Entry requirements

Students admitted to a Master programme within Uppsala University or students with a Bachelor's degree.

Learning outcomes

The student should, after completing the course, be able to

Regarding knowledge and understanding

- critically reflect on the contested nature of heritage and especially its political implications and discuss this through relevant concepts,

- discuss how heritage and cultural property is regulated in international law and how it may be protected in conflicts,

- understand and account for the complexities of cultural heritage in a global context,

- reflect on how conflicts may contribute to altering heritage, memory and identities,

Regarding competence and skills

- look critically at conflict and post-conflict development scenarios,

- describe and apply various heritage discourses, and to think beyond Eurocentric definitions and accounts of cultural heritage and conservation,

Regarding judgement and approach

- relate to critical approaches to heritage and its political implications, and

- value and address different heritage practices and conceptualisations.

Content

This course focuses on social and cultural sustainability and offers an introduction to cultural heritage in relation to globalisation and politics, as well as to the social implications of cultural heritage in and after conflicts. The course provides students with a better understanding of the complex relationships of cultural heritage and people in society, involving authority and power. It also provides students with tools for unpacking these complexities, through critical approaches to heritage and conservation, expressed in contemporary debates and exemplified by case studies from different parts of the world moving beyond Eurocentric perspectives.

The course deals with the complexity of heritage in conflicts as well as with the possibilities of using it to promote a peaceful and sustainable development. Students will not only be introduced to the problems associated with heritage in conflict areas, but also to possible interventions on sites with heritage-related aims, such as reconstruction or conservation. Furthermore, students will encounter heritage in relation to nationalism, religious beliefs, colonialism, postcolonialism and human rights, and concepts such as tangible/intangible, identity, authenticity and ownership will be explored.

Instruction

The course consists of seminars, lectures and exercises. Active participation in seminars and exercises is compulsory. Absence from any of these will need to be compensated.

Assessment

Assessment is based on written assignments and oral contributions. Grades are given in accordance to the Swedish grading system. The following grades are used: Fail (U), Pass (G), Pass with distinction (VG).

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 University's disability coordinator.