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FYSM 1000: Saving the World, Museums and Archives Collections (Brylowe): About

About the course

From your syllabus: Our university houses three museums and countless collections. What does it mean to save things, to collect them and place them in the safe keeping of some institution that will survive past our own short lifetime? How do we determine what aspects of history, culture and art are worth saving? What does it mean “to curate” in this context? These questions have been at the center of countless national and international debates. In this class, we will use anatomical collections as a case study to explore these questions. We will ask “Is this art?” and “Does that belong in a museum?” and “What is a ‘legitimate’ collection?” Students will look for answers through the specific lens of the CUAM, by working with the staff at the museum as it curates an exhibit on the history of anatomy.

 Engraving from: Frederik Ruysch, Opera omnia, Amsterdam 1721. Illustration of a vanitas diorama that Ruysch made. Engraving by Cornelius Huyberts. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Frederik Ruysch, Opera omnia, Amsterdam 1721. Illustration of a vanitas diorama that Ruysch made. Engraving by Cornelius Huyberts. Public Domain.

What is an Annotated Bibliography?

It is an organized, annotated ('with notes') list of resources. It includes all of the books, articles, reports, and other types of resources that you read for your project.

Here is a great handout from the UNC writing center on writing an Annotated Bibliography:

Why Wouldn't I Just Copy/Paste the Abstract?

The abstract of an article or book is just a summary of the contents. For an annotated bibliography, you want to describe the main points and evaluate the content, structure, or conclusions. You may also consider how useful or relevant it is to your research topic.

Why Would I Want an Annotated Bibliography?

Will you remember every detail from the articles, reports, and books that you read? If so, that's great for you! But for the rest of us, it's handy to have a bit of a reminder while we're writing the paper

Annotated Bibliography Elements

Summarize

  • Key points, conclusions, or recommendations

  • Surprising or interesting findings

Evaluate

  • May include questions related to:

    • Author bias, Scope, Structure, Conclusions, Methodology, Relevance, Timeliness

Reflect

  • How does this inform my project?

  • Is it useful? If so, what section of my project is it most applicable?

Literature and Humanities Librarian

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Amanda Rybin Koob