Undergraduate Course: Cultural Landscape (ARHI10021)
Course Outline
| School | Edinburgh College of Art |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Course type | Standard |
Availability | Available to all students |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Credits | 20 |
| Home subject area | Architecture - History |
Other subject area | Archaeology |
| Course website |
None |
Taught in Gaelic? | No |
| Course description | The course will provide an introduction to the theory and practice of cultural-landscape studies. The range of the cultural-landscape spectrum covered will include, at one end, ecologically altered, 'semi-natural' landscapes with no 'material culture' (built artefacts), through to almost wholly artificial cityscapes at the other end. The (often cryptic) relationships between the parts of this spectrum, and the concept of the 'environmental footprint', will be explored. The course will consider the various methods of reading, de-coding and interpreting different landscape types and their 'structures of signification', using global and local examples.
The course will emphasise the mid-range of landscapes commonly thought of as 'cultural', including:
- archaeological and historic landscapes
- landscapes managed for agriculture, forestry, water supply, flood control, mining and waste disposal;
- areas dedicated to specific recreational uses;
- gardens, parks and designed landscapes;
- village-, town- and cityscapes;
- retail parks, industrial estates and landscapes of heavy industry and military use, past and present.
The course will examine the perception and iconography of cultural landscapes and questions of objectivity/subjectivity, 'intertextuality', hegemony and politics. It will also consider the value to society of cultural landscapes, and examples of re-assessment of value associated with changing economic and demographic patterns, lifestyles, ecological awareness and international legislation. The administrative contexts of cultural landscapes will also be discussed, together with approaches to their management and design, and the creation of policy in terms of their protection and enhancement, all with the assistance of appropriate visiting professionals. |
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
| Additional Costs | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Visiting students should have at least 3 Archaeology courses at grade B or above (or be predicted to obtain this). We will only consider University/College level courses. |
| Displayed in Visiting Students Prospectus? | Yes |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
- awareness of the meaning and significance of cultural landscape - the term and the spectrum of landscape types involved, locally and globally
- knowledge of specific cultural landscape types and examples locally and globally
- understanding of the ecological, historical and cultural interconnections between selected landscape types
- knowledge of a range of methods of reading, de-coding and interpreting cultural landscapes and their contained structures of signification, and of their possible political and hegemonic relevance, gained through examination of local and global examples
- awareness of the academic disciplines involved in cultural landscape studies
- knowledge of the literature and iconography of cultural landscapes
- basic understanding of the legislative and administrative contexts of cultural landscapes, nationally and internationally
- basic understanding of approaches to conservation, management and administration of cultural landscapes, from NGO (non-governmental organisation) - to government-agency- and supra-national level, gained from study of examples of current bureaucratic infrastructures concerning cultural landscapes
- transferrable skills:
topic research
essay writing
seminar presentation
dialogue skills, developed in discussion with tutors and invited professionals |
Assessment Information
Coursework (50%)
2 hour exam (50%) |
Special Arrangements
| None |
Additional Information
| Academic description |
Not entered |
| Syllabus |
Not entered |
| Transferable skills |
Not entered |
| Reading list |
Not entered |
| Study Abroad |
Not entered |
| Study Pattern |
Not entered |
| Keywords | cultural, landscape, cultural landscape, archaeology, material culture, architecture, architectural, |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Prof Angus Macdonald
Tel: (0131 6)50 2306
Email: Angus.Macdonald@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Claire Davies
Tel: (0131 6)51 5925
Email: c.davies@ed.ac.uk |
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