Assignments

ASSIGNMENTS

1) Active Student Participation
Students will be expected to actively engage in a shared learning experience with the faculty and their fellow students. Students will have the opportunity to interact with South African artists and cultural heritage professionals. The depth and quality of this participation is central to the program and to the evaluation of student performance in the course.

  • Blog posts: Students will write regular blog posts about their reflections for each day (dates to be assigned on site).

2) Thematic Reflection Papers
Complete four one-page reflection papers connected to course themes. Entries should be descriptive, reflective, and analytical about the topics and issues covered in the class. The reflection papers will be submitted to and reviewed by faculty weekly. (See as excellent model the blog by University of Illinois doctoral student Martha Webber of her experiences in Durban http://marwebber.typepad.com/)

Reflection Papers due:

  • Before you arrive in Johannesburg: 6/12
  • end of Johannesburg section: 6/25
  • end of Cape Town section: 7/1
  • middle of internship: 7/14       

3) Documentation Project
As a group we will develop a strategy to document and reflect on our experience that includes photography, video, writing, interviewing, art-making, and various social media tools.  We will collectively determine various roles and responsibilities for this project with each student taking an active role. The documentation project will continue throughout the internship experience with weekly contributions to be discussed with the group.

5) Internship Requirements
See the description of the Internship Program in the Museum Studies Program at Michigan State University.  The structure and responsibilities for the intern and the host museum—and mentor—are available at http://museumstudies.msu.edu/internships

6) Final Examination
Complete a take-home final consisting of short essay questions TBA. Additional information will be provided. The exam will be distributed during the last week of the South Africa portion of the program and will be due no more than two weeks after return from South Africa.