
Contents
The course addresses issues related to museum communication by presentign and discussing the following topics:
1) Why communicate
2) Who to communicate to
3) What to communicate
4) How to communicate
5) Where to communicate
Particular attention will be paid to the use of digital technology in museum communication.
In this regard, it analyses how digital technologies can be integrated within the museum context and for what purposes, the consequences of this use, the opportunities and limitations associated with them, and emerging trends.
To this end, it draws on case studies from the lecturer's practice as well as on several exemplary international case studies.
This is achieved through an approach based on design thinking, understood both as a design method and as a process.
Online Resources
More information
For non-attending students, a specific programme is foreseen.
The bibliography includes the following books:
- Il museo immediato. Giuliano Gaia, 2024. Editrice Bibliografica
- The Participatory Museum, Nina Simon, 2010. Disponibile online: Read Online – The Participatory Museum
And the followign articles:
- Calvi, L., & Vermeeren, A. (2023). Digitally enriched museum experiences – what technology can do. Museum Management and Curatorship, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1080/09647775.2023.2235683
- Calvi, L., Bargeman, B., Hover, M., van Waalwijk, J., Strijbosch, W., & Mitas, O. (2024). Storytelling as a tool to design museum experiences: the case of the Secret Marquise. In F. Zanella [et.al] (Ed.), Multidisciplinary aspects of design: Objects, processes, experiences and narratives. (pp. 423-433). (Springer Series in Design and Innovation; Vol. 37). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-49811-4_40
Additionally, as an optional reading:
- Solima, L. (2022). Le parole del museo. Un percorso tra management, tecnologie digitali e sostenibilità, Roma: Carocci Editore.