• Index of Digital Reading Room
• Search

1. Home
2. HERM
3. HERM 361: Interpretive Programming (Rev. C2)

HERM 361: Interpretive Programming (Rev. C2) Report a Broken Link

Heritage Resource Management 361: Interpretive Programming explores foundational and applied issues in interpretive programming through a range of readings and assignments that deal with the purpose of museum interpretation, its central concepts and terminology, as well as the significant issues and debates in the field.

Unit 1

Introduction to Museum Interpretation

Roberts, Lisa C. “Changing Practices of Interpretation,” in From Knowledge to Narrative: Educators and the Changing Museum. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institute Press, 1997: 60–79.

Silverman, Lois H. “Making Meaning Together: Lessons from the Field of American History,” in Reinventing the Museum: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives on the Paradigm Shift, edited by Gail Anderson. Walnut Creek, CA: AltaMira Press, 2004: 233–242. [Reprinted from the Journal of Museum Education 18, no. 3 (Fall 1993): 7–11].

Hein, George E. “The Constructivist Museum,” in Learning in the Museum. London: Routledge, 1998, 155–179.

M. Christine Castle. “Critiquing Tours and Public Programs” MERT [Museum Education & Interpretation Journal] 4, no. 2 (March 15, 2002): 1–5.

Lynn Uyen Tran and Heather King. “The Professionalization of Museum Educators: The Case in Science Museums.” Journal of Museum Management and Curatorship 22, no. 2 (June 2007): 131–149.

Pamela Carter-Birken. “Interpretation and the Role of the Viewer in Museums of Modern and Contemporary Art.” Curator 51, no. 2 (April 2008): 171–178.

Unit 2

Informal and Formal Learning Strategies

[Slideshow] Models of reconstructed buildings set into the floor at the Montreal Museum of Archaeology and History at Pointe Callière. Photos: Blaise MacMullin These models appeal to many age groups and give visitors the chance to understand Montreal’s history and how it literally lies beneath their feet.

Csikszentmihályi, Mihály, and Kim Hermanson. “Intrinsic Motivation in Museums: What Makes Visitors Want to Learn?” Museum News 74, no. 3 (May/June 1995): 34–37, 59–62.

Herrmann, Douglas, and Dana Plude. “Museum Memory,” in Public Institutions for Personal Learning: Establishing a Research Agenda, edited by John H. Falk and Lynn D. Dierking. Washington, DC: American Association of Museums Technical Information Service, 1995, 53–66.

Falk, John H. “An Identity-Centered Approach to Understanding Museum Learning.” Curator 49, no. 2 (April 2006): 151–166. When on page, click on link labelled 'PDF' to access full article.

Castle, M. Christine. “Is Anybody Learning in Canada’s Museums?” MUSE (September/October 2005): 19–23.

Falk , John H., and Lynn D. Dierking. “The Contextual Model of Learning,” in Learning from Museums: Visitor Experiences and the Making of Meaning. Lanham, MD: AltaMira Press, 2000, 135–148.

Unit 3

Interpretation in Museum Exhibitions

Graham Black. “Applying the Principles of Interpretation to Museum Display,” in The Engaging Museum: Developing Museums for Visitor Involvement. London: Routledge, 2005, 177–210 Note: Please go to the first reading in Section 4.

Sue Allen. “Exhibit Design in Science Museums: Dealing With a Constructivist Dilemma,” in In Principle, In Practice: Museums as Learning Institutions, edited by John H. Falk, Lynn D. Dierking, and Susan Foutz. Lanham, MD: AltaMira Press, 2007, 42–56.

Charlotte P. Lee. “Reconsidering Conflict in Exhibition Development Teams.” Journal of Museum Management and Curatorship 22, no. 2 (June 2007): 183–199.

Margaret Lindauer. “From Salad Bars to Vivid Stories: Four Game Plans for Developing ‘Educationally Successful’ Exhibitions.” Journal of Museum Management and Curatorship 20, no. 1 (2005): 41–55.

Julie Bowen. “Agents of Change: Co-Creating Exhibits,” in Visitor Voices in Museum Exhibitions, edited by Kathleen McLean and Wendy Pollock. Washington, DC: Association of Science-Technology Centers, 2007: 134–136.

Unit 4

Different Forms of Exhibition

Hugh A. D. Spencer. “Advanced Media in Museum Exhibitions” in The Manual of Museum Exhibitions. Edited by Barry Lord and Gail Dexter Lord. Walnut Creek, CA: AltaMira Press, 2002, 234–257.

Elaine Heumann Gurian. “Noodling Around with Exhibition Opportunities” in Exhibiting Cultures: The Poetics and Politics of Museum Display. Edited by Ivan Karp and Steven D. Lavine. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1991, 176–190.

Kathleen McLean. “Do Museum Exhibitions Have a Future?” Curator 50, no. 1 (January 2007): 109–121. When on page, click on link labelled 'PDF' to access full article.

Timothy Luke. “Memorializing Mass Murder: The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum” in Museum Politics: Power Plays at the Exhibition. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2002, 37–64.

Elise Dubuc. “Reproductions and Museums: A Question of Ethics?” Muse [Journal of the Canadian Museums Association] 9, no. 2 (Autumn 1991): 61.

Erminia Pedretti. “Challenging Convention and Communicating Controversy: Learning Through Issues-Based Museum Exhibitions” in In Principle, In Practice: Museums as Learning Institutions. Edited by John H. Falk, Lynn D. Dierking, and Susan Foutz. Lanham, MD: AltaMira Press, 2007, 121–135.

Leslie Bedford. “Lost Cases, Recovered Lives: Suitcases from a State Hospital Attic, The New York State Museum at Albany.” Curator 48, no. 2 (April 2005): 213–220. When on page, click on link labelled 'PDF' to access full article.

Unit 5

Interpretation Using Print

June Fraser. “Signs of the Times.” Museum Practice 7, no. 2 (2002): 50–53.

Glen Kaye. “Why Johnny Won’t Read Labels” in Visitor Studies: Theory, Research and Practice 6 (1994): 20–23.

Peter White. “Thoughts on Exhibition Publishing” in Beyond the Box: Diverging Curatorial Practices. Edited by Melanie Townsend. Banff: Banff Centre Press, 2003, 3–11.

Stephanie Weaver. “From Toilets to Typefaces.” Creating Great Visitor Experiences: A Guide for Museums, Parks, Zoos, Gardens, and Libraries. Walnut Creek, CA: Left Coast Press, 2007, 85–101.

Bill Watson. “Writing to Learn in Museums” in Visitor Voices in Museum Exhibitions. Edited by Kathleen McLean and Wendy Pollock. Washington, DC: Association for Science-Technology Centers, 2007, 151–155.

Beverly Serrell. “Ten Deadly Sins and 14 Helpful Research Findings.” Exhibit Labels: An Interpretive Approach. Walnut Creek, CA: AltaMira Press, 1996, 233–236.

Beverly Serrell. “Types of Labels in Exhibitions.” Exhibit Labels: An Interpretive Approach. Walnut Creek, CA: AltaMira Press, 1996, 21–36.

Unit 6

Interpretation Using New Media

[Slideshow] New Media in heritage. Photos 1-3: LoicT (cc), Photo 4: Anna L Conti (cc)

Canadian Museum of Nature: Interactive Displays

M. Christine Castle. “Teaching in the Virtual Museum.” Toronto: Ontario Museum Association, 2004, 1–12.

Barbara Soren. “Best Practices in Creating Quality Online Experiences for Museum Users.” Journal of Museum Management and Curatorship 20 (2005): 131–148.

Angelina Russo, Jerry Watkins, Lynda Kelly, and Sebastian Chan. “Participatory Communication with Social Media.” Curator 51, no. 1 (January 2008): 21–31. When on page, click on link labelled 'PDF' to access full article.

Paul F. Marty. “Museum Websites and Museum Visitors: Digital Museum Resources and their Use.” Journal of Museum Management and Curatorship 23, no. 1 (March 2008): 81–99.

Yumi Awano. “Brief Pictorial Description of New Mobile Technologies Used in Cultural Institutions in Japan.” Journal of Museum Education 32, no. 1 (Spring 2007): 17–26.

Unit 7

Bringing History Alive: First and Third Person Interpretation

[Slideshow] Fortress of Louisbourg, National Historic Site of Canada, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. Photos: Martin Cathrae (cc)

John A. Veverka. “The Language of Live Interpretation: Making Contact” in The Languages of Live Interpretation: Animation in Museums. Edited by Jean-Marc Blais. Gatineau, QC: Canadian Museum of Civilization Mercury Series Directorate Paper 9, 1997: 80–86.

Jeff Camhi. “Pathways for Communicating about Objects on Guided Tours.” Curator 51, no. 3 (July 2008) 275–294. When on page, click on link labelled 'PDF' to access full article.

M. Christine Castle. “Intellectual and Seductive: Teaching in Museums, Galleries, and Parks” in Proceedings of the Sixth Ontario Museum Association Colloquium on Learning in Museums, Waterloo, ON, 2001: 19–25.

Tessa Bridal. “Historic Interpretation.” Exploring Museum Theatre. Walnut Creek, CA: AltaMira Press, 2004, 149–157.

Jane Malcolm-Davies. “Borrowed Robes: The Educational Value of Costumed Interpretation at Historic Sites.” International Journal of Heritage Studies 10, no. 3 (July 2004): 277–293.

DramaMuse. Justice in New France (video clips). Gatineau, QC: Canadian Museum of Civilization, 2009.

Unit 8

Visitor Studies

Marilyn Hood. “Staying Away: Why People Choose Not to Visit Museums” in Reinventing the Museum: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives on the Paradigm Shift. Edited by Gail Anderson. Walnut Creek, CA: AltaMira Press, 2004: 150–157. [Reprinted from Museum News (April 1983).

Judy Rand. “The 227-Mile Museum, or a Visitors’ Bill of Rights.” Curator 44, no. 1 (January 2001): 7–14.

Barbara J. Soren. “Audience-Based Measures of Success: Evaluating Museum Learning” in The Manual of Museum Learning, edited by Barry Lord. Lanham, MD: AltaMira Press, 2007, 221–251.

Douglas Worts. “Gallery Enhancement: Forging a New Partnership with the Public” in Visitor Studies: Theory, Research and Practice. Albuquerque, NM: Visitor Studies Association, 1994, 176–197.

Jill Stein, Marianna Adams, and Jessica Luke. Thinking Evaluatively: A Practical Guide to Integrating the Visitor Voice. AASLH Technical Leaflet #238. Nashville, TN: American Association of State and Local History, 2007, 1–8.

Deborah Perry. “The Museum Impact and Evaluation Study: How Visitors Relate to Science and Technology Museums” in Visitor Studies: Theory, Research and Practice. Albuquerque, NM: Visitor Studies Association, 1993, 254–259.

Unit 9

Community Partnerships and Interpretation

Shelley Ruth Butler. Chapter 1 “Entering the Debates” and Foreword by Anthony Shelton in Contested Representations: Revisiting Into the Heart of Africa. Peterborough, ON: Broadview Press, 2007, 1–3 and 7–19.

Ruth B. Phillips. “Community Collaboration in Exhibitions: Introduction” in Museums and Source Communities, edited by Laura Peers and Alison K. Brown. New York: Routledge, 2003, 155–170.

Ann B. Alger and Peter H. Welsh. “Creating Hybrid Space: The Native American High School Student Guide Program at the Heard Museum.” Journal of Museum Education 25, no. 3 (Fall 2000): 14–19.

Sherry Anne Chapman. “Forward Through the Past: Reminiscence Theatre and Museums.” Muse 16, no. 3 (1998): 22–24.

Despina Kalessopoulou. “Children’s Museums in Hospitals” in Museums, Society, Inequality, edited by Richard Sandell. London: Routledge, 2002, 190–199.

Unit 10

School Programs in Museums

[Slideshow] Displays at the Canadian Museum of Civilization. Photo: Brigitte Hamon

Graeme K. Talboys. “The School Curriculum” in Museum Educator's Handbook. Hampshire, UK: Gower Publishing, 2000, 147–153.

Michael L. Bentley. “Community-Connected Science Education: Southwest Virginia's New Museum High School” in The Manual of Museum Learning. Edited by Barry Lord. Lanham, MD: AltaMira Press, 2007, 83–94.

Elizabeth Kruk. “Glenbow Museum School: Visions of the Past: Envisioning the Future.” Alberta Museums Review 23, 4 (Winter 1997): 51–52.

M. Christine Castle. “Teaching History in Museums.” Ontario History no. 1 (Spring 2002): 1–18.

Stephanie Downey, Jackie Delamatre, and Johanna Jones. “Measuring the Impact of Museum-School Programs: Findings and Implications for Practice.” Journal of Museum Education 32, no. 2 (Summer 2007): 175–188.

Gillian Kydd. “The Chevron Open Minds Project and Current Research.” Alberta Museums Review 23, 3 (Spring 1997): 39–40.

Gillian Kydd. Beyond the Classroom. Gibsons, BC: Ivy Miller, 2008