Program Overview

Workplace Learning: Barker Veterinary Museum (HIST*3480)

Course Details

The course code for Workplace Learning: Barker Veterinary Museum is HIST*3480, with a section number of 04. This course is scheduled for the Fall 2020 term and will be instructed by Dr. Lisa Cox.

Course Format

This course will be taught online in an asynchronous format without specific days and times. Students will conduct independent research and writing work, with scheduled meetings taking place remotely using the Zoom or Microsoft Teams platform.

Course Synopsis

The Barker Veterinary Museum, located at the Ontario Veterinary College (OVC) at the University of Guelph, contains one of the largest veterinary artifact collections in North America. Students will participate in the development of one of the museum's first online exhibits, "Hitting the Books: The First Library at the Upper Canada Veterinary School". This exhibit will make the unique and often hidden part of the College's history more accessible to researchers and those interested in the history of the OVC and veterinary medicine.

Learning Outcomes

By the successful completion of this course, students will have learned to:

1. Identify and critically assess 18th and 19th century veterinary works
2. Understand select aspects of veterinary medicine, both historical and contemporary, and communicate them
3. Conduct research
4. Develop a fundamental understanding of the exhibit planning process
5. Communicate compelling history in an online platform for a wide public audience
6. Recognize the value of public engagement and institutional history
7. Reflect on their own work in a critical manner

Methods of Evaluation and Weights

• Interpretive Planning Document: 30%
• Exhibit Panels and Labels: 20%
• Weekly Critical Reflections: 15%
• Final Essay: 35%

Texts and/or Resources Required

There is no required textbook for this course. Resources will be provided via the web.

Project Timeline

• Week 1: Initial meeting, introduction to the online exhibit project
• Week 3: Meeting to discuss progress, interpretive planning document
• Week 5: Interpretive planning document due
• Week 6: Meeting to discuss exhibit labels and panels, final essay
• Week 8: Meeting to discuss progress on final essay
• Week 9: Exhibit labels and panels due
• Week 13: Final essay due, second set of critical reflections due

Departments and Schools

This course is associated with the following departments and schools:

• School of Theatre, English, and Creative Writing
• School of Fine Art and Music
• School of Languages and Literatures
• Department of History
• Department of Philosophy
• Interdisciplinary Programs

Centres, Institutes and Labs

The University of Guelph is home to several centres, institutes, and labs, including:

• Centre for Scottish Studies
• Grounded and Engaged Theory Lab (GET)
• Interdisciplinary Design Lab
• The International Institute for Critical Studies in Improvisation
• The Humanities Interdisciplinary Collaboration Lab (THINC)
• The School of Fine Art & Music Print Study Collection