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Preventive Conservation (CUMC90029)
Graduate courseworkPoints: 12.5Dual-Delivery (Parkville)
Please refer to the return to campus page for more information on these delivery modes and students who can enrol in each mode based on their location.
About this subject
- Overview
- Eligibility and requirements
- Assessment
- Dates and times
- Further information
- Timetable(opens in new window)
Contact information
May
Overview
Availability | May - Dual-Delivery |
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Fees | Look up fees |
This subject examines the physical and chemical causes of deterioration of cultural material, and considers how these can be effectively mitigated. Areas of study include the ten agents of deterioration that include light, incorrect relative humidities, incorrect temperature, physical stresses, biodeterioration, pollutants, pests, fire, criminal activity and dissociation. Students will critically evaluate current theories, international standards and guidelines for the management of museum and cultural collection environments and contexts. The context and opportunities for the implementation of a preventive conservation approach within an overall risk management framework will be emphasised, including environmental impact, budgetary implications, sustainability, and stakeholder management.
It is now readily acknowledged by most commentators that it is culturally preferable as well as financially advantageous to minimise or prevent deterioration of cultural material than to apply remedial conservation intervention after avoidable damage has been sustained. However this is a collective decision-making process embedded in individual, institutional and community needs. As such this subject lays a critical foundation for effective professional practice as a conservator in preventive conservation. Off campus site visits are a regular activity for this subject, which may include visits to conservation laboratories, museums, galleries and art centres.
Intended learning outcomes
Upon completion of this subject students should be able to:
- Identify the main deterioration mechanisms that affect cultural material using the ten agents of deterioration;
- Explain the effects of diverse physical and environmental conditions on cultural materials;
- Apply preventive conservation principles to collection surveys, risk assessments, storage, packing, transport and display methods of cultural material to manage change in diverse contexts;
- Formulate the risks associated in diverse physical and environmental conditions, collection contexts, communities, geographic locations and eco-systems using an evidence-based framework
- Justify and apply sustainable risk management strategies in collection environments
Last updated: 3 November 2022
Eligibility and requirements
Prerequisites
Students enrolling into this subject must be admitted to the MC-CULMC Master of Cultural Material Conservation or the GCA-ARTS Graduate Certificate in Arts (Specialisation in Cultural Material Conservation).
Students who have completed CUMC40004 Preventive Conservation, are not eligible to enrol in this subject.
Corequisites
None
Non-allowed subjects
None
Inherent requirements (core participation requirements)
The University of Melbourne is committed to providing students with reasonable adjustments to assessment and participation under the Disability Standards for Education (2005), and the Assessment and Results Policy (MPF1326). Students are expected to meet the core participation requirements for their course. These can be viewed under Entry and Participation Requirements for the course outlines in the Handbook.
Further details on how to seek academic adjustments can be found on the Student Equity and Disability Support website: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/student-equity/home
Last updated: 3 November 2022
Assessment
Description | Timing | Percentage |
---|---|---|
Presentation (Group Project, Individually Assessed)
| End of the teaching period | 10% |
Written report (Group Project & Group Assessed)
| 2 Weeks after the end of teaching | 20% |
Group activity (Group Project. Individually Assessed)
| 2 Weeks after the end of teaching | 10% |
Essay
| 4 Weeks after the end of teaching | 60% |
Hurdle requirement: Students must attend 100% of seminars in order to pass this subject. | Throughout the teaching period | N/A |
Last updated: 3 November 2022
Dates & times
- May
Coordinator Nicole Tse Mode of delivery Dual-Delivery (Parkville) Contact hours 36 hours of lectures and seminars across the teaching period. Total time commitment 170 hours Pre teaching start date 26 April 2021 Pre teaching requirements During the pre-teaching period students are expected to complete the course readings, review the lectures and any other course preparation as outlined in the LMS. The LMS will be available at the commencement of the pre-teaching period. Teaching period 17 May 2021 to 28 May 2021 Last self-enrol date 30 April 2021 Census date 21 May 2021 Last date to withdraw without fail 28 May 2021 Assessment period ends 18 June 2021 May contact information
Time commitment details
170 hours
Last updated: 3 November 2022
Further information
- Texts
Prescribed texts
A subject reader will be available in the pre-teaching period with access to the Readings Online.
Recommended texts and other resources
Staniforth, S (ed) 2013 Historical perspectives on preventive conservation, Getty Conservation Institute, Los Angeles, UniM Bail High Use 069.53 HIST
Szczepanowska, H 2013 ‘Preventive Conservation’ in Conservation of Cultural Heritage : Key Principles and Approaches, Routledge, eBook, pp. 14-47.
- Related Handbook entries
This subject contributes to the following:
Type Name Course Master of Urban and Cultural Heritage Specialisation (formal) Principles of Cultural Materials Conservation - Links to additional information
Last updated: 3 November 2022