The course is presented through three course books (which are co-published by Manchester University Press), and an online week-by-week Study Guide. The books' chapters are supplemented by readings from a set book and set reader alongside audio-visual materials, delivered both online and via a course DVD. When you register, you will also receive a Visual Sources Book which you will use in conjunction with exercises from the online Study Guide. All the course materials are designed to build your skills of critical evaluation and argument, and of using evidence to interpret and assess different methods and information.
The first course book Understanding the Politics of Heritage focuses on the politics of heritage, the relationship between heritage as it is used at the local and global levels, and the uses of heritage by governments. The central theme is the relationship between heritage and authority on the one hand, and heritage as a form of social action. When we speak about heritage as social action, we refer both to heritage as a way of creating community and a sense of place, and as a form of intervention in the way in which history is understood. The book includes accounts of the use of heritage by governments, heritage and nationalism, the politics of world heritage, heritage and post colonialism, heritage and class, and grass roots heritage movements. The book draws on case studies from Australia, the United States, England, Scotland, Spain, Afghanistan, India, Kenya and Thailand.
The second course book Understanding Heritage in Practice focuses on how heritage ‘works' in society, and the ways in which ideologies and power underlie heritage practice. The book's twin themes are the way heritage is produced (and delivered), and the way heritage and its meanings are taken up by consumers (or resisted). It features the key topics of tourism, interpretation, performance, museums, natural heritage management, and how concepts of authenticity and aesthetics are manifested through heritage. The book draws on case studies from Australia, the United States, England, Norway, Alaska, England, Greece and Wales.
The third course book Understanding Heritage and Memory focuses on the relationship between heritage, commemoration and public and private memory, and the ways in which memories are expressed as part of landscape, and as part of memorial and heritage practices. The first part of the book contains a series of case studies which explore the meaning and relevance of war memorials in different societies. The second part of the book looks towards the future of heritage, describing the latest developments in understanding and interpreting heritage. The last chapter considers the relationship between heritage and memory in the increasingly virtual culture of the twenty-first century. The book draws on case studies from Russia, England, Malaysia, Singapore, Germany, Italy, South Africa, Zimbabwe, France, Australia and the United States.
An online study guide will direct you through each week's readings and audio-visual materials, with exercises, discussion points and online quizzes. The internet provides valuable resources for the study of heritage and the course will help you to learn more about this. Although some assignments will require internet use, you are not assumed to have highly developed online skills before you start.
Free sample materials from the course DVD are available to view and download from iTunes U.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
