The Freedman Fellows Program will assist in support of ARTH490 Visual Arts and the Museums. This course is a core course for the Art History and Art Department Master's in Art History and Museum Studies and is offered each spring semester. In ARTH490, students are introduced to various facets of professional work in the art museum as well as the history of museums and collecting and issues of museology. New media is on the rise in the museum in terms of acquisitions, exhibition design and display, education, and interpretation. In 2001, for example, the Guggenheim Museum opened the Sackler Center for Arts Education which emphasizes "exploration and experimentation with new technologies" through computer and multimedia labs, a new media theater, and resource center. The George Eastman House and
International Museum of Photography and Film has integrated new media into its exhibition rotations, featuring, for example, the work of David Byrne, Trees, Tombstones, & Bullet Points, in 2004-2005. It is crucial for students entering the museum profession to gain training in the intelligent and critical use of new media. A course such as this will be significantly improved with a technology enhancement because this will allow the course to fulfill more fully two of the three primary goals as stated on the current syllabus:

1. The Components ofa Museum: We will examine, through discussions with museum professionals in the area as well as selected readings, the anatomY of the museum as both an institution and a career track. With regard to the latter, we will develop an understanding of the different jobs that contribute to the function of a museum and gain practical knowledge that can be applied and developed through internships and future employment.
2. Museological Practice: Through interviews and discussions with museum professionals in the area as well as selected readings, we will consider some of the key issues and ethical debates facing the museum professions today.