Abstract

My research looks to explore how local museums interact with their surrounding communities. I take a particularly close look at how the museum interacts with schools and especially school groups who visit the museum as a part of a field trip. I use the Museum of Historic Annapolis in Annapolis, Maryland as my case study. I conducted interviews with two different staff members who both work heavily with the general public and schools. I also performed content analysis on sections of text taken from three different web pages on the Historic Annapolis website as well as fifteen randomly selected labels that are found in the first of four exhibit rooms within the museum. I argue that expanding the social networks of both the museum and the visitors is a key element of these interactions between these two parties. These can be created in the form of visitors going on a group tour with a member of the museum staff, or a specific person coming in and acting as a presenter for a visitor program. I also argue that, while education is highlighted in both the web pages and the exhibit labels, the material that might be taught or emphasized during a museum tour differs between the two. The web pages, which are what most teachers and parents would first encounter, showcases questions and activities about specific moments in history that are seen as appropriate to discuss with particular age groups. The exhibit labels on the other hand contain a variety of more general themes which are not necessarily in line with what the web pages discuss.

Advisor

Frese, Pamela

Department

Sociology and Anthropology

Disciplines

Social and Cultural Anthropology

Keywords

museums, museum education, education, community

Publication Date

2024

Degree Granted

Bachelor of Arts

Document Type

Senior Independent Study Thesis

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© Copyright 2024 Diana Tobin