Museums, Heritage and Collections

Museums are powerful and influential institutions in their ability to shape knowledge and contribute to our identity. What we preserve and how we present our collections and heritage (and of course what we do not preserve and do not exhibit) is closely connected to our identity and culture.

In this multidisciplinary Minor, students will become acquainted with the social and academic debates on museums, cultural heritage and collections.

Many different types of museums and collections shall be discussed including art museums, (natural) history museums and ethnographical museums. Students will gain insight into the functions and challenges of these different types of museums and various exhibition concepts and gain an understanding of the pressing ethical issues connected to museums and heritage.

The lecture series ‘Museums, Cultural Heritage and Collections’ (10 ECTS) forms the intellectual core of this Minor. It provides for an academic reflection on the collecting, presenting, managing and preserving of cultural heritage and on the history and theory of museums and collections in national and international context. Students will also take courses in which they will gain more in-depth knowledge. It is possible to take an internship for 10, 15, or 20 ECTS in this Minor, replacing other courses in the programme. However, the course 'Museums, Culture Heritage and Collections' is mandatory for all students.

https://studiegids.universiteitleiden.nl/studies/9508