Museum Practices and Historical Legacies

This course is part of the UBC Future Global Leaders on-campus program for high school students ages 15–18. Combines morning classes and afternoon pre-university workshops.

This museum studies course examines how artifacts, monuments, faunal and botanical samples, and fossils were collected as a part of colonial and imperial expansion; you learn how conquered peoples saw their lands confiscated, artefacts looted, remains of ancestors violated, and how they lost access to monuments with religious and cultural significance to their communities. You also learn the fundamentals of museum practices, from label composition to museum story-telling, and from exhibition-making to the current relationships of museums with the public and with Indigenous communities. Not only do you sharpen your critical reading and observational skills in this course, you get a hands-on and behind-the-scenes experience in some of the UBC Vancouver campus museums, including the world-renowned Museum of Anthropology, the Beaty Museum of Biodiversity, and the Pacific Museum of Earth. This course will help you reimagine what exhibitions might convey to the public about the materials they showcase..

This course is ideal for students interested in history, art history, anthropology, and museum studies as well as in the professional settings of archives and museums. It also appeals to students looking to develop skills that will help them excel in any of the arts and social science disciplines.

Dr. BONNIE EFFROS, PhD, FRHistS, is Professor and Head of the Department of History at UBC. She teaches courses on history of museums and archaeology, medieval European history, and the history of medievalism.

Course format

This course is held on the UBC Vancouver campus. You attend class from 9am–12pm and university preparation workshops from 1:30–3pm, Monday through Friday. University preparation workshops prepare you for success at university and improve your chances of getting into the university and career of your choice. 

Choose to live in a student residence on campus or commute daily to UBC Vancouver:

Commuter Option includes lunch in residence dining hall, Monday through Friday, and UBC Recreation Card.

Residence Option includes private room and full board, airport pick-up and drop-off, local medical insurance for all international students (and custodianship if required for visas), weeknight and weekend social activities (e.g., trips to Grouse Mountain, Granville Island and Robson Street), and UBC Recreation Card.

Cost details

*All fees are subject to change

To register

A Family Account in UBC’s Lifelong Learning registration system is required to register for UBC Future Global Leaders on-campus.

After you add the course to your cart and go to check out, you’re asked to create a new Family Account or log in if you already have a Family Account.

A parent or guardian needs to set up the Family Account with their primary email address. After the account is created, the parent/guardian adds the student as a family member to their Family Account using the student’s primary email address (the student’s email address cannot be the same as the parent/guardian email address).

Add the student to the course session in your cart and complete the checkout process.

After completing the checkout process, and while logged into your Family Account, select New Application to access the FGL information package. Your registration is not final until the information package has been completed and submitted. You may partially complete the information package and return to it at any time within your Family Account.

If you are located in Russia, you will need a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to create a Family Account, register for a course, fill out the information package and complete payment. If you do not have a VPN or need assistance, please contact us.