Post Graduate Diploma in Applied Museology (PGDAM)

Aims to prepare the students for a career upholding Cultural Heritage with the knowledge and skills to support curatorial and conservation activities in the museum, heritage and cultural sectors.

Course Outlines

SEMESTER I

1. Introduction to Museum & Museology (4 Credits)

• Origin and definitions of museums
• Definitions of museology, museography, and metamuseology
• History of collections and development of museums in the global context
• Development of museums in India
• Types of museums
• Functions of a museum
• Social roles and responsibilities of museums
• Nature of museum work and the role of different professionals in a museum
• Museum as a profession; professional organizations such as UNESCO, ICOM, ICCROM, MA, AAM, MAI, IASC
• ICOM Code of Ethics
• Visits to local museums

2. Museum Management (4 Credits)

• Concept of management and its functions
• Operations management, productivity, strategic planning, process analysis, quality management, maintenance, security, and project management
• Human resource management
• Financial management: meaning, policies, sources, and budgeting
• Marketing: concept of a marketing-oriented organization; museum as a multi-product organization
• Market segmentation and targeting
• Consumer behaviour
• Market research
• Marketing mix
• Case studies of management practices in Indian museums

3. Collections Management – Part I (4 Credits)

• Collection management policy
• Ethics of collection
• Classification of collections and collection typology
• Access to collections and related information
• Organization and re-organization of collection stores
• Introduction to Re-Org Methodology by ICCROM
• Application of the Re-Org method
• Case studies of Re-Org workshops
• Disaster management in museums and museum-like organisations

4. Museum Communication: Exhibitions (4 Credits)

• Exhibition as a communication system
• Types of exhibitions
• Ethics of museum exhibitions
• Exhibition components and configuration
• Exhibition factors that influence visitors
• Exhibition planning and design
• Types of exhibition layouts
• Application of ergonomics
• Exhibition text: format, legibility, readability, comprehension, and human interest
• Decisions on typography
• Signage
• Lighting: factors that influence lighting in museum exhibitions, types of lamps, track lighting
• Critical analysis and evaluation of exhibitions

 

SEMESTER II

5. Collections Management – Part II (4 Credits)

• Discipline-based curatorship
• Collection records management
• Museum documentation standards
• Controlling environmental factors in collection holding areas
• Care and handling of collections
• Housekeeping
• Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
• Using basic equipment/instruments for monitoring environmental factors
• Application of risk management in the cultural field

6.Museum Automation (4 Credits)

• Meaning, significance, and scope of automation in museums
• Categories of automation
• Automated identification systems: barcodes, QR codes, and RFID
• Process control and vision systems
• Use of robots and AGVs
• Digital documentation and metadata creation
• Metadata: meaning, significance, and types; metadata schema
• Digital preservation
• Data mining and processing
• Communication and presentation: VR, AR, and digital walkthroughs

7. Museum Communication: Education and Interpretation (4 Credits)

• Concepts of education, interpretation, and learning
• Characteristics of learning in museums
• Barriers to learning
• Ethics of museum education
• Theories of learning and their application in museum education
• Characteristics of different types of audiences
• Development of educational programmes for different audiences
• Developing and designing educational material
• Concept of extension services
• Challenges of museum extension
• Developing and designing extension programmes and material
• Evaluation of the learning experience

8. Final Dissertation/Field Report (12 Credits)