Museum Studies (M S)

M S 201 Introduction to the History and Development of Museums (Units: 3)

Introduction to basic theory and organization of museums including the history of museum development, the role of museums in society, museums as places of preservation and education, and the relationship between museums and the communities they serve. (Plus-minus letter grade only)

M S 202 Introduction to Museum Exhibits (Units: 3)

Examination of basics of museum exhibits, including key elements of how exhibits are planned and developed, their purpose, how they are connected to public programming, and the role of visitors. Contains an exhibit viewing component. (Plus-minus letter grade only)

Course Attributes:

• 3A: Arts
• C1: Arts

M S 310 Introduction to Museum Education Methods and Community Engagement (Units: 3)

Prerequisites: Restricted to upper-division standing; M S 201 and M S 202 with grades of C or better.

Introduction to the important role museums play in society including preservation and education. Main content themes include the history of the paradigm shift from collecting institutions to public educational institutions; public programs serving diverse audiences; object-based learning; museum-school services; community outreach; visitor studies; and assessment. (Plus-minus letter grade only)

M S 681 Preparation for Museum Practicum (Units: 2)

Prerequisites: Upper-division Museum Studies minors; M S 201 and M S 202 with grades of C or better.

Preparation with lecture for museum practicum in selected functions in SF State's Global Museum (Plus-minus letter grade only).

M S 682 Capstone Practicum (Units: 3)

Prerequisites: Upper-division Museum Studies minors and M S 681* with a grade of C or better.

Practicum at a pre-approved, off-campus museum site in museum collections management and registration, exhibition design, interpretation, gallery preparation and installation, education and public programming, and gallery management or administration under the supervision of a professional museum employee and SF State instructor. (Plus-minus letter grade only)

M S 683 Collections Stewardship Practicum (Unit: 1)

Prerequisites: Restricted to upper-division Museum Studies minors; M S 201 and M S 202 with grades of C or better; concurrent enrollment in M S 681. May not be taken concurrently with M S 684.

Work on collections and archives-related tasks in the Global Museum, including collections handling, inventory and photo documentation, pest management, and collections moves. Activity.

M S 684 Educational Programming and Interpretation Practicum (Unit: 1)

Prerequisites: Restricted to upper-division Museum Studies minors; M S 201 and M S 202 with grades of C or better; concurrent enrollment in M S 681. May not be taken concurrently with M S 683.

Work on educational programming and interpretation tasks in the Global Museum, including engagement specialist training, school field trips, tours, and the development and implementation of museum exhibition interpretation. Activity.

M S 700 History and Organization of Museums (Units: 3)

Prerequisite: Restricted to graduate Museum Studies students and/or permission of the instructor.

Major museology facets, including analysis of diverse museums, career options, ethics, laws, funding, and literature. Museum operation and community-museum relationships through on-site observations, interviews, and research.

M S 705 San Francisco Bay Area Museums: Behind the Scenes (Units: 3)

Prerequisite: Restricted to graduate Museum Studies students, declared upper-division Museum Studies minors, or permission of the instructor.

Study of San Francisco Bay Area museums: their history, organization, collections stewardship, exhibits, public programs, and mission. Includes structured "behind-the-scenes" tours of local museums.

M S 707 Perspectives on Museums: A Professional Forum (Unit: 1)

Prerequisite: Upper-division or graduate Museum Studies students or permission of the instructor.

Guest speakers from the museum community to provide graduate students with perspectives and discussion on current practices and trends in the museum workplace. May be repeated for a total of 3 units.

M S 710 Museum Education and Public Outreach (Units: 3)

Prerequisite: Graduate standing and permission of the instructor.

Overview and evaluation of educational services in museums including the planning and implementation of educational programs and establishing a liaison with public schools. Designed for graduate students, museum professionals, and public school teachers. (Plus-minus letter grade only) [CSL may be available]

M S 720 Museum Curatorship and Collecting (Units: 3)

Prerequisite: Restricted to graduate Museum Studies students.

Analysis of the duties of museum curators, including academic research, collections documentation, collections development, donor cultivation, ethical collection practices, exhibition concept development, and the curator's position within the institution and community. May be repeated for a total of 6 units. (Plus-minus letter grade only)

M S 730 Museum Exhibition Development (Units: 3)

Prerequisite: Graduate standing.

Theory and practical experience in the development and installation of exhibitions in museums and related exhibition spaces in libraries or similar institutions, including collaborations between such entities. May be repeated for a total of 6 units. (Plus-minus letter grade only)

M S 740 Museum Conservation and Restoration (Unit: 1)

Prerequisite: Graduate Museum Studies students.

Theory and practice in museum conservation and restoration, using the Sutro Egyptian and permanent collections. Analysis of museum artifacts.

M S 760 Preservation of Natural History and Cultural Collections (Units: 3)

Prerequisite: Graduate standing or senior standing with the permission of the instructor.

Analysis of major types of natural history specimens, their properties, potential hazards facing them, and appropriate conservation techniques.

M S 780 Cultural Heritage Preservation (Units: 3)

Prerequisite: Restricted to upper-division or graduate standing.

Archaeological and architectural conservation: history of U.S. legislation and implementation, international organizations, major national and international projects, philosophy of preservation strategies, conservation ethic.

M S 790 Archives Management and Preservation (Units: 3)

Prerequisite: Graduate standing or senior standing with the permission of the instructor.

History, principles, methodologies, and practical administration of non-electronic archives (original documents, maps, photographic materials, manuscripts, diaries, albums, government records); practical, hands-on experience with preservation methods. (Plus-minus letter grade only)

M S 794 Museum Collections Management and Registration (Units: 3)

Prerequisite: Graduate Museum Studies students.

Tasks performed by museum registrars: documentation of collections, loan procedures, collections storage, museum security, disaster preparedness, traveling exhibitions and customs, insurance, and development of collections management policies.

M S 800 Museum Management, Law, and Ethics (Units: 3)

Prerequisite: Graduate Museum Studies students, MFA Art students, or permission of the instructor.

Legal issues of concern to museum professionals and artists; laws governing the acquisition of art objects, authentication, taxes, liability, censorship, artists' rights, copyright, museum organization, and labor relations. (Plus-minus letter grade only)

M S 810 Museums in the Digital Age (Units: 3)

Prerequisite: Graduate standing or permission of the instructor.

Use and role of digital media and information technology in museums. Development of practical and theoretical skill set for the management of digital assets for exhibit development, education, public relations and marketing, collections preservation, and digitally-mediated outreach.

M S 830 Museum Governance (Units: 3)

Prerequisite: Graduate standing or permission of the instructor.

Analysis of governance in museums, including trusteeship, board issues, roles of director and senior management, governance conflicts, mission statements, use of advisory committees and support groups, collections issues, planning, and recent controversies. (Plus-minus letter grade only)

M S 840 Museums and Cultural Property (Units: 3)

Prerequisite: Graduate standing or permission of the instructor.

Examination of legal and ethical issues concerning cultural property in museums: museum acquisition policies; international art/antiquities trade; auction houses; WWII-era looting; repatriation; ownership dispute resolution; relationships with descendant communities. (Plus-minus letter grade only)

M S 860 Fundraising in Museums (Units: 3)

Prerequisite: Restricted to graduate Museum Studies students or permission of the instructor.

Examination of fundraising in museums, budget building, budget cycle, legal and tax issues of fundraising, as well as specific fundraising methods (gifts, planned giving, bequests, endowments, e-commerce, grants, contracts). (Plus-minus letter grade only)

M S 870 Museum Audiences, Visitors, and Communities (Units: 3)

Prerequisite: Graduate standing and permission of the instructor.

Analysis of museum visitors (visitor studies) and non-visitors (audience research) in the context of museum communities. Methodology and applications of visitor/audience research to improve museum operations and exhibitions.

M S 880 Museum Internship (Units: 3)

Prerequisites: Graduate Museum Studies students and M S 700.

Practicum in collections management, exhibition design, fundraising management, publishing, curation, educational programming, conservation under the supervision of a professional museum employee and SF State instructor. May be repeated for a total of 6 units.

M S 885 Professional Conferences and Workshops (Units: 1-3)

Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor.

Attendance, participation, and evaluation at professional conferences, workshops, or short courses offered by museums, professional associations, or other recognized institutions. Prior approval by the Museum Studies Program is mandatory. May be repeated for a total of 3 units. (CR/NC grading only)

M S 888 Project Management for Museums (Units: 1-2)

Prerequisites: Restricted to graduate Museum Studies students; M S 720 and M S 850; or permission of the instructor.

Under faculty guidance, development, logistics, budgeting, and time management for museum exhibits, catalogue publishing, conferences/sessions for museum professionals, or special events for schools/general public. May be repeated for a total of 3 units for the degree credit.

M S 894 Creative Work Project (Units: 3)

Prerequisites: Permission of the instructor and approval of Advancement to Candidacy (ATC) and Culminating Experience (CE) forms by Graduate Studies.

Original creative work project which must be developed with the approval of the Museum Studies program. ATC and Proposal for Culminating Experience Requirement forms must be approved by the Graduate Division before registration. (CR/NC; RP grading only)

M S 896 Preparation for Written Comprehensive Examination (Units: 3)

Prerequisites: Permission of the instructor; approval of Advancement to Candidacy (ATC) and Culminating Experience (CE) forms by Graduate Studies; and recommendation of major adviser. Concurrently enrollment in M S 896EXM.

Preparation for Written Comprehensive Examination in Museum Studies for graduate students who have been advanced to candidacy for the M.A. degree in Museum Studies. (CR/NC, RP)

M S 896EXM Written Comprehensive Examination (Unit: 0)

Prerequisites: Restricted to graduate Museum Studies students; permission of the instructor; recommendation of major adviser; approval of Advancement to Candidacy (ATC) and Culminating Experience (CE) forms by Graduate Studies. Concurrent enrollment in M S 896.

Written Comprehensive Examination in Museum Studies for graduate students who have been advanced to candidacy for the M.A. degree in Museum Studies. May be repeated a total of 3 times. (CR/NR, RP)

M S 897 Directed Thesis Advising and Support (Units: 3)

Prerequisite: Graduate standing.

Directed advising and support for students writing theses or creative works. May be taken before enrollment in M S 894 or M S 898. Once students have taken M S 894 or M S 898 they must take M S 897 every Spring semester until they finish the degree. (CR/NC grading only)

M S 898 Master's Thesis (Units: 3)

Prerequisites: Permission of the instructor; approval of Advancement to Candidacy (ATC) and Culminating Experience (CE) forms by Graduate Studies; and recommendation of major adviser. ATC and Proposal for Culminating Experience Requirement forms must be approved by the Graduate Division before registration.

(CR/NC grading only)

M S 899 Independent Study (Units: 2-3)

Prerequisite: Museum Studies students; permission of the program director.

Professional-level, independent study of a particular aspect of museum work under the guidance of a faculty member in the Museum Studies Program. May be repeated for a total of 6 units. (Plus-minus letter grade only) [CSL may be available]