Creating Meaningful and Inclusive Museum Practices (FutureLearn)

Understand key challenges for marginalized people and promote inclusive museum learning

The inclusion of historically marginalized communities has become a key challenge for contemporary museums.

On this course, you’ll explore a series of methodologies and strategies that you can adapt to your own context to encourage participation in all communities.
Discover participatory methodologies for social inclusion and diverse community building

Using case studies and discussions with practitioners, academics, and community members, you’ll explore the meaning of community and what it means to belong or not to belong.

You’ll learn how inclusive museum design can foster a feeling of belonging, and how to adapt institutional structures to integrate projects that are produced in collaboration with diverse communities.
Study inclusive museum practice with the International Council of Museums (ICOM)

This course is led by ICOM, an international organisation created by and for museum professionals committed to protecting the world’s natural and cultural heritage.

You’ll learn with two ICOM-appointed museum specialists with extensive experience in the study and development of participatory programmes.

Hailing from South Africa and Salvador/Canada respectively, you’ll gain a global understanding of the value of enhancing community engagement in museums projects and activities.

You’ll finish the course with not only an understanding of the concepts related to meaningful participation but also with the knowledge to transform these concepts into practical methodologies that you can apply at work.

Syllabus

Week 1: Foundations

Week 2: Leadership and Governance

Week 3: Diving in

Week 4: Taking action

Learning on this course

You can take this self-guided course and learn at your own pace. On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

- Reflect on the importance of historically marginalized groups defining yourself, your positionality and sense of belonging

- Analyze institutional structures and leaders to collaborative work in an ethical perspective

- Explain Inclusive Design methodology and its importance in creating institutions that foster a feeling of belonging

- Apply selected participatory methodologies to their contexts

Who is the course for?

This course is designed for all museum professionals looking to broaden their understanding and skills in inclusive and participatory practices and how to develop inclusive community projects.

The concepts and tools you’ll learn will enable you to champion inclusivity and wider participation in a variety of areas of museum work, including museum education, museum curation, museography, conservation, and more.