MUST 250 First Year Seminar: Collectors and Collecting
This course examines collecting and collectors from anthropological, historical, archaeological, and literary perspectives, focusing on the idea of collecting as a form of control; a way for a person to organize and make sense of their world. Students will gain an understanding of collecting as a social practice, the growth of museums as public collections, the role of collecting in historical developments such as colonialism and consumer culture, and the role of individual collectors, including Willard Yager, founder of Hartwick's museum, in shaping public awareness of art, history and culture. Prerequisite: None