Sent from my iPad Begin forwarded message: > From: David McKenzie <[log in to unmask]> > Date: July 5, 2012 7:50:24 PM EDT > To: Cynthia A Kierner <[log in to unmask]> > Subject: Fwd: Appointment of Amelia Wong---new Museum Studies Program faculty > > Hi Cindy, > > Hope your summer is coming along well. I thought I'd pass this along to you, especially since it talks about a course that might be of interest to new media and/or applied history people--course offered by GW's Museum Studies program. > > David > > --- > David Patrick McKenzie > History Ph.D. Student, George Mason University > Interpretive Programs Manager, Jewish Historical Society of Greater Washington > > Email: [log in to unmask] > Blog: http://www.davidmckenzie.info/musings > > Begin forwarded message: > >> From: Kym Rice <[log in to unmask]> >> Subject: Appointment of Amelia Wong---new Museum Studies Program faculty >> Date: July 5, 2012 12:05:02 PM EDT >> To: [log in to unmask] >> Reply-To: Kym Rice <[log in to unmask]> >> >> July 5, 2012 >> >> The Museum Studies Program is pleased to announce the appointment of >> our new assistant FT professor, Amelia Wong. Amelia holds a BA from >> UCLA in history and a PhD in American Studies from the University of >> Maryland, College Park. Amelia’s scholarship focuses on how museums, >> especially those concerned with democratization, can engage critically >> with technology for their goals. Her dissertation, “Museums, Social >> Media, and the Fog of Community,” reflects her research interests and >> is the first book-length project about social media in American >> museums. >> >> Amelia is currently the US Holocaust Memorial Museum’s senior social >> media strategist. Under her direction, for example, the USHMM’s >> Twitter community has grown from 2000 to over 100,000 people. Amelia >> also developed and produced an ongoing Web series, “Curators’ Corner,” >> which gives the public, donors and others an inside look at the >> museum’s collections via short multimedia presentations narrated by >> USHMM staff. During her first year at the museum, Amelia proposed, >> planned and implemented the innovative “Conscience Unconference,” a >> participant-generated and led conference on the topic of social media >> for social good. She has a strong reputation in the museum community >> as a communicator, educator and innovator. >> This fall Amelia will be teaching a seminar class entitled, “Museums, >> Interactivity, Technologies,” on Thursday from 4:10 to 6 pm at 1310 G >> Street N.W. A description follows: >> The concept of interactivity in modern museum practice has developed >> roughly over the past half-century. Facing various challenges, museums >> embraced the notion of interactivity to reframe the traditional >> relationship between museums and their audiences from one where the >> latter passively absorbed the knowledge of the former, to one where >> both sides actively negotiated knowledge and meaning. Museums have >> often turned to various technologies to support this pursuit. >> >> This course takes an interdisciplinary and cultural studies approach >> to interrogating the notion of interactivity and the use of >> technologies in modern museum practice. Whereas today’s practitioners >> often reduce the definitions of interactivity and technology to >> electronic and digital technologies, this course situates current >> technologies within history and culture, recognizing them as in the >> process of remediation and convergence. Students will acquire a broad >> understanding of how and why museums turn to interactivity and >> technology to expand and serve audiences; inform, communicate, >> educate, and collaborate; for collections and exhibition practices; >> and for marketing and development. Students will learn about a wide >> array of technologies currently used by museums, including >> “interactives,” immersive installations, video, websites, social >> media, and mobile technologies. The course will expose students to >> theory and practice of interactivity and technology in museums to >> build knowledge and critical thinking about how to choose, implement, >> and evaluate the use of technology as practitioners. >> >> >> -- >> Kym S. Rice, Director, Museum Studies Program-The George Washington >> University, 1310 G Street N.W., Suite 690, Washington, D.C. 20005 >> 202-994-7030 >