This course provides an in depth analysis of the field of heritage and museum studies and explores some of the conceptual, political and ethical issues faced by those working within and researching in the area of heritage and museums. The course questions dominant perceptions that heritage is simply about the collection and management of artifacts, sites and monuments and challenges students to engage with understanding heritage as an area of cultural and political practice. Students are introduced to the key intellectual frameworks that allow us to understand heritage as a form of cultural practice, while each week students are introduced to particular issues or problems that heritage represents and are encouraged to explore and debate their meanings, consequences and, where relevant, their resolutions.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
- identify and judge the utility of different conceptualisations of 'heritage' and understand how they come to be deployed within international and national cultural policies and practices;
- analyse the role heritage and museums play in the politics of recognition, and remembering and forgetting at both national and sub-national levels;
- analyse the diverse ways that heritage is perceived and valued by different interests and assess the consequences of this for policy and practice;
- identify and analyse the power relations that shape contemporary heritage and museum practices; and
- critically assess the role that heritage and museum experts play in the mediation of conflicts over heritage and museum management and interpretation.
Indicative Assessment
- Participation in seminars (in-person class) or on-line tutorials (on-line class) (10) [LO 1,2,3,4,5]
- Seminar/tutorial paper 1000 words (15) [LO 1,2,3,4,5]
- Minor essay 2000 words (25) [LO 1,2]
- Major essay 3000 words (50) [LO 3,4,5]
The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.
Workload
130 hours of total student learning time made up from:a) 36 hours of contact over 12 weeks: 24 hours of lectures; and 12 hours of seminars (in-person class) or on-line tutorials (on-line class); and
b) 94 hours of independent student research, reading and writing.
Inherent Requirements
Not applicable
Requisite and Incompatibility
Prescribed Texts
Smith, L. 2006 Uses of Heritage, London: RoutledgeHarrison, R. 2013 Heritage: Critical Approaches, London: Routledge
Lowenthal, D. 2013 The Past is a Foreign Country — Revisited, Cambridge University Press (note this is the revised 2013 edition, not the 1985 original version).
Assumed Knowledge
This course does not assume any prior knowledge with heritage and museum studies.Specialisations
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
Commonwealth Support (CSP) Students
If you have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). More information about your student contribution amount for each course at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 14
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are a domestic graduate coursework student with a Domestic Tuition Fee (DTF) place or international student you will be required to pay course tuition fees (see below). Course tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 0.12500 |
Course fees
- Domestic fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2024 | $4080 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2024 | $6000 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.