85077 - Museology and Collection Studies (1) (LM)

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course, students will acquire a detailed knowledge of the history and theory of public and private collections, with particular attention to the specific problems posed by museology and of historical and artistic heritage management which includes safeguarding. It will also allow students to develop the necessary skills to understand museum entities and to recognise and analyse structures, spaces, displays and functions of museums in the past and in the present day. Additionally, the course will provide students with the ability to use research tools in the field of museology theory and didactic. Finally, through a cooperative learning approach and workshops, the course aims to enhance transversal skills, individual abilities and team working.

Course contents

The course includes 30 hours of lectures corresponding to 6 CFU.

The course aims at providing historical and methodological tools necessary to understand the evolution of collecting practices from private to public, their social and gender dimension and the transformations of the notion and concept of Museum from the modern age to today. The historical places of art fruition are analysed: collections, exhibitions, museums with particular attention to the Italian situation. The aim of the course is to make students aware of the role played by collecting, temporary exhibitions and museums in the progress of culture and society through the knowledge, protection, conservation and valorisation of the historical, artistic and scientific heritage.

In the Academic Year 2026–2027, particular attention will be paid to concepts and themes related to the different forms of collecting and display in the Ancien Régime, in connection with the exhibition project within the Blindspot programme of the Supino Library, scheduled for early 2027.

The following complementary activities are planned for the academic year 2026–2027:

1. A seminar on the relationship between museology and museography, aimed at exploring issues of exhibition design through the analysis of case studies;
2. A seminar on digital technologies for museums.

As part of the participatory teaching activities involving attending students, voluntary participation is also planned in the drafting of content, defined by the lecturer, which will be published online on the Supino Library website dedicated to the exhibition Forms of Collecting and Display in the Ancien Régime. Coordinators for participatory teaching: Dr. Irene Di Pietro and Dr. Alessandro Paolo Lena.

Students with learning disorders and\or temporary or permanent disabilities: please, contact the office responsible (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students) as soon as possible so that they can propose acceptable adjustments. The request for adaptation must be submitted in advance (15 days before the exam date) to the lecturer, who will assess the appropriateness of the adjustments, taking into account the teaching objectives.

Readings/Bibliography

Knowledge of 2 texts from section I and 1 text from section II is required for the examination.

Non-attending students complete their preparation with a text from section III.

Section I:

S. Costa, Dal magnifico concerto e all’ordinato metodo. Collezionismo e musei d’Ancien Régime, Bologna, Bup, 2019.

K. Pomian, Il Museo una storia mondiale, Torino, Einaudi, 2021: vol. I. Dal tesoro al museo.

K. Pomian, Il Museo una storia mondiale, Torino, Einaudi, 2021: vol. II. L'affermazione europea, 1789-1850.

K. Pomian, Il Museo una storia mondiale, Torino, Einaudi, 2022: vol. III. Alla Conquista del Mondo, 1850-2020.

Section II:

J. Arnaldo, S. Costa, D. Poulot, A. Rosellini (a cura di), Atmosfere. Esperienze immersive nell'arte e al museo, Bologna, BUP, 2021.

L. Basso Peressut, Il Museo moderno, Milano, Lybra Immagine, 2005.

S. Costa, P. Callegari, M. Pizzo, L’Italia dei Musei 1860-1960. Collezioni, Contesti, Casi di studio, Bologna, BUP, 2018.

S. Costa, P. Cordera, D. Poulot (a cura di), Storytelling. Esperienze e comunicazione del Cultural Heritage, Bologna, BUP, 2022.

S. Costa, M. L. Pagliani, Arte, Archeologia e Pubblico, Bologna, BUP, 2017.

S. Costa, G. Perini Folesani (a cura di), I savi e gli ignoranti. Dialogo del pubblico con l'arte, Bologna, BUP, 2017.

F. Haskell, The ephemeral museum. Old master painting and the rise of the art exhibition, New Haven, Yale University Press, 2000. (trad it. La nascita delle mostre. I dipinti degli antichi maestri e l’origine delle esposizioni d’arte, Milano-Ginevra, Skira, 2008).

M.C. Mazzi, In viaggio con le Muse. Spazi e modelli del Museo, Edifir, 2005.

Section III

K. Pomian, Il Museo una storia mondiale, Torino, Einaudi, vol. I, II, III, (one volume not selected in section 1).

Teaching methods

The course also includes meetings with professional figures related to the various forms of conservation and enhancement of historical and artistic heritage, in addition to lectures and possible educational visits to exhibitions and/or museums.

Assessment methods

The verification of learning takes place through an oral examination: the test consists of an interview aimed at assessing the specific knowledge acquired by the student during the course. The student must demonstrate an appropriate knowledge of the topics addressed and discussed during the course and of the bibliography indicated in the syllabus. Critical skills to explain and interpret the different theoretical and practical approaches to museology and its constant evolution will also be assessed.

1. The exam in which the student demonstrates the ability to analyse the texts in depth and to be able to place them in an organic vision of the themes addressed in the lessons will be assessed with marks of excellence. The expressive mastery used during the interview will also be fundamental.

2. Mostly mnemonic knowledge, the ability to analyse not in depth and a correct but not always appropriate language of the texts to be studied will lead to fair marks.

3. Approximate knowledge, superficial comprehension, poor analytical ability and not always appropriate expression will lead to little more than adequate marks.

4. Formative deficiencies, inappropriate language, lack of orientation within the bibliographical materials to be studied in the programme will lead to negative assessments.

Students with SLD or temporary or permanent disabilities. It is necessary to contact the relevant University office (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en) with ample time in advance: the office will propose some adjustments, which must in any case be submitted 15 days in advance to the lecturer, who will assess the appropriateness of these in relation to the teaching objectives.

AI can be a useful tool to support individual study with in-depth insights, summaries, and self-assessment pathways. As for the assessment of learning, during in-person examinations the use of AI is prohibited. Any use constitutes a violation of academic integrity.

Teaching tools

The course will be delivered through lectures, supported by Powerpoint presentations and videos.

Office hours

See the website of Sandra Costa