Ethics, Leadership, Management

MSL1230H — Ethics, Leadership, Management

This course introduces a perspective based on museum ethics and contemporary approaches to leadership in order to address key concepts, contexts and issues of museum management: the changing missions, external environments and stakeholders of contemporary museums, organizational structure and design, mission, policy and strategy, planning and programming, marketing, museum economics and financial management, museum professionalism, leadership and motivation, and managing creativity and change.

Drawing from recent museum management practice and research, it touches upon organizational and strategic issues such as the role and responsibilities of the Board of Trustees, managerialism and the museum director, the virtues and limitations of instrumentalism, the balance between collections stewardship and public service, de-accessioning and repatriation, gate-keeping through cultural representation, working with communities, social inclusion, autonomy vs. commercialization, and the socioeconomic impact of museums.

The approach, supported by an extensive reading list and guest speakers, connects pragmatic museum management concerns with values-based, critical management insights of value to future museum leaders.

Exclusion: MSL1200H

• Syllabus Fall 2016
• Syllabus Winter 2018
• Syllabus Fall 2019
• Syllabus Winter 2023