90434 - Memory, Museum and Information

Learning outcomes

Through the study of the different theoretical perspectives on Memory and the study of the relationships between Memory registers mainly (but not only) three-dimensional and the information Institutions dedicated to them, at the end of the course the student must understand the relationships between objects and memory through the transformations of the idea of a museum and the importance of the exhibition order as an order of memory and knowledge. He knows also analysis methodologies and specific bibliographical tools.

Course contents

The course addresses memory as a social, cultural and political process, relating it to heritage, museums, documents, monuments, archives and practices of public narration. Attention is devoted to the ways in which societies select what is to be remembered, preserved, displayed, contested or forgotten.

At the end of the course, students will be able to:

• distinguish between individual memory, collective memory, communicative memory and cultural memory;
• understand the relationship between memory, heritage, identity, power and cultural institutions;
• analyze museums, monuments, archives and documents as devices for selecting, preserving and interpreting the past;
• recognize forms of dissonant heritage and conflicts of memory in public space;
• apply intercultural, postcolonial and decolonial perspectives to concrete cases of heritage and representation;
• produce a short argued analysis or policy proposal on a case of memory/heritage, using the course terminology appropriately.

The course is organized around four main thematic areas:

1. Collective, communicative and cultural memory
   Concepts of individual memory, collective memory, communicative memory and cultural memory; remembrance, forgetting, transmission, identity and the social construction of the past.

2. Heritage, museums and documents as memory devices
   Heritagization, cultural institutions, museums, archives, documents, collections, classifications, exhibitions and practices of mediating the past.

3. Dissonance, conflict and public space
   Dissonant heritage, difficult memories, contested monuments, war, trauma, politics of memory, removal, reinterpretation and public responsibility.

4. Interculturality, coloniality and decolonization
   Museums and colonial collections, representation of otherness, community inclusion, plurality of memories and critical revision of institutional narratives.

Readings/Bibliography

The bibliography is designed to be sustainable and accessible: articles, entries, institutional materials and cases available online in open access or through the University library resources. Any excerpts or updated links will be indicated on Virtuale.

Common required readings for attending and non-attending students

• Jan Assmann, “Identità collettiva e memoria culturale,” excerpt in Italian translation, Fondazione Memoria della Deportazione / ANED. 

• “Memoria culturale,” entry in the Dizionario degli studi culturali, Studiculturali.it. 

• ICOM Italia, “Definizione di museo” — ICOM 2022 definition and related materials. 

• Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna, “Dissonant Legacies: una nuova mostra virtuale per ripensare il patrimonio universitario.” 

• Museo delle Civiltà, “Musei, Memoria, Colonialismo e Decolonizzazione.” 

• Antonio Spinelli, “I luoghi tra storia e memorie: valorizzazione, contaminazione, mimetizzazione, oblio,” Novecento.org. 

Operational readings assigned to groups

• Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna, “Rileggere e riscoprire il patrimonio culturale dissonante.” 

• Deborah Paci, “Come mai non ci sono monumenti dedicati alle vittime della spagnola? Storia e memoria di una pandemia,” Diacronie. 

• “Luoghi della memoria e odonomastica fascista: esperimenti di outdoor education,” Novecento.org. 

• Giulia Grechi, “Decolonizzare il museo. Mostrazioni, pratiche artistiche, sguardi incarnati,” review/entry in Diacronie. 

The operational readings will not necessarily be required in full for all students: they will be distributed according to the case studies and used for guided discussions, group work and preparation for the final RPG.

Additional compulsory bibliography for non-attending students

Non-attending students prepare all the common readings and also choose two readings from among the operational readings listed above. The choice must be consistent with the case analyzed in the individual sheet.

 

Teaching methods

The course privileges a participatory teaching approach. Lectures will serve an introductory function and will be complemented by guided discussions, case analyses, cooperative exercises, concept maps, peer discussion and simulations.

As a rule, each meeting after the first lesson will include: a brief review of the previous meeting; introduction of key concepts; individual or group activity; collective feedback and discussion; connection with the assessment assignments.

Assessment methods

Attending students

For attending students, assessment takes place through ongoing assignments, classroom activities and a final activity in the form of a Role Playing Game. Students who complete the pathway and achieve at least 18/30 may register their grade without taking an additional oral examination, by formally enrolling for the exam session.

Students are considered attending students if they actively participate in at least 10 of the 14 lessons and submit the required activities.

Activity Weight Active participation, preparation for discussions and classroom work 3/30 Individual evolving concept map 6/30 Case-analysis sheet on memory/heritage 6/30 Policy brief in preparation for the final RPG 6/30 Final RPG “The Memory Council” and individual debriefing 9/30Total30/30Brief description of the assignmentsIndividual evolving concept map

Students build and update a map of the main concepts: collective memory, cultural memory, heritage, museum, document, forgetting, dissonance, monumentality, coloniality and community.

Case-analysis sheet

Students analyze a concrete case, for example a museum, a monument, a collection, a digital archive, a site of memory or a public controversy, applying the concepts discussed in class.

Preparatory policy brief

In view of the final RPG, each student prepares a short policy proposal based on the assigned role, addressing selection, interpretation, access, inclusion, institutional responsibility and the management of dissonance.

Final RPG and individual debriefing

Assessment does not concern theatrical performance, but the ability to use the concepts of the course to interpret conflicts of memory, negotiate positions and argue decisions. At the end of the simulation, each student submits a short debriefing note.

Non-attending students

Non-attending students prepare for the exam through the concept sheets available on Virtuale, the common reading dossier and two operational readings of their choice. They must also submit, at least 7 days before the exam session, an individual case-analysis sheet on memory/heritage, approximately 6,000–8,000 characters in length.

Assignment Weight Individual case-analysis sheet on memory/heritage 9/30 Oral examination on the bibliography and course concepts 21/30Total30/30

The oral examination lasts approximately 20–25 minutes and is divided into three parts: discussion of the case-analysis sheet; questions on the common readings; discussion of the selected operational readings. During the oral examination, the use of books, notes, digital devices or AI tools is not permitted, except for authorized adjustments.

Assessment criteria

The following will be assessed: understanding of the fundamental concepts; ability to connect theories, institutions and contemporary cases; critical analysis of dissonant memories and heritage; appropriate use of disciplinary vocabulary; quality of argumentation; ability to work in groups while maintaining individual responsibility; self-reflection in the final debriefing.

• 18–19: essential and mainly descriptive knowledge; limited connections; ability to apply concepts to cases only with guidance.
• 20–24: correct knowledge of the main concepts; application to simple cases; orderly argumentation, though not always autonomous.
• 25–29: good command of the syllabus; autonomous connections between concepts, materials and cases; critical analysis and appropriate terminology.
• 30–30L: broad and integrated command; critical autonomy, originality of argumentation, ability to make connections and strong self-reflection.

Use of artificial intelligence

For assessed activities carried out outside the classroom, limited, declared and non-substantial use of AI is permitted for language support, reorganization of notes or self-assessment. Students may not present an AI-generated text as their own. The case-analysis sheet or policy brief must include a short declaration regarding any use of AI tools. During the final RPG, the use of AI is not permitted, unless otherwise indicated by the instructor.

 

Teaching tools

Virtuale, slides, concept sheets, short articles, case studies, analysis grids, collaborative concept maps and digital materials will be used. Virtuale will contain updated links, assignments, preparatory materials for the activities and operational guidelines for the assessment portfolio.

Students with specific learning disabilities or disabilities

Students with specific learning disabilities, temporary disabilities or permanent disabilities are invited to contact the relevant University office in good time:

https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/it/per-studenti

Any adjustments will be proposed by the competent office and must be submitted to the instructor for approval at least 15 days in advance, in relation to the learning outcomes of the course.

 

Office hours

See the website of Giulia Crippa