Skip to Content

Search: {{$root.lsaSearchQuery.q}}, Page {{$root.page}}

University Tours

Tours are our most popular resource for university classes. Tours are led by our knowledgeable docents and staff members and are tailored to the specifics of your course. Please contact the Education Department at least two weeks in advance of a visit to the museum. Please also review the Rules of the Museum prior to your visit.

Tours may be scheduled Tuesday through Friday from 9 AM to 3 PM, and Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 3 PM. If the tour is for a U-M course and you need to plan the visit outside this schedule, arrangements can be made with advanced notification.   

Due to the limited size of our galleries, tour group size is limited to 15 people. Special arrangements will be made for groups larger than 15.  

Tours are between 30 to 60 minutes in length. For a class meeting for 60 to 90 minutes, an activity component can be added.  

Thematic Tours

We have designed tours for courses from various departments and programs across campus, including:

  • American Culture
  • Anthropology
  • Classical Studies
  • Comparative Literature
  • English Language and Literature
  • Germanic Languages and Literatures
  • History
  • History of Art
  • Jean and Samuel Frankel Center for Judaic Studies
  • Near Eastern Studies
  • Religious Studies
  • Residential College
  • School of Architecture
  • School of Business
  • School of Art and Design  
  • Sweetwater Writing Center
  • UROP   
Topics

Tour topics for university courses have included:

  • Ancient Egypt
  • Ancient Rome
  • Ancient writing
  • Archaeology as a historical resource
  • Greek art
  • Karanis
  • History of collecting and museum display
  • Roman emperors and empire
  • The science of archaeology

General tours of the museum are also available.

Modern Language Immersion Tours

We are in the process of developing modern language immersion tours for students of modern languages. The purpose of this experience is to help students work on listening and conversational skills, especially in regard to the past tense, and to provide them with a different kind of immersive experience. We also hope it will encourage students who plan on traveling abroad to explore museums and other cultural institutions in their host countries by making them more comfortable with the experience. We can provide you with a self-guided general tour of the museum in English, which can be translated and delivered by the instructor. Docent-led tours of the museum in both French and Spanish are also available.

Recently, GERMAN 326 visited the museum and created their own comic strips based on their visit.

 

Self-Guided Tours

Interested in leading your students on a tour of the Kelsey Museum? We would be happy to assist you in preparing for your tour. We can provide resources for students to use in the galleries, a bibliography of material to read in preparation, and support in planning your visit.   

If you prefer to prepare for your visit on your own, we still request that you contact us to reserve a time. We maintain statistics on which courses and departments are using the Kelsey Museum for our reports to LSA. Additionally, we may have other events scheduled, which could conflict with your visit. The Kelsey Museum is fast becoming a popular resource for professors and K–12 teachers, and we strive to ensure it is a valuable experience for everyone.

 

Contact the Education Department

If you have any questions or would like to schedule a tour, contact the Education Department at kelsey.ed@umich.edu or (734) 647-4167.