Undergraduate Course: Heritage Studies and the Archaeology of the Contemporary World: Investigating How the Past Shapes the Present (ARCA10103)
Course Outline
| School | School of History, Classics and Archaeology |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | Just what is 'heritage' and who gets to decide? How do ideas about the past influence our society? How can archaeology be used to study the present day, and why might we want to do this?
This course introduces you to the interlinked fields of Critical Heritage Studies and Contemporary Archaeology (the archaeology of the very recent past and present day) to help you consider how the past is continually reinvented and repackaged to shape the present. To examine this process, you will be introduced to a broad variety of methods from interviewing to archive research and photography to fieldwork, in order to engage with contemporary issues including: the Anthropocene debate, 'fallism' and the preservation of contested monuments, and the role of heritage and archaeology in global conflict and peace-making. |
| Course description |
This course will introduce students to the field of critical heritage studies and the sub-field of contemporary archaeology (the use of archaeology to investigate the recent past and the present day). We will explore what the word heritage means in different contexts and discuss how these understandings and uses of heritage influence societies. We also explore how contemporary archaeology approaches can be a powerful tool for understanding how the past continually shapes the present-day and our futures. Students will learn about the emergence and practices of heritage in both 'official' contexts (including with UNESCO and the World Heritage Convention), and, at a more everyday level, how heritage can be understood as a process that is both tangible and intangible, and something that all people, everywhere, create, use and share.
The first weeks of the course will introduce the key concepts and study of heritage -- critical heritage studies -- and contemporary archaeology. Subsequent weeks will then be mainly theme-led (part taught by guests) focussing on topics of contemporary concern, including heritage and the Anthropocene, the archaeology of conflict and disaster, and the role of heritage as a global socio-political force. Research methods will also be introduced through detailed case studies (including interviews, fieldwork, archival research and engagement with artistic/creative practice).
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
| Additional Costs | Local bus/tram fare to Edinburgh based fieldtrip. |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Visiting students should have at least 3 Archaeology or History courses at Grade B or above (or be predicted to obtain this). We will only consider University/College level courses. Applicants should note that, as with other popular courses, meeting the minimum does NOT guarantee admission.
** as numbers are limited, visiting students should contact the Visiting Student Office directly for admission to this course ** |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2024/25, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 0 |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 11,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 11,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
174 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
|
| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Coursework:
1000 word Case Study Research Report (30%)
2500 word Essay (70%) |
| Feedback |
Students are expected to discuss their coursework with the Course Organiser at least once prior to submission, and are encouraged to do so more often. Meetings can take place with the Course Organiser during their published office hours or by appointment. Students will also receive feedback on their coursework, and will have the opportunity to discuss that feedback further with the Course Organiser. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- show knowledge of critical heritage studies research and the sub-field of contemporary archaeology
- show understanding of the connections between critical heritage studies and contemporary archaeology
- gain the ability to formulate critical opinions on relevant scholarly work and practical examples
- gain an introductory knowledge of critical heritage and contemporary archaeology research methods and be able to employ these methods in practice at an introductory level
- show the ability to research, structure and complete written work of a specified length, or within a specified time
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Reading List
Apaydin, V., ed., 2020. Critical Perspectives on Cultural Memory and Heritage: Construction, Transformation and Destruction. London: UCL Press.
Buchli, V. and Lucas, G., eds., 2001. Archaeologies of the Contemporary Past. London and New York: Routledge.
Gardner, J., 2022. A Contemporary Archaeology of London's Mega Events: From the Great Exhibition to London 2012. London: UCL Press.
González-Ruibal, A., 2018. An Archaeology of the Contemporary Era: The Age of Destruction. Routledge.
Harmansah, Ö., 2015. ISIS, Heritage, and the Spectacles of Destruction in the Global Media. Near Eastern Archaeology, 78 (3), 170-177.
Harrison, R., 2013. Heritage: Critical Approaches. London and New York: Routledge.
Hall, S., 1999. Whose heritage? Un-settling 'the heritage', re-imagining the post-nation. Third Text, 13 (49), 3-13.
Hauser, M.W., Battle-Baptiste, W., Lau-Ozawa, K., Voss, B.L., Bernbeck, R., Pollock, S., McGuire, R.H., Rizvi, U.Z., Hernandez, C., and Atalay, S., 2018. Archaeology as Bearing Witness. American Anthropologist, 120 (3), [whole forum]
Jones, S., 2017. Wrestling with the Social Value of Heritage: Problems, Dilemmas and Opportunities. Journal of Community Archaeology & Heritage, 4 (1), 21-37.
Kryder-Reid, E. and May, S., eds., 2023. Toxic Heritage: Legacies, Futures, and Environmental Injustice. London and New York: Routledge.
McAtackney, L. and Ryzewski, K., eds, 2017. Contemporary Archaeology and the City: Creativity, Ruination, and Political Action. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Sheperd, N., ed., 2023. Rethinking Heritage in Precarious Times: Coloniality, Climate Change, and COVID-19. London: Routledge. |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Curiosity and willingness to discuss preconceptions and 'taken for granteds'
Critical thinking skills
The ability to weigh the benefits and limitations of different research methods and strategies
Intellectual autonomy
Ethical reasoning and awareness of the benefits and risk of regards academic research
A nuanced and balanced perspective on contested political and social issues
The ability to communicate complex and contested ideas and debates verbally and textually |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Jonathan Gardner
Tel:
Email: jonathan.gardner@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | |
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