Insegnamento a.a. 2021-2022

The course focuses on the following themes, set in a theoretical framework during lectures and developed empirically through the illustration and discussion of some case studies.

• Introduction: museum in an historical perspective;
• Museum studies and globalization;
• The new global market for museum contents;
• Current topics in the museological debate;
• Strategic positioning: joint ventures, franchised museums and internationalization;
• Museums and urban regeneration: merits and demerits;
• The social, economic and media impact of museums;
• Museum planning: legal and planning documents;
• Budget management and accountability;
• Edging on sustainability;
• Organization & personnel management;
• Commercial activities: traditional and innovative;
• Facilities management;
• Partnerships and sponsorships;
• Marketing and community relations;
• Audience development and engagement;
• Development, fundraising and membership;
• Education and public programmes;
• Exhibition, interaction & graphic design;
• Temporary exhibitions: in & outbound;
• The emerging market of travelling exhibitions;
• Collection management;
• Technologies: uses and abuses;
• The digital museum;
• Overview of future trends.

• Demonstrate knowledge of major theoretical, methodological and professional topics in museum management.
• Express awareness of the leading museum-related issues.
• Identify the needs of museums in a global market.

• Apply the knowledge gained within specific professional contexts, such as museum and exhibition planning.
• Select and analyse information relevant to a research project.
• Execute and write up projects on museum-related topics.
• Plan, execute and write up an extended research project on museums and collections.
• Apply a technical or scientific methodology to museum-related research.

• Face-to-face lectures
• Guest speaker's talks (in class or in distance)
• Company visits
• Group assignments

• Each year 3 practioners are invited to give in-class talks: a senior curator, an exhibition designer and a travelling exhibition project manager.
• 2-3 museum visits are organized outside the course timetable. The visits are managed by senior curators and practitioners. 
• Groups assignments are agreed with outstanding museums, cultural institutions and exhibitions spaces. The final drafts are discussed in class at the end of the course. Prof. Guerzoni is available to organize on a weekly base extra course meetings to supervise groups.

• 80% of attendance gives the status of attending student.
• Written exam (2 hours) on the subjects covered in slides and compulsory readings attributes 60% of the final grade.
• The evaluation of the final version of group assignments (paper of 4000-5000 words) attributes the remaining 40% of the final grade.

Written exam (2 hours) on all the subjects covered in the textbooks, slides and readings attributes 100% of the final grade.

Slides and selected readings provided by the teacher (all of them are available in open pdf format, according to fair use policies).

Slides, selected readings and three textbooks:

• G. GUERZONI, Museum on the Map 1995-2012, Torino, Allemandi, 2014 (available in open pdf format).
• B. LORD, G. LORD DEXTER, L. MARTIN (eds.), The Manual of Museum Planning: Sustainable Space, Facilites and Operations, Lanham, AltaMira Press, 2012.
• N. KOTLER, P. KOTLER, W. KOTLER, Museum marketing and strategy, San Francisco, Jossey-Bass, 2008.