General provisions

The course can be taken as an optional advanced course in the one-year Master's programme in Sustainable Destination Development, the two-year Master's programme in Sustainable Destination Development, or as an elective course.

Entry requirements

A Bachelor's degree, equivalent to a Swedish Kandidatexamen, from an internationally recognised university. The main field of study must be within the social sciences or the humanities. This prerequisite may be replaced by Introduction to Sustainable Destination Development. Proficiency in English equivalent to the Swedish upper secondary course English 6.

Learning outcomes

The course gives an interdisciplinary introduction to cultural and natural heritage production and use in tourism and destination development from a contemporary and historical social and cultural sustainability perspective. With local and regional examples as a point of departure, heritage processes in a global context are discussed. The course also provides instruction in ethnographic methods and training in the analysis of the consequences of the uses of cultural and natural heritage.

On completion of the course the student shall be able to:

Regarding knowledge and understanding

• Critically analyse and apply heritage concepts of cultural and natural heritage to complex socio-economic and ecological contexts.
• Independently conduct a limited collection of empirical material using ethnographic methods, and analyse said material with a focus on the production of cultural and natural heritage and its impact on the community.
• Strategically reflect on how cultural heritage is produced and used and how such practices can both positively promote and challenge sustainability in the long term.

Regarding competence and skills

• Give an account of central perspectives in the field, concepts and methods of analysis and reflect on ethical concerns arising from the application of such perspectives, concepts and methods.
• Independently and with ethnographic methods conduct minor studies identifying problems and opportunities arising from the use of cultural and natural heritage, as well as give an account of and suggest strategic solutions to defined sustainability issues in written or other form.

Content

The course provides knowledge of how cultural and natural heritage is produced, negotiated and used in various societal arenas, in relation to sustainability. Current cultural and social science research discusses such cultural and natural heritage processes in fields such as world heritage, national parks, museums and traditions. Another perspective sheds light on cultural and natural heritage policy and normative cultural and natural heritage notions. The course is also based on a broad definition of nature that cultural environments created through an interaction between man and nature. The course provides skills in relating cultural and natural heritage production and its consequences to questions about how sustainability is made, understood and achieved.

Instruction

The course consists of lectures and mandatory seminars. Emphasis is put on practical application as well as group exercises and individual assignments.

Assessment

Grades are based on a weighted assessment of active participation in seminars and exercises (2,5 credits), written assignments (3 credits) as well as oral and written reports on group assignments (2 credits).

If there are special reasons for doing so, an examiner may make an exception from the method of assessment indicated and allow a student to be assessed by another method. An example of special reasons might be a certificate regarding special pedagogical support from the disability coordinator of the university.