Bringing History to Life
The Museum Studies minor provides students with an interdisciplinary appreciation for the ways that museums collect, preserve, interpret and document our world. Museums are a major part of modern life and support more than 726,000 American jobs. Ripon College’s interdisciplinary minor in museum studies prepares students to join this robust cultural world. Students will develop skills related to curating exhibitions, analyzing objects, communicating with the public, doing public history, managing nonprofit organizations, educating the public, interpreting materials and thinking ethically. Coursework from multiple departments is incorporated.
Faculty
Nicholas Eastman
Associate Professor of Educational Studies, Pieper Family Chair in Servant Leadership
Rebecca Berens Matzke
Professor of History, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, Chair of History and the Ralph Hale Ruppert Distinguished Professor of American History, Principles and Traditions
Total Credits:
40 credits
Core Courses:
Four credits of MST 115: Museums, Artifacts and Cultural Heritage. Sixteen elective credits of art history coursework, chosen from ART 171 World Art and Design History II: From Cave Art to the Medieval Era, 172 World Art and Design History II: From the Renaissance to Today, 245 Gender and Sexuality in Contemporary Art: From Paintings to Performance Art, 270 Department Studies- Art History, 274 Modern Art: Impressionism, Photography, Pop Art, and More, 276 Arts of Asia, 277 The History and Theory of Design and Decoration, 278 Indigenous Art of the Americas, 279 Art Now: Aesthetics, Ethics, and Innovations, 370 Advanced Departmental Studies- Art History, 376 Visual Studies, 377 Arts Management, 379 Art Fakes, Frauds and Heists, or 383 Mapping the World.
Elective Courses:
Four elective credits of introductory-level studio art, Four elective credits of 200-, 300-, or 400-level studio art and Eight elective credits relevant to the study of museums
Museum Studies:
ART 377: Arts Management; BSA 110: Introduction to Management; BSA 208: Introduction to Marketing; BSA 223: Business and Society; BSA 310: Nonprofit Management; CMM 248: Media and Society; EDU 190: School and Society; EDU 250: Psychological Foundations of Education; EDU 260: Diversity in American Education; ENG 251: Foundations of English Literature; HIS 214: Greek and Roman Society; HIS 340: Public History; HIS 383: Mapping the World; MST 215: Controversies in Museum Studies; PHL 202: Business Ethics; PHL 245: Professional Ethics; POL 212: Introduction to Law; POL 246: Morality and Public Policy.
Introductory-Level Studio Art:
ART 120 Drawing I, 130 Painting I: Introduction to Oil Paint, 153 Digital Art I, 160 Intro to Design: Fundamentals and Function, 180 Ceramics I, 190 Sculpture I, or 194 Three-Dimensional Design
Studio Art:
ART 222 Drawing II, 240 Painting II, 254 Digital Art II, 282 Ceramics II, 292 Sculpture II, 322 Drawing III, 340 Painting III, 382 Ceramics III, 392 Sculpture III, or 400 Departmental Studies-Studio Art
Additional Criteria:
Internships also may be counted as elective credits, at the discretion of the academic advisor. Four credits of ART 570: Senior Seminar in Art.
Total Credits:
20 credits
Prerequisites:
Four credits of MST 115: Museums, Artifacts and Cultural Heritage.
Elective Courses:
12 elective credits relevant to the study of museums, taken in consultation with the advisor, from the following list: ART 377: Arts Management; BSA 110: Introduction to Management; BSA 208: Introduction to Marketing; BSA 223: Business and Society; BSA 310: Nonprofit Management; CMM 248: Media and Society; EDU 190: School and Society; EDU 250: Psychological Foundations of Education; EDU 260: Diversity in American Education; ENG 251: Foundations of English Literature; HIS 340: Public History; HIS 383: Mapping the World; PHL 202: Business Ethics; PHL 245: Professional Ethics; POL 212: Introduction to Law; POL 246: Morality and Public Policy. Internships also may be counted as elective credits, at the discretion of the academic advisor. Four credits of MST 215: Controversies in Museum Studies.
Additional Criteria:
No more than four credits of directed research (x97), independent study (BIO x98), or internships (x99) may be counted toward the major. BIO 110, 310 and 400 will not count toward any major or minor in biology.
Career Tracks
Students with a minor in museum studies will be qualified to work in various positions in museums, historic sites and other cultural institutions. This can include work as a curator, museum educator and nonprofit administrator. Graduates with a background in art studies can assume a critical standpoint and interact with the art world, whether producing visual art; preparing for further education, writing and research; working in arts institutions, art therapy or art education; or assuming a lifetime attitude of art appreciation. Graduates are well-prepared to enter graduate programs in museum studies.
Unique Opportunities
Field trips to major museums and cultural events are taken each semester, such as excursions to museums and galleries in Chicago, Milwaukee, Madison, Oshkosh and Sheboygan.
Off-campus study of art is encouraged.
Caestecker Art Gallery, adjacent to the Department of Art and Art History, features shows by artists with national and international reputations.
Students have opportunities to exhibit their own work, help curate campus exhibits and participate in campus art projects such as a decorative tiled sink in a restroom and creating scale models of objects in the solar system for a Planet Walk on the Ceresco Prairie Conservancy.
Complementary offerings in the Department of Art and Art History include a major in Art History and Cultural Criticism; a major in Art History and Museum Studies; and a minor in Art History.
Advising
Ripon College faculty and professional staff are dedicated to helping you reach your goals, whatever they may be and however often they may change along the way. It’s part of our value statement to you.
As a student at Ripon, you will be assigned a faculty adviser based on your area(s) of interest. You will meet with your faculty adviser throughout your time as a student to discuss your current aspirations, plan your course schedule and plot a future trajectory. We also work collaboratively with Ripon College Career and Professional Development to help match your interests and skills to concrete goals and construct a plan for professional success offering personalized career counseling, off-campus learning opportunities and an online job board with potential to connect with local, national and international employers.
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