Overview

Contact Details

Telephone

work +44 (0)1224 274304

work +44 (0)1224 272599

Fax

fax +44 (0)1224 274302

Email

neil.curtis@abdn.ac.uk

Address

The University of Aberdeen King's College
University of Aberdeen
Aberdeen
AB24 3SW
Scotland

Web Links

http://www.abdn.ac.uk/~ant014/neilcurtis.htm

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Web Links

• http://www.abdn.ac.uk/virtualmuseum/
• http://www.abdn.ac.uk/marischalmuseum/
• http://www.abdn.ac.uk/contentiousmuseum/

Biography

Born in Glasgow in 1964, Neil Curtis came to Aberdeen in 1988 where he is now Head of Museums and Honorary Senior Lecturer in Anthropology. He studied Archaeology (Glasgow, 1986), Museum Studies (Leicester, 1988) and Education (Aberdeen, 1995).

He is married to Elizabeth Curtis, Lecturer in Education in Aberdeen.

Research

Research Interests

Within a broad interest in the ways that people understand and manipulate their world through ideas of identity, material and time, his research focuses on a critical study of museums and archaeology. This has included young children's learning in museums, considerations of the social and cultural roles of museums today, including repatriation and the treatment of human remains, and studies of Scottish museum history.

Current Research

History of Museums

1. The Scottish Exhibition of National History, Art and Industry, Glasgow 1911
2. Late 18th/early 19th century museums in the University of Aberdeen

Contemporary museum issues

1. Repatriation
2. Museums as sacred places
3. Human remains in museums
4. Scottish museums and Treasure Trove
5. Museum education

Scottish archaeology

1. Roman finds in North-East Scotland
2. Prehistoric Beakers in North-East Scotland

Research Grants

Leverhulme Trust 'Beakers and Bodies' project (PI)

AHRC Connected Communities - bennachie (Co-I)

Teaching

Teaching Responsibilities

Undergraduate

AY1001	Introduction to Archaeology 1
KL155B	Archaeological Fieldwork Portfolio 1 Introduction
KL205K	Archaeological Fieldwork Portfolio 2
KL3052	Archaeological Fieldwork Portfolio 3
KL3553	Archaeology DissertationIntroduction
LS4028	Moveable Property
KL4054	Archaeology Dissertation

Postgraduate

AT5508	Curating an Exhibition (course co-ordinator)
HA5001	Art History research
HI5001	Introduction to historical research
EF5001	History and core genres of ethnology and folklore
AT5505	Philosophy and Methods of Research in Social Anthropology, Ethnology and Cultural History II
EF5502	Scottish contexts and practical fieldwork
HA5504	Imaging Scottish History: Art, Museums and Visual Culture

Further Info

External Responsibilities

He is Convenor of University Museums in Scotland, Vice President of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland and Secretary of its Aberdeen and North-East Section, a member of the Scottish Archaeological Finds Allocation Panel and of the Museum's Association's 2012 Confernece Panel. He was a member of the Museums Galleries Scotland Working Party on Human Remains, the Treasure Trove Advisory Panel and the Museums Association’s ‘Collections for the Future’ enquiry panel. He is a member of the University's Senate, Advisory Group on on Research Ethics and Governance and Advisory Group on Collections Strategy.

Publications

Publications 

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