Ethics and Policy for Archives and Museums

The course provides knowledge about the development of Norway as a nation state and the importance of nation building for the establishment of Norwegian archives and museums. At the same time, the course provides insight into postcolonial theory, issues related to unbalanced power relations between majority societies and minority groups, and how such imbalances are reflected in collected archival material, museum collections, exhibitions and other types of dissemination. Political documents and professional ethical regulations for practical work in archives and museums are problematized in light of critical theoretical insight from the fields of archival knowledge and museum studies (museology). The course also touches on topics related to the political use of history, memorial sites and memorial museums.

Archivists and records managers will often encounter conflicting demands and interests in their professional practice, and must be able to balance different ethical considerations against each other. The archives section of the curriculum covers ICA's archival ethics regulations and topics related to the role of archives in public administration, as well as the importance of private archives for comprehensive social documentation. Ethical challenges that archivists and records managers may encounter in their daily work are discussed from a national and international perspective.

The museum curriculum in the course provides a basis for discussions about ethical reflections and moral choices related to the daily work of museum employees and to the societal roles of museums, past and present. Topics covered include, for example, the value basis for the core tasks of collection management, research and dissemination, ICOM's museum ethics regulations, museums' work with tangible and intangible cultural heritage in Norway and internationally, repatriation/return of cultural heritage objects, privacy related to the collection of commemorative material and digital ethics.

Knowledge

The student has knowledge about

• ethical frameworks for archives and museums
• the main features of the nation state and nation building processes
• majorities and minorities
• basic human rights
• the political goals for the cultural heritage field in Norway

Skills

The student can

• describe and explain the role of museums and archives in a democratic society
• describe and explain the ethical guidelines for archive and museum professionals

General competence

The student

• has an overview of, and can critically relate to, nation building processes and nationalism as phenomena
• understands the concepts majority and minority, and can relate them to the archive and museum fields
• has a grasp of ethical frameworks and guidelines for archives and museums, and can contribute to ethical assessments in this field
• can express himself/herself professionally, both orally and in writing

A combination of lectures, excursions, group assignments and written assignments. If practice institutions wish to use BA students for e.g. preliminary projects, workshops or trials of various kinds, we will facilitate cooperation.