Introduction to museology 7.5 credits

About the course

Museology is a discipline that explores theory and practice of museum institutions historically and today with focus on museum as a phenomenon and musealization as a practice. This course introduces museology as a field of studies and presents key concepts in the discipline. It gives an overview of the most discussed problems in the field, ranging from the societal relevance of museum institutions to their history and origins, focusing on the diversity of frameworks and approaches.

The course is web-based and consists of literature readings, discussions on a web-platform, online teaching moments and written assignments. It includes two modules:

Module 1: Museums and Heritage: Conceptual frameworks (2,5 ects)
Museer och kulturarv: Grundläggande begrepp

The module introduces museology as a discipline in relation to the global field of museum and heritage studies. It presents the most important concepts of museology and analyzes the museum definition which describes museums' functions and role in the society.

Module: 2 Institutions and discipline: Cruising across the fields (5 ects)
Institutioner och ämnet: Översikt av fältet

The module presents analytical and theoretical framework which aims to identify, analyze and discuss current trends within the museological thinking based on theoretical approaches and case studies. The module's design allows for the selection of the most recent and resonant cases. These cases are bracketed with the cutting-edge international research in the field. As a whole, the module brings forward overarching understanding of the current problems and discussions in museology.

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Autumn 2025
- Introduction to museology
  
  Second admissions round for EU/EEA citizens
  
  HT25 / Varied / English / Web-based (online)
  
  Show more Show less
  
  Starts
  1 September 2025
  
  Ends
  18 January 2026
  
  Number of credits
  7.5 credits
  
  Type of studies
  Web-based (online)
  
  Mandatory meetings
  No mandatory meetings
  
  Other meetings
  None
  
  Study pace
  25%
  
  Teaching hours
  Mixed
  
  Study location
  Varied
  
  Language
  English
  
  Application code
  UMU-15807
  
  Outline for distance course
  The course is online without any physical meetings. The studies require access to technical equipment such as a computer with a camera and microphone.
  
  Eligibility General entry requirements
  
  Selection
  Results-National university aptitude test-Academic credits
  
  Application
  Application deadline was 15 April 2025. The application period is closed. Please note: This second application round is intended only for EU/EEA/Swiss citizens.
  
  Application and tuition fees
  As a citizen of a country outside the European Union (EU), the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland, you are required to pay application and tuition fees for studies at Umeå University.
  
  Application fee: SEK 900
  
  Tuition fee, first instalment: SEK 12,075
  
  Total fee: SEK 12,075
  
  Details about tuition, fees and funding

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