Course Information

REST 304 | Topics in Religious Studies: Religion in Museums
Summer 2016 Mini Term | May 11 – June 1 | 3 credits | 1-4 pm M-F
Instructor: Dr. Sarah Dees | sarahdees@tennessee.edu

The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the ways in which religions were historically represented in public spaces—museums, fairs, and exhibitions—as well as contemporary ways in which museums display objects of religious significance.

Through readings, discussion, and engagement with exhibits and collections at the McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture, we will explore representations of religious materiality—including religion and land/space, embodiment, and ritual practice.

Primary questions we will consider throughout the class include:

• How have museums and exhibitions represented religion and culture?
• What is the relationship between the academic study of religion and the display of religious objects and peoples?
• What approaches to preserving and representing religions and cultures can we observe in contemporary museums?