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Teaching Experience:
I have been teaching in higher education since 1993—in both graduate and undergraduate education—and in museum studies since 2003. Topics I have taught include museology, museum management, document studies, leadership, information science, social geography, physical anthropology, and cultural anthropology. At Kent State (2010-2019), I built a core suite of museum studies courses and helped integrate them into the Master’s in Library and Information Science program (MLIS), a unique approach in the United States, that was first and foremost, holistic, from a systems perspective. At MSU, I have continued this perspective, situating the study of museums as the core starting point, allowing content to filter in from previous degree work, other electives, or research. My intent in this approach is to produce self-reflective professionals who understand the workings of the whole museum, no matter the position or role they end up taking in a museum. Understanding the system in which one works is critical to the system running smoothly. Courses I have taught in museum studies include: Foundations of Museum Studies (MSU & KSU) Museum Collections (KSU) Museum Communication (also at doctoral level) (KSU) Museum Users (also at doctoral level) (KSU) The Museum System (KSU) Museum Origins (study abroad Florence, Italy & London UK) (KSU) Object Knowledge Seminar (KSU) Collections Management (BGSU, Michigan State University) Introduction to Museology (BGSU) Museum Administration (MSU, KU) Introduction to Exhibits (University of Kansas) Introduction to Museums (museumclasses.org) Other courses I have taught over the years: Wellbeing in Cultural Organizations (MSU) Leadership & Innovation in Arts, Cultural, & Museum Management (MSU) Foundations of Library & Information Science (KSU) Information Institutions and Professions (KSU) People in the Information Ecology (co-develop, not teach) (KSU) Archival Arrangement & Description (Emporia State University) Introduction to Public History (BGSU) Material Culture and Meaning (BGSU) Cultural Anthropology (Bethany College) Social Geography (Bethany College) Introduction to Physical Anthropology (University of Kansas) 
Work by my students: |
Teaching Philosophy: My teaching philosophy comes from my overall view of how I see the world and the way it works. I have a very holistic, integrated view (stemming from systems and design thinking, and phenomenology) and this trickles into the design and teaching of my courses, which are very inter- and trans-disciplinary. I welcome multiple viewpoints and backgrounds (courses include many students from other departments); I believe this improves the student experience in courses and is more reflective of the real world. I recognize different learning styles and provide multiple ways of learning through course materials and assignments that allow variety but also force students to think outside traditional modalities, something they will have to do in their future work environments. I teach all of my courses with an active learning approach toward student engagement and learning. Active learning is collaborative and involves high levels of participation from the student learner. I believe that a student's ability to think critically and creatively, seek out information independently, and communicate thoughtfully are just as important as the content covered. I see myself as the expert and facilitator and maintain a constant and visible presence in my courses (both in-person & online). I also know that I, as the instructor, am always learning, even while teaching. I do not claim to know everything, and I leave a lot of room for learning new things in new and better ways, which I am always seeking. Part of this learning involves learning from my students. I listen to them, ask for feedback often and make changes accordingly every new semester. In addition, I believe that it is crucial to be a real person as an instructor. I try to be the human that I am, not a talking head, and I try to inject creativity, humor, and sometimes storytelling into my podcasts, announcements, lectures, and other forms of communication. Most recently, I have been interested in Contemplative Pedagogy, the integration of contemplative practices into higher education. This approach has been shown to facilitate and foster the development of the whole person, increasing capacities such as creativity, empathy, compassion, interpersonal skills and self-awareness in students. I believe that there is promising potential when bringing together this emerging pedagogical approach with those we use in museums, informal learning environments. So, why not intentionally adapt this to the museum/nonprofit studies classroom? |
Below is a recorded video outlining the theoretical foundations behind the programs I have built:
Select Teaching and Field-related Publications:
Latham, K.F. (2018). Blank Slate: Using Systems Thinking to Develop an Integrated LAM Curriculum. Education for Information, 34(2): 97-111
Latham, K.F. (2017). The Laboratory of Museum Studies: Museality in the Making. Journal of Education for Library and Information Science, 58(4): 219-235.
Latham, K.F. (2015). Lumping, splitting and the integration of museum studies with LIS. Journal of Education for Library and Information Science, 56(2): 130-140.
With John Simmons:
Simmons, J. E., & Latham, K.F. (2020). Museum Studies. In, Oxford Bibliographies in Anthropology, J. Jackson (ed.). New York: Oxford University Press.
Latham, K.F. & Simmons, J.E. (2019). Whither Museum Studies? Journal of Education for Library and Information Science. 60(2): 102-117.
Latham, K.F. & Simmons, J.E. (2017). Using Systems Thinking in Teaching Museum Studies. In Jung, Y. & Love, A. R. (eds), Systems thinking in museums: Theory and practice. Lanham, Maryland : Rowman & Littlefield.
Latham, K.F. & Simmons, J. (2014). Foundations of museum studies: Evolving systems of knowledge. Westport, Conn., Libraries Unlimited.
With others:
Martens, M. & Latham, K.F. (2016). Convergence in library and museum studies education: Playing around with curriculum. Journal of Education for Library and Information Science, 57(1): 79-82.
Latham, K.F. & Kearns, J. (2015). Shannon goes to the museum: Drawing lines across boundaries. Proceedings of the Document Academy, 2, article 7
