Minor in Museums and Cultural Heritage
Program Learning Outcomes for the Minor in Museums and Cultural Heritage
Upon completing the minor in Museums and Cultural Heritage, students will be able to:
- Understand the historical, changing uses and meanings of art/cultural objects and collections in museums, particularly with regard to the concept of heritage.
- Explain the historical and contemporary issues that affect art objects and cultural heritage, including recovery and preservation, and presentation to the public for education, research, and continued practice/use.
- Work with primary sources relating to art and cultural heritage focusing on visual analysis, recovery and preservation methods, or archival research.
- Conduct independent and collaborative research in museums and cultural heritage based in a specific disciplinary methodology and communicate it to a public audience through oral, written, visual, or other practical means.
Requirements for the Minor in Museums and Cultural Heritage
Students pursuing the minor in Museums and Cultural Heritage must complete:
- A minimum of 7 courses (19-22 credit hours, depending on course selection) to satisfy minor requirements.
- A minimum of 3 courses (9 credit hours) taken at the 300-level or above.
- A maximum of 2 courses (6 credit hours) from study abroad or transfer credit. For additional program guidelines regarding transfer credit, see the Policies tab.
The courses listed below satisfy the requirements for this minor. In certain instances, courses not on this official list may be substituted upon approval of the minor’s academic advisor or, where applicable, the Program Director. (Course substitutions must be formally applied and entered into Degree Works by the minor's Official Certifier). Students and their academic advisors should identify and clearly document the courses to be taken.
Summary
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Total Credit Hours Required for the Minor in Museums and Cultural Heritage | 19-22 | |
Minor Requirements
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core Requirement | ||
| ANTH 341 | MUSEUMS AND HERITAGE: EXHIBITING ART, EXHIBITING CULTURE | 3 |
| Elective Requirements 1 | ||
| Museums or Preservation | ||
| Select 2 courses from the Museums or Preservation category (see course list below). | 6-7 | |
| Cultural Heritage | ||
| Select 2 courses from the Cultural Heritage category (see course list below). | 6-8 | |
| Practicum Requirement 2 | ||
| Select 1 course from the following: 3 | 3 | |
| MUSEUM INTERNSHIP I | ||
| MUSEUM INTERNSHIP II | ||
| BAYOU BEND UNDERGRADUATE INTERNSHIP I | ||
| BAYOU BEND UNDERGRADUATE INTERNSHIP II | ||
| ARTS AND CULTURE INTERNSHIP | ||
| ARTS AND CULTURE INTERNSHIP 2 | ||
| PRACTICUM IN CULTURAL HERITAGE | ||
| Capstone Symposium 4 | ||
| MUCH 424 | MUSEUMS AND CULTURAL HERITAGE PROGRAM CAPSTONE SYMPOSIUM | 1 |
| Total Credit Hours | 19-22 | |
Footnotes and Additional Information
| 1 | A maximum of 2 courses (6 credit hours) from the same subject code can be counted toward the Elective Requirements for the minor. |
| 2 | One of the following courses must be completed before starting a practicum to provide adequate background knowledge: the Core Requirement: ANTH 341; or one of the following Elective Requirements: ANTH 345 or HIST 244. |
| 3 | The practicum will introduce students to the field directly, promoting an engaged and active learning environment while fostering connections in the fields of museum work, cultural heritage, and preservation. All practica should be taken through established courses or independent study at the 300-level or 400-level (for at least 3 credit hours) and must focus on active participation on the part of students in the mission of the project or institution, with meaningful pedagogical or research outcomes for the student; the chief duties of a student in a practicum cannot be clerical. Students who do not complete one of the application-based internships at area museums and cultural institutions listed above (HART 300, HART 301, HART 400, HART 401) will have the following two alternative options for completing this requirement with advisor (or Official Certifier) approval: 1) Internships and Practica (of at least 3 credit hours) offered through the Humanities Research Center, the Center for Civic Leadership, or the School of Humanities with the research and related activities approved by a program advisor. 2) Faculty-Directed Initiatives - independent study courses (for at least 3 credit hours) affiliated with the pertinent department or center. |
| 4 | Every year, the Museums and Cultural Heritage program will host a capstone symposium (MUCH 424), in which students who have completed their coursework for the minor will present their practicum experiences and address what they have learned throughout the minor’s curriculum. |
Course Lists to Satisfy Requirements
Students must complete a total of 4 courses (12-15 credit hours, depending on course selection) from the Museums or Preservation and Cultural Heritage categories as listed below to satisfy the Museums and Cultural Heritage minor's Elective Requirements. Please note that a maximum of 2 courses (6 credit hours) from the same subject code can be counted toward the Elective Requirements.
Elective Course Category: Museums or Preservation
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Select 2 courses from the following: | 6-7 | |
| ARCHAEOLOGICAL FIELD TECHNIQUES | ||
| AFRICAN ARCHAEOLOGY FIELD TECHNIQUES | ||
| ARCHAEOLOGICAL LABORATORY TECHNIQUES AND ANALYSIS | ||
| FOUNDATIONS IN THE HISTORY AND THEORY OF ARCHITECTURE II (1850-1950) | ||
| FOUNDATIONS IN THE HISTORY AND THEORY OF ARCHITECTURE III (1950-2000) | ||
| EXHIBITION DESIGN | ||
| THE CHEMISTRY OF ART | ||
| DOCUMENTARY PRODUCTION | ||
| INTRODUCTION TO THE HISTORY OF ART I: ANCIENT TO MEDIEVAL | ||
| ART AND ARCHITECTURE OF ANCIENT ROME | ||
| CITIES, SANCTUARIES, CIVILIZATIONS: INTRODUCTION TO GREEK ART AND ARCHAEOLOGY | ||
| SPECIAL TOPICS IN MUSEUM CURATORIAL STUDIES | ||
| ROMAN ARCHAEOLOGY: FIELD SCHOOL | ||
| HART IN THE WORLD FIELD STUDY | ||
| MUSEUMS IN WORLD HISTORY | ||
| HISTORY OF AFRICA IN THE MUSEUM | ||
| SPECIAL TOPICS | ||
| ADVANCED STUDY IN MUSEUMS AND HERITAGE: ARTS OF ANCIENT MEDITERRANEAN AT THE MENIL COLLECTION | ||
| MEDICINE AND THE MUSEUM: CLINICAL AESTHETICS AND THE MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, HOUSTON | ||
Elective Course Category: Cultural Heritage
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Select 2 courses from the following: | 6-8 | |
| INTRODUCTION TO ARCHAEOLOGY | ||
| INTRODUCTION TO ARCHAEOLOGICAL SCIENCE | ||
| THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF AFRICA | ||
| CERAMICS AND SOCIETY | ||
| THE POLITICS OF THE PAST: ARCHAEOLOGY IN SOCIAL CONTEXT | ||
| SPACE, PLACE, AND LANDSCAPE | ||
| THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF CITIES AND STATES | ||
| KINGS, QUEENS, AND COMMONERS: THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF ANCIENT MESOAMERICA | ||
| THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF SLAVERY AND THE AFRICAN DIASPORA | ||
| INTRODUCTION TO ARCHITECTURAL THINKING | ||
| FOUNDATIONS IN THE HISTORY AND THEORY OF ARCHITECTURE I (1450-1850) | ||
| FOUNDATIONS IN THE HISTORY AND THEORY OF ARCHITECTURE II (1850-1950) | ||
| INTRODUCTORY ARCHITECTURE SEMINAR | ||
| FOUNDATIONS IN THE HISTORY AND THEORY OF ARCHITECTURE III (1950-2000) | ||
| ART & WORLD CULTURAL HERITAGE SITES IN CHINA, JAPAN AND KOREA | ||
| IMAGINING THE PAST: FILM, FICTION, AND HISTORY | ||
| PERSIANATE ARTS OF THE BOOK | ||
Policies for the Minor in Museums and Cultural Heritage
Program Restrictions and Exclusions
Students pursuing the minor in Museums and Cultural Heritage should be aware of the following program restriction:
- As noted in Majors, Minors, and Certificates, i.) students may declare their intent to pursue a minor only after they have first declared a major, and ii.) students may not major and minor in the same subject.
Transfer Credit
For Rice University’s policy regarding transfer credit, see Transfer Credit. Some departments and programs have additional restrictions on transfer credit. Requests for transfer credit must be approved for Rice equivalency by the designated transfer credit advisor for the appropriate academic department offering the Rice equivalent course (corresponding to the subject code of the course content). The Office of Academic Advising maintains the university’s official list of transfer credit advisors on their website: https://oaa.rice.edu. Students are encouraged to meet with the applicable transfer credit advisor as well as their academic program director when considering transfer credit possibilities.
Program Transfer Credit Guidelines
Students pursuing the minor in Museums and Cultural Heritage should be aware of the following program-specific transfer credit guideline:
- No more than 2 courses (6 credit hours) of transfer credit from U.S. or international universities of similar standing may apply toward the minor.
Distribution Credit Information
The determination of distribution credit eligibility is done initially as part of the new course creation process. Additionally, as part of an annual roll call coordinated each Spring by the Office of the Registrar, course distribution credit eligibility is routinely reviewed and reaffirmed by the Dean’s Offices of each of the academic schools.
Faculty and leadership in the academic schools are responsible for ensuring that the courses identified as distribution-credit-eligible meet the criteria as set in the General Announcements. Students are responsible for ensuring that they meet graduation requirements by completing coursework designated as distribution-credit-eligible at the time of course registration.
Additional Information
For additional information, please see the Museums and Cultural Heritage website: https://much.rice.edu/.
Opportunities for the Minor in Museums and Cultural Heritage
Academic Honors
The university recognizes academic excellence achieved over an undergraduate’s academic history at Rice. For information on university honors, please see Latin Honors (summa cum laude, magna cum laude, and cum laude) and Distinction in Research and Creative Work. Some departments have department-specific Honors awards or designations.
Additional Information
For additional information, please see the Museums and Cultural Heritage website: https://much.rice.edu/.