What functions do museums serve in the modern world? Why is it important to examine curatorial practices? How might one do archaeology, and anthropology, in and of museums? How do museums generate and consolidate theories of material culture and cultural differences? And, how have museums within the post-colonial worlds changed or responded to shifting political and economic movements, and accommodated source communities. These are some of the questions, which the course shall address while exploring the histories of museums and their collections of antiquities within India. Through specific examples it shall also review the making of local and national collections, the distinctions between public museums and others, and inform of best practices: of collections management, conservation and curation. Devised as a practical and theoretical approach to museum studies, the course shall illustrate the importance of museums and their curation, and collections, within the archaeological scholarship.