Postgraduate Course: Biocultural Heritage for Just and Sustainable Futures (fusion online) (EFIE11415)
Course Outline
| School | Edinburgh Futures Institute |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
| Course type | Online Distance Learning |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 10 |
ECTS Credits | 5 |
| Summary | This course explores the potential of biocultural heritage as a model for more just and sustainable futures in the Anthropocene. It emphasises interdisciplinary, decolonial and critical approaches that integrate theory and practice. |
| Course description |
This elective will examine biocultural heritage in theory and practice. It adopts an interdisciplinary lens bringing together insights from sustainability studies, critical heritage studies and environmental sociology. We explore and problematise the separation of natural and cultural heritage in conservation, before considering how alternative models like biocultural heritage can offer a more holistic approach. We examine biocultural heritage as an academic framework and a model rooted in indigenous worldviews. The course considers both the global context, as well as specific national cases, from Peru to Scotland to explore biocultural heritage as a pathway to more just and sustainable futures.
The course focuses on outlining models of biocultural heritage, their origins, features and the applications of these in practice in diverse contexts. Students will engage with interdisciplinary academic research on the subject and conduct their own investigations. Students are encouraged to carry out independent and collaborative research, using peer learning through discussion and reflection, both asynchronous and synchronous, to achieve the learning outcomes.
Edinburgh Futures Institute (EFI) - Online Fusion Course Delivery Information:
The Edinburgh Futures Institute will teach this course in a way that enables online and on-campus students to study together. This approach (our 'fusion' teaching model) offers students flexible and inclusive ways to study, and the ability to choose whether to be on-campus or online at the level of the individual course. It also opens up ways for diverse groups of students to study together regardless of geographical location. To enable this, the course will use technologies to record and live-stream student and staff participation during their teaching and learning activities. Students should note that their interactions may be recorded and live-streamed. There will, however, be options to control whether or not your video and audio are enabled.
As part of your course, you will need access to a personal computing device. Unless otherwise stated activities will be web browser based and as a minimum we recommend a device with a physical keyboard and screen that can access the internet.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2025/26, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 10 |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
100
(
Lecture Hours 4,
Supervised Practical/Workshop/Studio Hours 8,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
86 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
This course embraces an assessment for learning philosophy, which will be explained to students from the outset (through the course description and on Day 1 of the intensive).
Assessments are seen as means of scaffolding and facilitating learning throughout the 5 weeks.
In line with this ethos, the assessments are designed as follows:
Formative Assessment:
Formative Assessment can be defined as learning and teaching activities that will not contribute to your the course's final mark/grade. The purpose of Formative Assessment is to provide high quality feedback to students on their current knowledge and skills so that these can be developed and demonstrated in subsequent summative assessments.
1) 500 Word Individual Research Post / Peer Review
By the end of week 1 of the pre-intensive, students will share a post (ca 500 words) presenting the individual research they conducted on a case study of their choice. By the end of week 2 of the pre-intensive, students will comment on one post shared by one of their colleagues in week one (ca 100 words). This component of the assessment will be formative.
Summative Assessment:
The course will be assessed by means of the following components:
1) 1250 Word Case Study Report (100%)
Students will complete, through additional reading and individual research, a case study report on a case of biocultural heritage (the one they started as a group activity during the intensive - but they are also free to choose a new case from the list which they will have been exposed to during the intensive too). The aim of the assessment is to write up a report on the case study, focusing on the impacts of the biocultural heritage model in practice and the implications for policy/future practice.
Guidance will be offered to enable students to tailor their report to a specific audience, as well as a generic structure and key questions to cover.
This assessment will be graded and make up 100% of the overall assessment (it will be 1250 words long not including references). |
| Feedback |
Feedback will be provided throughout the intensive: by answering questions after the mini lectures, through discussions and by interacting with students during the 8 hours dedicated to group activities.
In addition, one hour of focused formative feedback is included, at the end of the second day of intensive teaching following group presentations. During this session, students will present and receive feedback on the group activity they conducted and which constitutes the starting point for their summative assessment.
Students will receive written feedback on their coursework. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Demonstrate critical understanding of biocultural heritage models in theory, policy and practice.
- Conduct individual and collaborative research into biocultural heritage in different contexts.
- Explain how biocultural heritage can contribute to more just and sustainable outcomes for local communities and indigenous peoples.
- Communicate orally and in writing about biocultural heritage for different audiences.
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Reading List
Indicative Reading List:
Essential Reading:
Swiderska, K. et al. (2022) 'Indigenous Peoples' Food Systems and Biocultural Heritage: Addressing Indigenous Priorities Using Decolonial and Interdisciplinary Research Approaches', Sustainability, 14(18), p. 11311. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3390/su141811311.
Lindholm, K., & Ekblom, A. (2019). A framework for exploring and managing biocultural heritage. Anthropocene. 25, p. 100195.
Recommended Reading:
Ekblom, Anneli & Shoemaker, Anna & Gillson, Lindsey & Lane, Paul & Lindholm, Karl-Johan. (2019). Conservation through Biocultural Heritage-Examples from Sub-Saharan Africa. Land. 8. 5. 10.3390/land8010005.
Griffiths, T. (2024) 'Significance of biocultural heritage, cultural landscape and islandness for responsible tourism: a Knoydart case study', Tourism Geographies, pp. 1-21. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/14616688.2024.2325943.
Kaulen-Luks, S. et al. (2022) 'Biocultural heritage construction and community-based tourism in an important indigenous agricultural heritage system of the southern Andes', International Journal of Heritage Studies, 28(10), pp. 1075-1090. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/13527258.2022.2131882.
Murray, I. et al. (2019) 'Biocultural Heritages in Mallorca: Explaining the Resilience of Peasant Landscapes within a Mediterranean Tourist Hotspot, 1870-2016', Sustainability, 11(7), p. 1926. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3390/su11071926.
Russell, Z. (2021) Biocultural Heritage in the UK. Research Report. Inherit Institute. York Archaeological Trust. |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Students will develop the following mindsets and skills while working to achieve the four Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) specified above and, in particular:
- Enquiry and lifelong learning (ILOs 1, 2, 3)
- Aspiration and personal development (ILOs 1, 2, 3, 4)
- Outlook and engagement (ILOs 3, 4)
- Research and enquiry (ILOs 2, 3, 4)
- Personal and intellectual autonomy (ILO 2, 4)
- Personal effectiveness (ILO 2, 4)
- Communication (ILO 1, 2, 4) |
| Keywords | Cultural Heritage,Biodiversity,Indigenous Communities,Land Rights |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Zoe Malcolm
Tel:
Email: Zoe.Malcolm@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Veronica Silvestre
Tel:
Email: Veronica.Silvestre@ed.ac.uk |
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