COURSE CURRICULUM

The BA Curating, Heritage and Human Rights course at Essex provides a multidisciplinary foundation combining human rights, curatorial practice, art history, and heritage studies. In the first year, students build essential knowledge through modules such as Foundations of Human Rights, Writing and Researching Art History, Art and Ideas I, and Collect, Curate, Display, alongside Introduction to Heritage and Museum Studies. Optional modules allow students to explore additional areas of interest, while core skills are developed through Beyond the BA: Skills for the Next Step. The second year deepens understanding of human rights with Human Rights, Regional Systems & Global Challenges, while continuing art historical study in Art and Ideas II and offering flexible options to tailor learning to individual interests. Students also engage with computational skills through CS200 or CS207 and optional art history modules. In the final year, students focus on Selected Issues in Human Rights and further advance their art historical knowledge in Art and Ideas III, while completing a Capstone project in Art History, Curating, or Heritage to demonstrate integrated learning and practical application. Additional optional modules allow students to refine their expertise in art history or heritage studies. Overall, the course equips students with the theoretical knowledge, practical skills, and critical thinking necessary to pursue careers in curating, heritage management, advocacy, and other fields where visual culture intersects with human rights.