Program Overview

Can artists be activists? Can an exhibition spark social change? Who decides which stories our museums and galleries tell? How should museums deal with traumatic political events? Do governments and business determine what a country’s culture looks like? How do curators take these questions into account when they make displays and exhibitions? This degree will develop the skills you need to make exciting new connections between the forms of visual culture you study, political developments, and broader social and political forces.

BA Curating with Politics offers a multidisciplinary foundation in the histories and theories of art, curating, heritage studies, and politics. You will learn the intellectual and practical skills you need to realise your career ambitions, combining classroom-based learning with hands-on experience in museums and galleries. You will also learn about the history and theory of exhibition design, with a particular emphasis on how curatorial choices shape our experiences while viewing artworks and the other objects on display in museums and galleries.

You will study topics including:

• Art and Power
• History of the museum
• Introduction to Politics
• Art in Latin America
• Digital heritage and museums

To study on our course, you don’t need an A-Level in Art or Art History. In fact, we believe that the best students of visual culture are those who bring fresh eyes and new perspectives to their objects of enquiry.

Placement year

When you arrive at Essex, you can decide whether you would like to combine your course with a placement year. You will be responsible for finding your placement, but with support and guidance provided by both your department and the placements team.

If you complete a year you’ll only pay 20% of your usual tuition fee to Essex for that year.