Faculty and Staff Resources

Faculty and staff from across the curriculum extend the walls of their classroom, using the museum as a place for experiential learning. Faculty and professional staff from all departments are encouraged to use the resources of the museum's collection and exhibitions. The staff at the Phillips creates collections-based modules that support the curriculum and provide students with firsthand experiences. In addition, classes from neighboring colleges and universities visit the museum to study the collections, explore the exhibitions, and enjoy a variety of programs.

Please reach out to Lindsay Marino, Director and Collections Manager, at lindsay.marino@fandm.edu if interested in a class visit or collections-based module.

A Selection of Recent Courses​

CNX 258. Object Lessons

What can we learn from things? From family heirlooms to commodities to stolen goods—the objects filling this world importantly shape our individual and collective identities. We explore this proposition by developing the fundamental skills of close reading and careful looking, and through individual research projects on the exhibitions and collections of F&M’s Phillips Museum of Art. Focusing on connections between objects, collectors, anthropologists, immigrants, thieves, historians and others, students learn to “read” the tangible, exploring the many stories that objects yield.

Aleci

ANT 253. Andean Archaeology

This course explores the cultural diversity of the central Andes of South America from the original arrival of migrants over 12,000 years ago to contact with Spanish conquistadors in the early 16th century. Geographically, the course will focus on prehistoric cultures that occupied the modern countries of Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador. Themes include: debates about the initial migration to the region, early food production, the origins of social complexity, ceremonialism, state formation and disintegration, and conquest by Spain.

Smith 

CNX 164. #Science: Engaging the Public

What have you seen or read about science that fascinated you? Was it a museum exhibit on the strange world of the atom? Or a riveting memoir by a geobiologist? How about a theater production on the development of general relativity? Science thrives only when scientists and other creators can convey its importance and relevance effectively. But how and why do they do this? In this CNX1 seminar, we'll look critically at science communication in various forms and develop essential skills: critical reading and listening and effective writing and speaking. 

Lytle, Piro​ 

CNX 240. The Whale

This course focuses on The Whale as a focal point for understanding human connections to the natural world, using multiple disciplinary approaches. We will learn about whales’ unique physical/biological adaptation to the environment they live in, as well as how humans have relied on them both directly as a resource, and indirectly/culturally for inspiration. We will take a 360-degree view of the whale, engaging with biology, anthropology, economics, literature, art, and music. In order to examine these different perspectives, students will engage with a range of readings and media sources, and hone critical reading and writing skills, as well as active listening and speaking.

De Santo